"Wheat And Weeds"

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 “Wheat and Weeds”

1. Today's text is an answer on how to deal with weeds in the fields?

• You know the constant complainers, the my way or highway folk,

• Growing up mom made me pull weeds and pick rocks out of the garden. I wish I had read this text and showed mom Jesus's advice

• Jesus' remarkable advice when discussing how to deal with the weeds in the field is to let them be. They'll be taken care of on harvest or judgment day. "The servants asked him, `Do you want us to go and pull them up?' 29" `No,' No he answered, `because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest.

2. Jesus says the "wheat" are the children of God; the "weeds" are the Pretenders (Story of woman at Mullens who lipped sang for the Cathedral Quartet)

• Actually Jesus says they are the "children of the evil one" (v. 38).

3. Jesus describes the field, as the "world" (v. 38) 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil

• Yes, the "children of evil" exist and they do damage to the crop, but they exist in a field that is predominantly a field of wheat, not weeds.

4. Let consider the differences Wheat and weeds:

• One farmer said, “wheat is always in the row that you planted it”; weeds will be scattered all over, Wheat follows the rules, obeys the farmer's commands, grows where the farmer has planted it. Weeds, on the other hand, are renegades, exist all over, obey no "rules" grow wherever they want.

• A second difference is that wheat pretty much all look the same. Weeds on the other hand, are all completely different. * Some are like vines. * Some have pretty flowers and are very deceiving. * Some grow tall and are clumped into bushes.* Some grow like camouflage. They look like wheat when they are small and young, but when they grow up they change appearance and are mature enough to do damage to the wheat.

• A third difference is that wheat multiplies only by planting. The farmer plants the seed and a crop and harvest ensue. Not so with weeds: * Some weeds multiply by spreading their seeds through the air on the back of your local wind. * Some weeds spread their bounty when wildlife eat the seeds and then travel for miles, expelling the seeds from their mouth or droppings

5. What can you do about weeds?

• A first line of defense in dealing with weeds is to cultivate the fields Stir up the fallow ground, stir the soil disk it

6. Jesus's solution to the wheat weed problem is for us to be wheat (Just be Wheat)

• Jesus says “Just be wheat” go about your business. Our job is to be wheat, not weeds.

• We're not called to be the farmer. Rooting up weeds is not part of our job description. We'd like to rain down hellfire and brimstone, but Jesus counsels us otherwise. Wheat farmers say that at harvest the dry weeds will just blow right through the combine.

• Just Be wheat grow where you are planted

• Just Be wheat Grow tall and strong and crowd out the weeds.

• Let your influence remove the weeds of sunlight and water they need to survive.

• Don't be a stalk of wheat in a field by yourself. Grow with others in a community of wheat.

• No stalk of wheat worries about a weed nearby; the farmer's going to take care of that weed. God has a plan. We can trust the plan. . 41The 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. 42They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.