Weeds & Wheat Series

Matthew 13:24-30; 34-43. [24]He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, [25]but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. [26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. [27] And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' [28] He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So, the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' [29] But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" [34] All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. [35] This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world." [36] Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." [37] He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. [38] The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, [39]and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. [40] Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. [41] The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, [42]and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. [43] Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (ESV)

Delays in Canada’s criminal court system have received a lot of attention in recent months. Serious cases, even those involving murder charges, have been thrown out because it took too long to bring them to trial. With a long delay, for example, (it has been argued that) an accused can be forced to suffer continuing and lengthy deprivations of liberty if he or she is detained in custody pending trial. While such deprivations are sometimes unavoidable, at some point they can become excessive, and the accused deserves a remedy — not because he has to wait a long time for his trial, but because he has to wait a long time in jail for his trial. (https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/dealing-with-trial-delays-without-ending-prosecutions)

The parable of the "Weeds & Wheat" in Matthew 13 addresses a major concern of the whole discourse, namely, the delay of justice or judgment.... The immediate, natural reaction of the people to Jesus’ proclamation of the presence of the kingdom was to wonder about the continuing presence of evil in the world, as manifested particularly in Roman rule over the people of God. The era of salvation was more or less equated with national-political deliverance (Hagner, D. A. (1998). Vol. 33A: Matthew 1–13. Word Biblical Commentary (382). Dallas: Word, Incorporated.)

When we see evil all around, we ask as both why, and how do we eradicate it. Some look to political or other instructions. Some say: maybe if we elect enough Christian politicians, judges or other leaders, we change our justice system, or create particular social programs, we will create a better society.

But in Matthew 13, Jesus explains why there continues to be evil in our midst and what will happen through the 1) The Presentation of the Parable (Matthew 13:24–30), and 2) The Interpretation of the Parable (Matthew 13:34–43).

We can understand why there continues to be evil in our midst through:

1) The Presentation of the Parable (Matthew 13:24–30)

Matthew 13:24-30 [24]He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, [25]but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. [26] So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. [27] And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' [28] He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' [29] But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" (ESV)