By Pastor John Mateos Ong and Pastora Monique Lopez Ong
In the Parable of the Sower, we talked about the different kinds of soil which are representative of our hearts. Jesus talked about the importance of having a heart that is fertile. The Parable of the Weeds is a follow-up story and in this parable, Jesus is saying that even if we have fertile ground (or a fertile heart), aside from the good seeds that grow in it, there can also be bad seeds that can creep through.
SCRIPTURE::
Matthew 13:24-30 says “Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “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?’ “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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.”
OBSERVATION:
This is a description of the kingdom.
2 kinds of plants:weed and wheat
It is at night when the enemy attacks.
Weeds are not obvious.
If you pull the weeds too early, you can kill the wheat.
During harvest, the weeds should be pulled out first.
Weeds are burned while the wheat will be brought to the barn.
As Jesus is telling this story, the disciples were probably embarrassed to ask questions in front of the multitude so they waited until they were alone with Jesus. Matthew 13:36-43 says “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.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 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, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 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. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Let us simplify this:
Jesus’ Explanation
Sower of Good Seed - Jesus
The Field - The World
Good Seed - God’s Children
The Weeds - Devil’s Children
The Harvest - The End of the Age
Reaper - Angels
APPLICATION:
How can we apply this parable at this time? It is actually Jesus’ warning to all of His followers and also a revelation of what will be happening in the future. So many people are speculating that the corona virus is part of the signs of the end times. So in this parable, Jesus reveals what will happen at the end.
BE A WHEAT! How can we do that?
Make sure you are a wheat. In the beginning, we mentioned that it is difficult to distinguish between the wheat and the weeds early on. But during harvest time, it will be easier to separate the two.
How do you know if you are a wheat? Remember that you are a triune being made up of a body, soul and spirit. First of all, you have to accept Jesus. The 4 spiritual laws coined by the Campus Crusade says that Jesus loves you, you are a sinner, only through Jesus can we experience God’s love and salvation and when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are assured of going to heaven. If you accept these 4 laws, then you are saved spiritually. Many try to say that these laws are not in the Bible but if we look at Romans 10:9, it says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” There is nothing else that you have to do. This is the finished work of Christ.
After you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, it has to be evident in your life. The Holy Spirit has to have a proof in your soul. That is what you call the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 states: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Ephesians 2:10 states “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Once you become a wheat, when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are slowly going to be transformed, doing good things little by little in Jesus’ name.
Going back to the story, the servant asked the sower if he wanted him to pick out the weeds and he objected saying, if you pick the weeds, you will also pick the wheat. What does this mean?
Let Jesus do the sorting. So many people enter the church with eyes that see more than they should. When you enter the church, you look at people and see all the bad things they do. Matthew 7:1-3 says ”Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” The church is like a hospital and we accept everybody. It was built not only for the righteous but most especially for sinners like you and me. When we judge people, more will stumble. A lot of people look like bad seeds but when they get to know the Lord Jesus Christ and they begin to walk with Him in faith, they will change. They will become good seeds. But they do not know that yet. James 5;19 says ”My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back.” We are here to spread light, not to judge. We want everyone to experience the joy that we have.
We have learned so many lessons from being pastors of a church. The first one is to be patient. God is still working on His people.They are still in progress and it is a process. Second, be kind, gentle and fair. Regardless of what a person goes through, we accept them because they are all important to God. God wants us to have His heart. We are not worthy but God died for us. Our job is to bring everybody to the kingdom of God.
Wait on God’s timing. At the end of it all, God will be the one to separate the wheat from the weeds. In Matthew 13:41, it says, “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.” This is going to be God’s judgement, not man’s. So we know that it will be fair and just because God is a righteous God and this will be done in His time.
This parable is a serious, yet a loving warning, because God is giving us time to check ourselves and to stop judging others too. With all the things that are happening around us, it is time to take our faith seriously. God did not give us this virus, but this should be a wake-up call. We have put God on the sidelines for a long time. It is time to put Him first.