Parable of the Wheat and Weeds

So we're going to read two parts of chapter 13 from verse 24 to verse 30 and then verse 36 to 43.

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 amongst 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.

Verse 36.

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 it will 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 lawbreakers, 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.

Amen.

Amen.

Well, good morning, everyone.

It really is a privilege to be up here and open the word with you all this morning.

This is week two of our five-week series where we have some of the lay members of the congregation

preaching through the various parables that Jesus was teaching us in Matthew.

And we do enjoy a lot of really good teaching here, don't we?

Good times in the word, and we have many capable teachers across our congregation.

And it's really a blessing to spend time each week opening God's word together and considering it.

A series like this is really quite helpful to have five different preachers,

because we're looking at five distinct and different aspects of the one kingdom.

As Jesus has told different parables to kind of turn the diamond in our hands

and shine the light in a different way and highlight a different aspect of this glorious kingdom that's coming to be.

And these are key aspects.

That's why Jesus gave us these parables and why Matthew so faithfully recorded them for us.

We enjoy that privilege position of being able to gather and look back,

learn from our great Lord and just marvel at our God and creator.

But life is still hard, isn't it?

It seems we find ourselves having to struggle to hold to biblical values

against the current of society that's trying to get further and further away.

Autonomy is now such a part of our society and an individual's rights

that even the concept that we might live our lives by an external moral standard

has become deeply offensive to people.

And it's hard to see that changing any time soon.

If Jesus' resurrection really did triumphantly usher in a new kingdom,

how do we orient ourselves in a society turning away from his teachings?

Why do we feel the pain of friendship strained?

At the least the weight of those awkward silences, judgmental silences.

And at the more extreme end, close family ties broken

just for trying to negotiate with integrity, living who we are now in Christ.

Well, this morning, we're going to see just how much our God cares for us,

even as we await the perfection of his kingdom to be realised in full.

We're now residents of that kingdom,

living in aliens amongst the brokenness we see in this world,

from morning to evening, day in, day out.

So this week we're following on from Matt last week.

It's important to remember, though, that this is a distinct parable.

We're again using a farming story, a farming metaphor,

to help us understand the kingdom in a tangible sense.

But we need to be really careful this morning

not to bring the four soils into the wheat paddy.

Rather, this is a separate story

with a separate aspect of the kingdom that we need to learn.

It's going to be a particular challenge for us this week

because this parable of the wheat is only in the Gospel of Matthew,

so it's a lot less familiar to us

than some of the other parables that pop up

in multiple Gospels and different accounts.

But like with the four soils,

as we're looking at this aspect of the kingdom

through a farming analogy,

we're fortunate that when Jesus' fishermen and disciples

confused came and sought him out in private later,

he explained it all again.

So we've got not just the parable,

but this detailed explanation to fishermen

of what was going on with this agricultural parable.

And we're going to benefit immensely

from having it spelt out in the second telling as well.

So although there are dangers in misunderstanding parables,

at their core parables are stories,

and stories are a very powerful way of communicating to us.

They teach us an understanding at a different level

to just a list of facts.

If I were to ask you,

what does it mean to be an Australian?

I doubt that you would proceed to rattle off the Constitution

or sing me a rousing rendition of the National Anthem.

It's far more likely you would tell me the story of the Anzacs

or waltzing Matilda

or the latest exploits of one of our many national sporting teams.

These stories just resonate in a different way

to a list of facts.

And so it is with parables.

But as Matt helpfully highlighted for us last week,

we need to do the legwork

to make sure we're understanding what Jesus intended for us.

And we're going to do that together this morning.

So if you'd like to open up your Bible to Matthew 13, verse 24,

Matthew 13:24

you can follow along in the text as we walk through it.

And we'll start here with a clear identification

that it is a parable,

and specifically it's a parable about the kingdom of heaven.

A man, who will later be identified to represent Jesus himself,

sows good seed in the field.

Then an enemy deceptively sows weeds amongst the wheat that was planted.

And already we've come across one of the traps of parables.

There are lots of details included in a parable.

Some of those are there to teach us,

and some of the other details are just there to facilitate the story.

I like to think of the movie The Lion King.

It's the story of young Simba growing up in a pride of lions.

He has an evil uncle, Scar, and a good father, Mufasa.

Now if we think about the lionesses,

there's his mum, his friend, Nala, and his friend's mum,

and then, well, a lot of other ones.

They're integral to the story.

You can't be a lion and have a pride of lions

without there being a lot of lionesses.

But while they're in the key events of the story,

we don't even know their names.

They really don't add, and they kind of blur into the background.

Here, in this parable, the men being asleep

while the devil sows the weeds is like the lionesses.

It's a key part of the story.

It's important for it to function,

but it's not the key teaching point.

We can be confident that it's not the key teaching point

because Jesus runs through the disciples explicitly,

and this isn't what the parable is about.

What does unfold, though, seems to us really weird, doesn't it?

Sowing a weed amongst the wheat just seems like a very odd thing to do.

But it actually would have been quite identifiable and relatable

for the audience at the time.

In fact, under Roman law,

to sow a weed, this particular weed called Darnell,

among wheat of someone as an act of revenge,

is actually a specific criminal crime

with a code and punishment assigned.

Darnell itself is a plant that's related to wheat,

and as it grows, it looks just like wheat

until the head of the grain starts to form.

And if you look at verse 26,

when it's talking about produced grain,

that's really what it's talking about.

It's when the head of the grain starts to form,

you can tell that the wheat is different to the weeds.

The young wheat looks pretty much the same.

But now we can distinguish between the two,

and it becomes obvious to the helpers

that there are weeds in this paddock

that up to that point it just look like wheat.

Again, it's not a major thing.

It's just another detail that we need to understand

to get the story to progress

without it being the point of the story.

So the servants, who are identified as angels,

and when Jesus explains it in full,

now see what's going on.

There's wheat and weeds in this paddock.

And they go to their master confused.

What are the weeds doing here?

Surely this isn't looking like the kingdom

that Jesus has been talking about.

This isn't the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven,

as he taught his disciples to pray in chapter 6.

Weeds surely are contrary to God's good character.

But once they raise the issue,

you see, the situation is not a surprise to Jesus.

He's across it.

He knows that the weeds are there

and where they've come from.

And he can answer all of their questions

while affirming that indeed they're not true to his character,

they're not from him.

An enemy has planted the weeds amongst the good seed.

Naturally, the angels want to sort it out right now.

Let's pull out the weeds.

But no, Jesus is across it.

If that's what he wanted,

he would have had it done already.

He is in complete control of the situation.

Notice the care for his church,

as he's not willing to risk uprooting the wheat

in the process of removing the weeds.

Let both grow together, he declares in verse 30.

Let both grow together until the harvest.

Jesus isn't going to let this abomination stand.

It will be addressed.

But not yet.

He's going to address it in such a way

that is of no risk to his people.

To feel the full weight of the significance of these statements,

we need to consider where Jesus is in time

as he describes these events.

Jesus is teaching these parables

on the cusp of his kingdom being realised.

The book of Matthew is rapidly approaching

Jesus' death and resurrection.

But this is before.

This is a parable of prophecy.

It's describing the people,

and most particularly to his disciples,

how things are going to be.

And it's quite confronting for a Jewish audience

who are looking for a Messiah to come

and overturn the Romans,

restore the natural order of things

with the kingdom of Israel

being a kingdom here on earth

right then and there.

Like the angels,

we're also confused by this description.

If Jesus' triumph is at the cross,

if his victory is displayed

and sealed at the resurrection,

then surely we should be looking forward

to a world without tears

where every eye has been dried.

A world of peace

where man is free to serve God faithfully.

We're sitting the other side

of the death and resurrection, aren't we?

Looking back,

we know that's not the world the disciples will see.

Indeed,

indeed,

under Jesus' kingship,

most of them will be executed

for following him,

following the risen king

in a world that is still in open rebellion.

And it's that same period of time

we find ourselves in.

Looking back,

our hope is secured

in the victory of the resurrection.

But the world is still not one of peace.

This is not all that we've been promised in Christ,

is it?

If we're honest,

the last few years have rattled

much of our sense of security and prosperity,

even in a relatively sheltered

and protected Australia.

We don't even need to consider

world-scale events

like pandemics and wars

that have ravaged

this perceived security

in the past couple of years.

We feel the consequence

of living amongst the weeds

every day.

Weeds tend to grow really well.

That's one of the things

that makes them weeds.

And they grow particularly well

even when the plants

are finding it difficult.

Perhaps lockdowns and uncertainty

have peeled back the veneer

that we paint over our life.

And reality is jarring

once it's gone.

The effects of the corruption of sin

mar each of our relationships.

The ultimate expression of this,

where we see it most clearly,

is in death.

We've all felt

the deep unnaturalness

of that permanent separation

that's an inherent part

of our lives, isn't it?

Indeed, it's the ultimate fate

of each of our

worldly relationships.

We're familiar

with the pain of things

that we wish we said

while they were still here.

Or other things

that we did say

that we can now

never take back.

It hurts terribly.

This is not

a peaceful kingdom.

Our lives are not

a place of rest

but of weariness.

Is this really

the kingdom to come

that Jesus was teaching

his disciples

and the crowds

to look forward to,

to aspire for?

No.

The story doesn't end

with the wheat

and the weeds

intermingled in the field

indefinitely.

Look at verse 30.

At harvest time,

I'll tell the reapers,

gather the weeds first

and tie them in bundles

to burn them

but collect the wheat

in my barn.

That's the toned down

version that the crowd got.

Let's look at verse 41

which is the detailed

explanation for the disciples.

The Son of Man

will send out his angels

and they will gather

from his kingdom

all who cause sin

and those guilty

of lawlessness.

That's the weeds.

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 their father's kingdom.

Let anyone who has ears

listen.

It's a remarkably

similar description

to that later used

by Matthew

of Jesus himself

in the transfiguration.

Chapter 17,

verse 2.

He was transfigured

before them

and his face

shone like the sun

and his clothes

became white as light.

It's an appearance

that bears witness

to his status

and the father's approval.

verse 5.

This is my beloved son

with whom

I am well pleased.

Listen to him.

In Christ,

we now share

this status as co-heirs.

In Christ,

we are

and will be

righteous.

That is the punch

of this parable.

There is more

to come.

It is a lofty reward

and we're to look forward

to it

while we're in the field.

What is to come

is our frame of reference,

if you will.

We can endure

the impact of the weeds

for now,

safe in the confidence

that their time

is limited.

They will answer

for their actions.

More importantly,

we will be recognised

as who we now are,

righteous in Christ

and we'll enjoy

that righteousness

with him.

We know

that the weeds

endure now

only for our own safety,

that we would be damaged

if they were to be removed.

Behind the harshness

that we endure

in this kingdom

that has come now

but is still not yet,

we know

that a deeper love

is being expressed

by a God

who is

absolutely righteous

and even more offended

than we are,

but his hand

is stayed

for our ultimate good.

We will make it

to the harvest

if we endure it in him.

Once a crop is planted,

it's on a trajectory

to yield a harvest.

It's not a perennial plant

that will enjoy

the beauty of

year after year

after year.

It's not a fruit tree

that will return to

for nourishment

again and again.

A crop

is on a single track.

It will grow

for a short season.

It will produce a yield.

It is not pretty

it is purposeful.

It is terminal.

And so we are called

to live a life

in face of this reality.

To live in the kingdom now

but in anticipation

of the fulfilment

of this kingdom

which is still to come.

We're not called

to believe in this

with a blind faith

but we are called

to have faith

in this truth

of the reality

that we live in.

Others cannot see it

but that doesn't

make it less true.

And some here this morning

are not going to find

much comfort here.

Jesus taught

on hell frequently

and in this parable

we again

see no apology

for its reality.

The matter of fact

fire

in the initial rendition

is further expanded

as being thrown

into a blazing furnace

where there will be

weeping

and gnashing of teeth.

These images

piled upon images

to describe the horror

of the consequence

while at the same time

assure of the reality

and the sufficiency

of justice.

It will be realised

and it will

fit the crime

absolutely.

There's no room left

for the audience

to take this current world

in our current situation

where the weeds

grow in the field

alongside the wheat

as in any way

an approval

or a dilution

of God's holy character.

In fact

the description

of the weeds

in verse 41

as a causer of sin

or a lawbreaker

puts an emphasis

not just on the consequences

of failing

to accept Jesus

as the Lord

and King of this world

and indeed ourselves

but

the judgement

that's stored up

as they cause

others to sin

and tempt the wheat

away from their Lord

in the field.

John Piper once quipped

that in this world

only people

will last forever.

The importance

of people

and the significance

of harming others

by tempting them

into sin

is met with this

really sombre

warning.

The severity

shows up

in the severity

of the judgement

that fits with it.

but the severity

of this judgement

at the same time

amplifies love

showing to his people

not just their

hardships of the world

will be corrected

but he died

in their place

so that they are

righteous

and spared

from this fate

in his name.

If you are here

this morning

and you're hearing

about this

without having

accepted Jesus

as your Lord

and Saviour

you really do need

to consider why

the stakes

couldn't be higher

in a story

about wheat

and weeds

the division

couldn't be greater

what grounds

do you have

to disagree

with this truth

to turn away

from life

while it is

freely offered

to you.

Many

have wrestled

and earnestly

wrestled

with how a good

God could be

comfortable

with this messed

up world

that we live in.

Many have stumbled

here convinced

that the nature

of this world

means that either

God isn't good

or he isn't

powerful enough

to do anything

about it

so it's not

worth following.

Here we can see

that Jesus

saw this problem

coming

this parable

is a loving

explanation

that God

is very concerned

with the mess

of his world

and he's very much

capable of sorting

out that mess

but there is a bigger

concern in play

his love

for his people

so he puts us

above his own

righteous prerogative

for justice

that all

who trust in him

will not be damaged

when those

who have rejected him

and led others

away from his ways

are thrown into

the fire.

The harvest

is coming.

Repent

and believe

the good news

while the door

remains open

to you.

Of course

many of us

here have put

our faith

in Christ

and for us

there is great

comfort

here and now

if only we

would take it.

there is great

hope

and security

for the weak

loved

tended by Christ

intended

for his barn

but if we're honest

often what we really want

is a more immediate

satisfaction.

It is a relatively

easy choice

between the barn

and the fire.

We clearly want to be

in the barn

at the end

of all things.

we accept

Jesus as our

Lord

day to day.

If I were to ask you

for three aspirations

for your future

we'd probably all

have fairly

similar answers

depending on our

stage of life.

It might be

to finish school

and move out

from home.

It might be

to find a wife

or a husband

to have kids

to buy a comfortable

house

for our kids

to finish school

and move out

from home.

We might want

to have a secure

job

to achieve

recognition

in our profession

in one way

or another.

We might want

to travel

to a particular

place

or experience

a particular

event.

All are good

things

blessings from

our Lord

to be enjoyed

and even relished

in our freedom

in Christ.

All are expressions

of who he has

made each one

of us.

But if I asked

that simple

question

how many

of us

would list

to be with

Jesus

in heaven?

If I'm honest

I don't think

that answer

would come

to mind

in time

to make

my list

of three

life ambitions.

I believe

it.

I hope

for it.

But it

doesn't define

the way I see

the world

and the way

it ought to.

We miss

the hope

that is ours

in this fallen

world

when we look

to the world

to deliver us

the satisfaction

and peace

that will only

come to us

when we are

reunited in

Christ.

Our problem

is our

perspective.

Our reality

is that in

our earthly

futures

every good

thing we

enjoy

and will

enjoy

and that

we have

to look

forward to

pale

when compared

to our

future home

in the

kingdom of

our

Father.

But we

tend to

look to

bring every

little

pleasure

out of

every little

thing

far more

than we

look forward

in

anticipation

of reaching

our true

and intended

home.

And in

doing so

every

disappointment

in this

life

is felt

way more

heavily

than it

is on

the scale

of reality.

Living

our days

amongst

the weeds

is going

to be

difficult.

We should

expect

constant

disappointment.

If this

is where

our hope

is,

this life,

we're always

going to be

let down.

you can

see the

angels

immediate

and almost

reflex

reaction.

It's quite

telling.

They just

want to get

rid of the

weeds

straight away

to fix

the problem

now.

But Jesus

is explaining

to his

disciples

and to

us.

He has

a better

plan,

a bigger

plan.

He uses

a parable.

We're not

privy to all

the details,

but we do

know that he

is acting

here in

love for

us.

The

darnel

plants we

talked about

earlier grow

so closely to

the wheat that

their roots

intermingle.

To pull one

out is to

pull out the

wheat.

To remove

the weeds

now is too

high a price.

Living with

the weeds is

the better

option than

having them

torn out,

which would

inevitably hurt

many of his

people.

But there is

never a moment

of uncertainty

here.

The harvest

is coming.

Why do

we find it

so hard to

live as

if this

were true?

Why do

we find

ourselves

forgetting

this ultimate

good so

quickly in

our day-to-day

lives?

Jesus

ends the

explanation to

the disciples

with a

familiar

refrain,

let anyone

who has

ears listen.

Ultimately,

our singular

main hope,

our central

joy in

life,

ought to

stem from

our status

that is

now

redefined

in

Christ.

We are

wheat and

not

weeds.

Let

anyone who

has ears

listen.

But we're

really good

at forgetting

that.

We stop

listening.

Or rather,

we allow

ourselves to

listen to

something else.

Every day,

there's ads

splashed across

our phones and

TV.

They lie to

us,

selling that

true meaning,

deep

satisfaction,

is to be

found in

a better

holiday,

a new

gadget,

or looking

a certain

way.

Our

non-Christian,

and indeed

often our

Christian friends

and family,

sell their

pursuit of

happiness in

these things.

They slash

it across

Instagram and

Facebook and

discuss it

around the

lunch table

at work.

And over

time, we

let our

guard down.

We buy

into it.

Not all at

once.

Just a little

bit here,

a little bit

of that there.

Brothers and

sisters,

let's be

true friends

to each

other.

Constantly

reminding

each other,

praying for

each other,

pushing each

other into

the word,

to listen to

Christ and

remember the

truth.

This is not

our home.

We have

something so

much greater

to look forward

to.

Moss and

rust cannot

hurt anything

that offers

actual

satisfaction.

More than

this, our

loving Saviour

knows what is

our experience.

He allows

it only

because it

is taking

us directly

down the

path to

something

greater.

Don't let

each other

forget where

we are

headed.

Don't

replace that

ambition with

the desire for

lesser things.

Our hope is

our place in

the barn, and

our place in

the barn is

locked in,

held secure

by Christ.

It is there

that we will

enjoy peace and

righteousness,

forever.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you.