Wheat and Weeds
One day Jesus told a story about the kingdom of heaven. He tells of a farmer who sows some wheat, and finds out later that on one occasion, while everyone lay asleep, his enemy went into the fields and sown some darnels, which look similar to wheat in their early stages of growth, and can only be distinguished after they mature. The farmer’s plan was not to pull out the tares immediately, and risk destroying the wheat, but to wait until the harvest, which at that time they could easily separate the wheat from the tare, storing the former and burning the latter (Matt. 13:24-30).
The story informs how life is like in God’s kingdom during this epic of time. Jesus explains, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt. 13:37-43).
The “field” is the world, as opposed to a local assembly. It teaches that those who follow the Light can expect to live side-by-side with those in darkness until that appointed time when God separates the righteous to eternal life and the unrighteous to eternal condemnation.
The parable also reminds us that even within the church assembly there would be those who spread false teaching and mislead others into sin. It is for this reason John instructed: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Paul, likewise, commands: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5).
Jesus wanted to communicate that God’s Kingdom would not involve an instantaneous purging of the sinful, or a quick round up and segregation of evil from the world. Instead, saints will grow alongside sinners until the final judgment when the ultimate separation takes place. Nevertheless, God’s Kingdom was also like a mustard seed, which starts off extremely small, but grows exponentially into something larger than anything else (Matt. 13:31-32). It is also like the yeast that leavens the entire loaf of bread dough (Matt. 13:33).
The story informs how life is like in God’s kingdom during this epic of time. Jesus explains, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear” (Matt. 13:37-43).
The “field” is the world, as opposed to a local assembly. It teaches that those who follow the Light can expect to live side-by-side with those in darkness until that appointed time when God separates the righteous to eternal life and the unrighteous to eternal condemnation.
The parable also reminds us that even within the church assembly there would be those who spread false teaching and mislead others into sin. It is for this reason John instructed: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Paul, likewise, commands: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5).
Jesus wanted to communicate that God’s Kingdom would not involve an instantaneous purging of the sinful, or a quick round up and segregation of evil from the world. Instead, saints will grow alongside sinners until the final judgment when the ultimate separation takes place. Nevertheless, God’s Kingdom was also like a mustard seed, which starts off extremely small, but grows exponentially into something larger than anything else (Matt. 13:31-32). It is also like the yeast that leavens the entire loaf of bread dough (Matt. 13:33).
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