Parable of the Weeds

Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

One famous theologian once said, “Life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Life may be unpredictable in the details. It is true that the specifics of the who, and the what and the where of life may be uncertain, but is life really unpredictable? There may be some who want to live as if life was like a box of chocolates, never knowing what one is going to get. They may want to hold a whimsical, flimsy, carefree, “Who knows” what is coming perspective of the future, but is that true?  Is life really like a box of chocolates, never knowing what we are going to get? 

There are certain things we can expect in life. There is a beginning and there will be an end. There is good and there is evil. You will reap what you sow. We may not be able to predict what will happen at the end of the day, but we can know what will happen at the end of the age. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” As Christians, we know what is coming. We know what will happen at the end of the age. It has been revealed to us the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. After Jesus spoke a parable to the crowd he would say, “He who has ears, let him hear.” 

My prayer is that you would have ears to hear and eyes to see what the kingdom of heaven is like so that you can live now in light of the reality of the future. Jesus wants to prepare his people for what life is like in the kingdom of heaven so we will know what is to come and be changed by it. 

The Parable

Jesus taught a lot about the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is the redemptive reign  of God on earth. In Matthew 13, he lays out several parables to explain what the kingdom of heaven was to his disciples. Now, he taught the crowds the parables but would explain them to the disciples. Not everyone who heard the parable understood its spiritual meaning. Most parables have one main application and the parable of the weeds is no different. And even though it has one main application, there are many other implications we can draw for our own life. Matthew does not explicitly say Jesus was teaching to the crowds at the beginning of the parable, but later in the chapter before his explanation he says in verse 36,“Then he left the crowds and went into the house,” so we know Jesus was teaching his parable to crowds. Matthew 13:24–30,

He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 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.’ 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.”’” 

Jesus shares another parable which would have been very familiar to the crowds. A man sows good seed in his field. His livelihood would have depended on the seed he sowed in his life. While he was sleeping, his energy came and sowed weeds among the weeds. The word for ‘among’ here implies the enemy sowed the seed thoroughly throughout not in just one place but all throughout the field. It is hard to tell how common this was in the ancient world, but it was at least common enough that there was a law written to prevent it. And if you wanted to ruin your neighbor and his field, this would have been how you would do it. The weed is a zizania or commonly known as a darnel. The darnel or weeds or tares would have looked very similar to wheat as it initially grew.

The servants knew the master of the house sowed good seed in the field so how then is the field full of weeds. The answer is simple, “An enemy has done this.” Remember the enemy did not do this during the day, but at night while everyone was sleeping. The servants were ready to go and get the weeds so the wheat would grow and not be robbed of the nutrients of the soil or be blocked from receiving the sun. Instead of pulling the weeds now, the master of the house said, wait for the harvest. At the harvest the weeds and the wheat would be separated. The weeds would be burned and the wheat gathered in the barn. At the harvest it would be clear which were weeds and which were wheat. So he said, “just for the harvest and we will settle things then.” Again, the crowd would have understood the story. They were very familiar with darnel and how it looks like wheat. They were familiar with the harvest as their lives depended on what happened at the harvest. And even though they understood the story, they did not understand the meaning. 

The Explanation

Jesus shared a few more parables with the people and then returned to the house, most likely Simon Peter’s mother in laws house, and his disciples wanted to know about the parable. It is interesting to note the disciples called it, ‘the parable of the weeds of the field,’ which helps us determine the emphasis of the parable. Matthew 13:36–43,

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “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. 

The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The Son of Man is a divine title taken from Daniel. Daniel 7:13–14,

“I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven

there came one like a son of man,

and he came to the Ancient of Days

and was presented before him.

And to him was given dominion

and glory and a kingdom,

that all peoples, nations, and languages

should serve him;

his dominion is an everlasting dominion,

which shall not pass away,

and his kingdom one

that shall not be destroyed. 

The Son of Man was a messianic title. This is the title Jesus would most likely refer to himself. It is important to note that the Jews believed when the Messianic Son of Man would come they believed he would deliver his people from oppression and establish a powerful earthly kingdom that would last forever. They did not understand that the Son of Man must first suffer, die and be raised again before he would establish his dominion over the earth. 

Jesus continues to teach the parable. The field is the world. The world belongs to Jesus for it is his field. As we think of the implications of this parable, take note the field is the world. This will be important as we hope to apply this to our lives. There are two seeds that are sown into the world. The good seed which are the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one. Jesus is not referring to only men here but to sons as representative of all who belong to one who has sown the seed. There are only two groups: the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the evil one. The evil one is the devil; the father of lies, the accuser of the brethren. He is the one who sowed the weeds and/or evil into the world. The origin of evil according to this parable would come from the devil. 

The harvest is the end of the age or the end of the world. The age is referring to the time between the first coming of the Messiah and his return. At the harvest, the angels will come and execute judgment on the earth. Jesus affirms this again in Matthew 16:27, 

For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” 

And Mattew 24:31, 

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

The angels are servants of God who will gather the weeds and the wheat for judgment. 

Jesus finishes the explanation of the parable by highlighting the final judgment. The weeds or the sons of the evil one will be gathered up and burned and thrown into a fiery furnace for the kingdom of the Son of Man will not have any causes of sin or law breakers. They must be removed from the kingdom and put in a place where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. And then the righteous, the sons of the kingdom will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 

Jesus finishes his explanation with a simple and powerful application, “He who has ears, let him hear.” And that is exactly what we want for ourselves. We want to be those who have ears to hear, and apply this parable in our own lives. 

The Applications

1. There are only two groups of people in the world

The world is only filled with two groups of people in the world. You either are born of God or of the evil one. Jesus explained this to the Pharisee who were claiming to know God, but Jesus shows them how their lives revealed to whom they belong. John 8:42–47,

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

He who has ears, let him hear. If you do not hear and obey the word of God, you do not belong to God. Those who do not hear and obey God’s word  belong to the Devil for they live to do his will. Remember the scene right before the parable when Jesus was visited by his mother and brothers, Matthew 12:48–50,

But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” 

There are two groups of people in the world. Those who hear and obey and do the will of God, and show they belong to him. And those who hear and do not obey and do not the will of God but follow the desires of the evil one to do his will.  

2. Repentance and faith in the King is the only way into the kingdom.

Jesus sows the good seed into the world and the good seed are the sons of the kingdom. You are a son or daughter of the King when you submit and serve the King. Jesus Chris is the King of kings. He came as the Son of Man not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. He demonstrated his divinity in living a total obedience to the Father. He was the true Son who obeyed his Father perfectly. He did what we could never do. And he suffered and died for it. Yet since he was perfect, God raised him from the dead and declared to the world in his resurrection that he was the King of kings and the Lord of lords or as Paul writes in Philippians 2:9–11,

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If you confess now that Jesus is Lord you will be saved. For there is no distinction, all have sinned and all only can be saved by calling on the name of the Lord as Savior and submitting your life to him as King. It is not enough to say you follow the King but you actually must follow the King. Are you living to do the will of the Father or the will of the evil one? 

Think of your life this past week, what does your life reflect? Not what you want it to reflect but what did it actually reflect? Does your life look like you are a child of God or a child of the evil one?  If your life does not reflect Christ, repent. Turn from your evil ways and call on Christ for deliverance. He will save you, he will sanctify, he will change you by his grace and help you serve him as King. 

3. Hell is a real place with weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

Do not be deceived. Hell is real. Hell is not only for the worst of the worst. Hell is for everyone who does not have Jesus as their Savior. Those who are lawbreakers, who live for their own desires, who are liars, who live in lust, who are greedy, who are immoral, who cause others to sin. If you do not know God, but belong to the evil one, there is a place of eternal torment waiting for you. It will be a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. When someone is in extreme pain and anguish they grind their teeth together to try and endure the pain. It is a horrible place. And it is a real place for those who do not know Christ. 

There are some who want to deny hell. There is a growing desire to deny a literal, eternal hell, but do not be deceived. We cannot ignore the final judgment. At the end of the age, those who do not know Christ will be gathered and thrown into the fiery furnace. And do not miss this, we all deserve hell. We all deserve to experience torment and the weeping and gnashing of teeth. Our sin against a holy God deserves a just punishment. And it is only when we understand what we deserve for our sin, we will begin to understand what God has saved us from in Jesus Christ. The disciples asked Jesus to explain the parable of the weeds because they wanted to know what was going to happen to the weeds. And Jesus makes it clear, they will be burned. 

Friend, if you do not know Christ, if you are living for your own desires and serving your flesh, you should expect judgment. Galatians 6:7–8a,

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption,

Do not make light of this. Do not sow corruption and destruction for yourself. Hear the whole verse, 

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

If you sow to the Spirit for the glory of Christ, from the Spirit you will reap eternal life. The more we understand the reality of hell, the more we will run to Christ and rejoice in what he has saved us from.

4. The sons of God and the sons of the evil one will live together until the end of the age. 

The field is the world. And the world there is sown the sons of the kingdom and the sons of the evil one. Both live and grow together. It is the design of God for his people to live among those who live and serve the evil one. It is easy for us to become overwhelmed and exasperated with what is happening in the world. We may be like James and John, the sons of thunder who said to Jesus after seeing people reject him, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” A spirit of the sons of thunder may be in the church today when we see those who reject we want to call down fire from heaven. We want God to send his justice down to consume people, but it is not the role of the church to judge those outside of it. It is the Lord’s job with his angels to judge the world, it is our job to adorn the gospel for them.

The evil one sowed the seed all throughout the world, but so did the Lord Jesus. The sons of the kingdom are everywhere living side by side those who stand against Jesus. Jesus told his angels not to separate the wheat and weeds before the harvest. Why? Because it is our job to win the weeds to Christ. The Lord is exercising patience to those who have yet to believe in eternal life. It is our job to live among the sons of the evil one to adorn the gospel. We are the aroma of Christ to those who are being saved and the stench of death to those who are perishing. We cannot control how the world views us but we can control who we view the world. If we have an attitude that wants God to bring down his wrath upon them, we do not have the heart of Christ. 

James and John saw the rejection of Christ and they wanted to call down fire from heaven, much like the angels in this passage. And even though that is what they may have deserved, the heart of God can be seen when Jesus looked over Jerusalem as he was heading to the cross, Luke 19:41–42

And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 

Or Matthew 23:37–38,

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 

When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 

Beloved, is your heart like the Lord Jesus? He has left us here to live among the world for a reason. He has compassion on them. Do we have compassion on the world around us? Are we angry and embittered against those who speak against Christ or are we moved with compassion and sympathy for their souls who are in danger? Are our hearts burdened in love for the lost? Do we weep over our city? Do we cry out for the salvation of our family? Do we, as Peter wrote, “count the patience of our Lord as salvation?” Every day the Lord tarries is another day we have to share Christ with those outside salvation. Every day the Lord waits is another opportunity for those destined for hell to be brought safely into his heavenly kingdom. 

I often hear people long for our nation to be back where it used to be, where Christians were viewed more favorably and the church had greater influence, but the darker the world becomes the brighter the church will shine. God wants people to be saved. God wants to use the church to woo people to Christ with their lives. He wants our light to shine before men so that they will see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven. 

5. Turn to Christ while there is still time

I was texting with a friend earlier this week and he shared several instances of unexpected death with me. He wrote, “This week has been a sobering reminder through death…what great anguish.” Friend, if you came here today and have not repented of your sins and trusted in Christ, there is still time. If you came here today, in bondage to sin and have not repented, there is still time. God is patient towards you. There is still time to repent before the end of the age or the end of your life, but there may not always be time. Some of you in this gathering are putting your home in the future believing there will be time to repent then, but you do not know what the future holds. Life is a vapor and mist. It is here one minute and gone the next. You have time today. Repent and turn to Christ while there is still time. Do not let time run out because of your stubbornness or love of sin. Those who love this world and its desire will pass away, but those who do the will of the Father will live forever. You have a choice today: Choose Christ and live or Reject Christ and die. 

What patience would wait as we constantly roam

What Father, so tender, is calling us home

He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor

Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

Friend, Jesus offers to take your sin because of his mercy. He is calling you home, but he will not call forever. Do not presume on the riches of his kindness and patience and forbearance; for they are meant to lead you to repentance, but if you reject his kindness and patience there will only be a fearful expectation of wrath. Turn to Christ while he is extending his patience to you. Oh please, turn to Christ and be forgiven. 

6. The church must reflect the kingdom of heaven on earth

The field is the world and Christians are called to live in the world as lights to those in darkness. We must strive to have the church look like the kingdom of heaven for the sake of the world and the glory of God. One of the principles of the Baptist church is to have a regenerate church membership meaning those who make of the church are those who have been born again by the Spirit of God and are living by the Spirit to do the will of the Father. The church should be composed of believers. Many theologians throughout history have used this passage to show the church to be a mixed community of believers and unbelievers popularized by St. Augustine of the 4th century. 

God has given the keys of the kingdom to the church to bind and loose people into the kingdom. The church is much better at bringing people into the kingdom but not as faithful in removing people from the visible kingdom. The church should, to the best of our ability, reflect those who are sons of the kingdom. This helps to clarify for the world who is safe in Christ and those who are awaiting judgment. We should wield the keys of the kingdom to bind people who are striving to live for Christ and to loose people who do not want to follow Jesus. This is church discipline as laid out in Matthew 18:15-20,

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” 

God will judge the world, but it is the church’s responsibility to judge the church. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 5:12–13,

For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” 

The church should look like heaven to the watching world. 

We must fight for her purity for the sake of those who are weeds, for we know the evil one has sown his seeds among the sons of the kingdom. Paul warned in his charge to the Ephesian elders that there will be threats from outside and from those inside. The greater danger is often not those who describe themselves as being opposed to God but by those who claim Christ while teaching things and living in a way that is contrary to Christ. We must be on guard  and to labor to purify the church as those who are living in obedience to the King. 

7. The Righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

At the harvest, at the end of the age, the weeds and the wheat will be separated. The weeds will be thrown into the fire, but the wheat will be brought into the barn, the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. We will have many trials in this life. We will face many persecutions. We will be scratched and clawed by the sons of the evil one. We will become weary and tired of life in a fallen world. We may want to throw up our hands in defeat, but know this: those who persevere will be ushered into the kingdom of their Father. All the lawless ones will be removed and only those who have been sanctified in Christ by his Spirit will remain. And we, as his people, will be rewarded on behalf of Christ for our faith in Christ to shine like the sun in the kingdom of our father. There will be many dark days ahead, but when that sun shines down from above and warms your face, remember the destiny of all who trust in Christ at the harvest. We will be brought to Christ. 

The darnel or the weed will grow with the wheat. And the only way to truly tell the difference is when they are fully grown and two things will be seen: the wheat will bear fruit and the weeds will not. And for when they are full grown the weeds will stand tall and wheat will bow because of the weight of the fruit. It is fitting for only those who bow down in humility before the King will be exalted.  Bear fruit in humility. Beloved, he who has ears, let him hear.