In the Name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in the truth, for His word is truth. Amen

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (2011)

Weeds Live Among the Wheat Rev. Toby Byrd

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (ESV)

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.' "

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 children 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.

The Psalmist says, “The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1 ESV). However, with each and every passing day this doesn’t seem to be the case. As we look at the world and its doings; seeing and hearing what is going on in world events and local happenings we cannot help but feel that Satan has taken full possession of the world. However, the Psalmist words still remain true, “the earth is the Lord's” and God has not abandoned the world.

The world is the great field where the Son of Man has planted His kingdom and He is constantly sowing His children, as seed. Yet the crop of the heavenly gardener is beset by difficulties, even as our farmers and gardeners crops have theirs, because seemingly from nowhere bothersome weeds begin to grow endangering the good seed. Suddenly the field meant to grow wheat finds itself overgrown with weeds. This is a vexing situation. It troubles our mind and makes us ask, “Why does this happen and what is to be done about it?” However, the solution does not lie within us. Instead we must turn to God and listen to Him instruct us regarding the problem as we consider diligently what He has to say about the Weeds that live among the Wheat.

Our Lord tells us, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also” (vv. 24-26). This situation puzzles the servants. Perplexed, they turn to their master and ask, “did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds” (v. 27)? They know their master planted only good seed; therefore, they question, “How then, did the bad seed get into the field?”

This parable perplexed the apostles as it does most Christian’s. In trying to understand this parable from a Christian perspective, we must first ask, “Who or what the bad seed is?” As believers in Christ we know that God has sown only good seed, He has planted and preserved His kingdom for many generations. However, there it is. In the world, even in lands where God has spread His kingdom for centuries, even in so-called Christian countries sin and wickedness abound, godlessness, unbelief, and superstition are common place. Many within the world are offended by this fact and unbelievers point to it as proof of the ineffectiveness of Christianity and the Gospel. They say it shows that the religion based on Holy Scripture is not genuinely divine. Therefore, the bad seed are unbelievers, moreover, the godless are everywhere surrounding the children of God; the good seed.

Typically, when one hears an explanation of this parable, they usually hear that the bad seed represents the hypocrites within the Church. However, a cursory examination of the parable tells is there is no question the servants of the master can easily discern the weeds from the wheat. Therefore, the weeds cannot be assigned exclusively to the hypocrites within the Church, because no one can tell a true hypocrite. It is only God who sees into the hearts of men. Given that these weeds are not exclusively hypocrites, then they must include all unrepentant sinners, blasphemers, those who promote false doctrine, or otherwise all that are not believers. These are the bad seed. However, we are still led to ask, “If God plants only good seed, where does all this unbelief and godlessness come from and where did the weeds get their start?”

In answering the question, “How then does it have weeds?” our Lord says, “An enemy has done this” (v. 28). Moreover, Jesus explains this part of the parable by saying, “The field is the world, and the good seed is the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil” (vv. 38-39).

It is not as if sin is something new, something that has come into being since the birth of Christ. No, sin and unbelief were sown upon the field of the world when man in Eden disregarded the clear command of God not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To blame God for man’s fall, as some do, is blasphemy. God sowed good seed when He made man in His own image. The suggestion and temptation to doubt God and to commit sin came from Satan and man willingly and of his own accord consented to the destruction of paradise. Satan, the enemy of God, is the one responsible for sowing bad seed. Moreover, since the days of Eden he has been busily sowing his evil seed; our Lord calls them, “the sons of the evil one” (v. 38), on God’s field, the world. To this day, the devil is still spreading false doctrine, temptations, and aberrations of God’s holy Word, disobedience, and godless living. To all unbelievers the words of our Lord Jesus apply; “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires” (John 8:44 ESV). All ungodly people, who do not believe and obey His Word, whether they are criminals, moral reprobates, or respectable, self-righteous individuals who lead a good life in the eyes of men, or recognized Church members who hide their unbelief with the cloak of hypocrisy, all of them are the “the sons of the evil one.”

When we look at our surroundings or at the world, we cannot help but be concerned by the growing ungodliness that surrounds us. Weeds are sprouting up all over and seemingly threatening to consume the field. We know that the archenemy of God is determined to have his way as he continues to sow his “evil sons,” so he might consume the “children of the kingdom” by creating a field of weeds. Alarmed by this turn of events and the condition of the field, we ask, “What can we do? Lord, should we separate the Weeds from the Wheat? Should we set about the task of pulling the weeds to save the crop?

In the parable the perplexed servants have this same question. They’re incensed at the audacity of the enemy. In loyalty to their master they are ready to take measure against the enemy’s wickedness. With a readiness that waits only for an approving nod, they ask “do you want us to go and gather them?” (v. 28). They are ready and willing to get to work in the field and aggressively, ruthlessly, tear up the weeds that have been sown.

People usually are geared to the quickest and best solution, and the solution seems clear; let’s get together and pull out the weeds. Moreover, throughout the centuries there have been those who consider this is the best and most efficient way of dealing with the problem of spiritual weeds. Only by weed pulling can we rescue the honor of God, save the Savior’s name, and protect and extend the kingdom by force! Let us use the strong arm of the government if need be! Let us make laws against atheism and unbelief! To this our Lord Jesus says No! This is not the way to answer the sinfulness of the world.

In today’s Gospel Reading, the master tells his servants, “'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them” (v. 29). The master is opposed to His servant’s suggestion and for good reason; he doesn’t want the wheat damaged while pulling up the weeds. In fact, in many instances it will be very difficult to tell the weeds from the wheat. Moreover, since they have both taken root, their roots have become intertwined so that even the greatest care could not avoid tearing out some of the wheat. There is but one thing to do, “Let both grow together until the harvest” (v. 30).

What is true in the realm of nature is even truer in the realm of the spiritual. The distinction between plant and plant is often easier made than that between Christian and unbeliever. Many an unbeliever professes to be a Christian. We know that some of them are even within the borders of the visible Church; successfully hiding their disbelief under the cloak of a cautious hypocrisy; to ferret these out would be especially difficult and dangerous to the wheat. Besides, human prejudice must be reckoned with—as well as the false zeal it creates. How much havoc has been wrought in the Church by the use of violent measures! Just recall the Spanish inquisition.

We must be more than cautious, because through God’s merciful providence weeds can become wheat. In God’s gracious plan of salvation, unbelief often gives way to faith under the influence of the divine Word and the working of the Holy Spirit. Who are we to take it upon ourselves to become accuser, judge, jury, and executioner of those who are of the field, who are of the world? St. Paul reminds us of this truth in his letter to the Church at Corinth, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” (1 Cor. 5:12 (ESV).

This statement by St. Paul reminds us that we are only to judge those within the Church, he says, “But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. . . . God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you” 1 Cor. 5:11, 13 ESV). Thus based on these words from St. Paul, we cannot use the parable of the weeds as a reason for not judging those within the Church who are guilty of unrepentant sin. However, this does not mean that we are to be unloving in our rebuke of a sinning brother or sister, rather, we are to have as our foremost desire their repentance and restitution to full fellowship within God’s Kingdom of Grace.

As for the weeds of the world, they are not to be violently uprooted by us; “Let both grow together until the harvest” (v. 30). St. Paul reminds us, “the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh” (2 Cor. 10:4 ESV). Our weapons are spiritual—the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Through God’s Word a much better thing can be done than pulling up weeds. Through God’s Word weeds can be transformed into wheat. Enemies of God, the “sons of the evil one” can be changed into “children of the kingdom” and heirs of eternal life through the preaching of God’s Saving Word of the Gospel.

Therefore, we who are the “children of the kingdom” yet live in the world ought not be so hasty to send men to hell. Rather, we should concentrate on saving them from the hell fire of eternal torment. The Church’s calling is to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom in the entire world for a witness unto all nations. This is not the Day of Judgment; it is the day of salvation! Our Lord Jesus through His Kingdom of Grace is still building His Kingdom of Glory; a kingdom not of this world. Moreover, as His servants we do not fight with swords and spears but with words of truth and salvation as we witness the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ. Therefore, relying on the very Word of God, we trust in our Lord’s command; “Let both grow together until the harvest” (v. 30).

Jesus reminds us that the weeds will be taken care of in due time, at harvest time; on the Last Day. Our Lord says; “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” (v. 30). Then in His explanation He says, “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (vv. 40-43).

Thus the parable ends with a warning to all who are weeds. Let all unbelievers, the vicious and the respectable, those outside the visible Church and those within, take note; “He who has ears, let him hear”. The end of unbelief is disaster.

Jesus means for this parable to be a solemn warning against unbelief; however, by it He also consoles and comforts all believers. We were born with corrupted natures into a corrupted world, but God, the Father of all mercies, gave us the gift of faith to believe in the atoning sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of our sin. We have, therefore, been transformed from being “sons of the evil one” into “children of the kingdom.” Moreover, on that Last Day, the Day of Judgment, we shall be resurrected with all the saints to live in the bliss of everlasting life with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Yes, there are Weeds who live among the Wheat, but God would have them become Wheat. Amen.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.