The Gospel According to Matthew
Matthew 13:24-43
I find the fact that Jesus used parables to speak to the crowds an act of grace. He was speaking to everyone. Children, women, men, the educated the uneducated, the poor and the rich. Everyone could understand, and if they didn't understand he explained it. Jesus is not an exclusive, mysterious God. Perhaps we make Him too complicated.
This past weekend we celebrated my parents 50th Wedding anniversary and had the memorial service for both of my grandparents who lived to be 95 years old. Over the weekend there were lots and lots of stories shared. These stories taught us about our family history and our genetics. It was inspiring, humbling, and made us all think about our own lives. We hopefully learned from some of their mistakes and were challenged to do better by their successes. My very young nieces and nephews learned, I learned, and my father the eldest in our very large family, learned.
Our inclusive Savior knew that He could reach all, young and old, and those who heard His voice and those who read the words, hundreds of years later.
READ: Matthew 13:24-43
The Parable of the Weeds
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 uproot 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.’”
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[b] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
The Parable of the Weeds Explained
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 people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people 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 blazing 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. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
The Parable of the Weeds:
1. This parable is unique to the book of Matthew. He is the only one who talks about it.
2. When the disciples at first didn't understand what did they do?
3. When we don't understand, what should we be doing?
4. Where should we go to find answers?
Jesus yearns to make it all clear to us!
I love the following quotes from Christ Object Lessons. This section starts on page 70 and goes through 75. I have just brought out just a few sentences.
Christ Object Lessons "He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man." Matt. 13:37. Christ had come, not as a king, but as a sower; not for the overthrow of kingdoms, but for the scattering of seed; not to point His followers to earthly triumphs and national greatness, but to a harvest to be gathered after patient toil and through losses and disappointments.
Christ Object Lessons
Christ has plainly taught that those who persist in open sin must be separated from the church, but He has not committed to us the work of judging character and motive. He knows our nature too well to entrust this work to us. Should we try to uproot from the church those whom we suppose to be spurious Christians, we should be sure to make mistakes. Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom Christ is drawing to Himself. Were we to deal with these souls according to our imperfect judgment, it would perhaps extinguish their last hope. Many who think themselves Christians will at last be found wanting. Many will be in heaven who their neighbors supposed would never enter there. Man judges from appearance, but God judges the heart. The tares and the wheat are to grow together until the harvest; and the harvest is the end of probationary time.
There is in the Saviour's words another lesson, a lesson of wonderful forbearance and tender love. As the tares have their roots closely intertwined with those of the good grain, so false brethren in the church may be closely linked with true disciples. The real character of these pretended believers is not fully manifested. Were they to be separated from the church, others might be caused to stumble, who but for this would have remained steadfast.
I don't know about you but this was a bit shocking for me to read. I grew up in a church that kicked people out of the church very swiftly for any sin that was brought to light. I have grown up listening to those who talk about how our church has gotten soft, and needs to be stronger at "cleaning house" or "church discipline". Reading this makes me wonder, wonder if that is our role at all. I can hear many people saying, "well we need to have balance". I'm saying I don't hear the balance in what Jesus said.
He didn't say if the weed was too big or taking the sun from the wheat around it. He didn't say do it carefully and kindly. He said to just leave it be until the harvest and the harvest isn't an evangelistic meeting but is the end of probationary time. At the end of this time we are not the ones to correct and clean out the church, that is HIS work and His only!
But this is not a class to discover our role as a church but as individuals. So what do you hear in this for us as individuals?
There is no question that we have a part to play in working for Christ. What is our call?
This goes along with what Pastor Ryan wrote in his Friday night email to each of us last night. Our call is to spread the Gospel, or the good news. The good news is what?
So what does this say to me? This parable about the wheat and the weeds...hmm.
1. Stop worrying about what is going on around me.
2. Realize it isn't enough that I look right, act right. This goes back to the sermon on the mount. Jesus wants more from us. Am I a wheat plant or a weed?
3. If I am a wheat and I'm surrounded in Church and this world by weeds, my work is to keep soaking up the rain and to keep looking to the SON so that I can grow.
The Mustard Seed
So what about this parable?
1. Have you ever felt called to do a task for God but felt too small?
2. Do you ever see something that you think needs to happen and then try to find someone who you think is "gifted" enough to do it?
Jesus was again letting us know that His way is a way that is accessible to all and He can and will use EVERYONE! In Christ Object Lessons Ellen White talks about all who Jesus has used through the ages. It isn't just the larger than life charismatic leaders! It isn't the powerful, He uses the weak, the uneducated, the small and humble.
1. What are you being called to do for Jesus?
2. What have you been unwilling to step out and do?
Jesus didn't come with an army to take over the evil powers or governments. Jesus came as a baby. A baby who was cared for by weak and poor humans. Jesus did things in a way that we have a hard time understanding.
As a little girl I remember a television show that I saw at someones home. I must have been 6 years old. It was about a girl who ate 6 loaves of bread dough that was on the counter and then had to go to the emergency room because the yeast was expanding the dough in her stomach. It was terrifying and kept me from ever eating even little bites of dough. Bread dough is amazing. With good yeast, just a teaspoon can make a huge pile of dough rise and rise and rise.
1. Are we willing to do less and trust that with the powerful yeast the rise will come?
2. Are we willing to let go and let the power of God transform us into the bread. God's love and transforming power will not leave you a lump of unleavened dough. No matter what the flour, salt, and oil do they can not become a light beautiful bread without the yeast.
Closing: Who am I?
1. Wheat or Weed?
2. Small
3. Unleavened
4. Willing
5. Soft light and delicious bread....in time!
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