As the title suggests, the fact that we live in a messy world may be a gross understatement. The Parable of the Weeds encourages us to trust God’s timing in the midst of this troubling world.
One way to interpret the parable is to recognize that the kingdom of God is present with the arrival of Jesus in Israel (Mark 1:15). The parable reflects on the question: “If God’s kingdom is here, why is there so much evil?”
Another interpretation of the parable is to see it as a commentary on the church. Why does God permit deceptive and corrupt members to exist in His church?
Jesus gave us this parable to answer both issues.
“He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field, but while everybody was asleep an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.'”
— Matthew 13:24-26
The kind of weeds that appeared were darnel, a poisonous plant that looks like wheat until it is nearly ready for harvest. The Roman Empire had special punishments for people who sowed darnel in an enemy’s wheat field.
In the interpretation of this parable, Jesus identifies the enemy with the devil (Matthew 13:39). The devil knows that he can’t hurt God, so he turns his energy toward humans, those whom God loves the most. He attempts to poison humanity and turn hearts away from devotion to the Lord.
What Can We Do?
As members of God’s kingdom, what can we do when we see evil growing alongside the fruit of the Christian life? What should we do when we suspect there are people in the church who resemble the poisonous darnel? Jesus answers our questions like this:
“And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No, for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'”
— Matthew 13:27-30
Jesus could have listed various weeds of contemporary society in Israel. Instead of tackling one issue after another with a plan of action, Jesus told the church to wait and trust His timing for judgment.
In His interpretation of the parable, He made it clear that there will be a time for accountability, but the present time is not for His followers to take matters into their own hands.
“The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”
— Matthew 13:41-43
Defeating Evil
Jesus didn’t give the church license to weed the field of His harvest. Instead, He gave us authority and a commission.
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:18-20
I have several good friends who were clearly poisonous weeds in society at one time. By the grace of God, they became disciples of Jesus. They were immersed in the life of the Trinity, and I had the joy of teaching them to obey what Jesus commanded us all.
They responded to God’s love and an invitation to a new life. As I often say, “The way God defeated His enemies was to make them His friends.”
While Jesus does not allow us to weed His field at this time, He commands us to make disciples of everyone. That’s a way we all can respond to the problematic issues of our day.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 