Weeds In The Garden

Weeds in the Garden

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

September 3, 2006

Introduction

How would you define a weed? What makes a plant a weed? Or better yet, why are weeds bad?

Here is how the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary defines a weed:

“a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth; especially : one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.”

Did you know that even a rose can be a weed? That’s right. If it’s growing somewhere it shouldn’t, then it’s a weed.

In this parable we’re looking at today from Matthew 13, Jesus talks about weeds in the kingdom of God – the Church. And He makes it very clear in his description here that weeds aren’t a good thing. And He says that weeds will not end up with a good end.

This is just one of a bunch of parables in this section of Matthew. This parable is a parable of judgment, and my guess is that when Jesus first gave it, it caused a number of eyebrows to raise.

But Jesus was never one to enjoy the status quo. He shook things up a lot to get people’s attention and to make them consider the truth He was sharing.

Well, let’s take a look at this section of Scripture, which is found in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (Page 691) –

24 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 "The owner’s servants came to him and said, ’Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 "’An enemy did this,’ he replied.

"The servants asked him, ’Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 "’No,’ he answered, ’because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’"

Then skipping down to verse 36 –

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."

37 He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where 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.

It’s very important to distinguish this parable from the parable of the sower.

In that parable, anyone could be involved in the sowing of the seed, which was the Word of God. The key to the parable was the soil.

In this parable, Jesus is the sower, the soil stands for the whole world, and the seed stands for the “sons of the kingdom,” or followers of Jesus.

Here in this parable, the main issue is not the soil as in the last parable, but in the seeds. The seeds in this parable are people.

And the people in this parable meet two different ends.

I think there are four major lessons we can learn from this parable, all of which we can take to heart, so let’s dive in, shall we?

Four major lessons from this parable:

1. The Savior is active.

Jesus, the Son of Man, is the main active participant in this parable, and He has two main functions in it: He sows the seed (v. 37) and he supervises the harvest (v. 41).

First, He is active in spreading the message of the kingdom all over the world.

Verse 38 says that the seed represents “the sons of the kingdom,” those who belong to Christ.

And I think it’s pretty cool that Jesus is spreading these people not just in the US, nor just in Europe. They are being spread throughout the world.