Weeds in our Gardens

Matthew 13:24-30

If you have a yard or a garden the parable of the weeds should be of interest, in that I have both yard and garden, it seems that each year I battle a weed that does look similar to wheat.  If left to its desire or nature it would soon choke out the grass in the yard and take over the garden. 

Jesus gives us a comparison between a man who sowed good seed in this field and the kingdom of heaven, but adds this, his enemy comes in the night while he is sleeping and sowed weeds.  Let’s pick up the story in verses 26-28, “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 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?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.”

Many parents and many people have wondered, how did this happen?  Did we not go to church, did we not do and act in a civil manner to those we came in contact with, that is most of the time, driving a car should not count there are so many rude people who drive cars, I’ve seen one in my mirror.  But most who attend the local church do not give the answer Jesus gave; ‘An enemy has done this.”  You may wonder did Jesus have someone in mind, and the answer is yes.  But before going there, we should not miss the following, often, we can see a wrong and try to fix it without any leadership of the Spirit, and many times we uproot the new seed, the new believer, and allow the enemy of God to bring unrest to the local church.  “When ask what the master of the field wanted of those who care for the field, this was Jesus reply.  So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 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.’”

Don’t you love the honesty of the disciples, they were not like most who attend the local Bible studies and church services, when the crowd has left and Jesus is back inside the house they ask, now what was that about the parable of the weeds?  And Jesus explains, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end 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. He who has ears, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:37-43)

These are not the words of a mad man, they are the words of God’s only Son, and this writer knows they are the words of our Creator.  And that brings us to two questions, “Do you believe Jesus tells the truth, and do you have ears to hear?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice