Weeds or Worthy?
Isaiah 44:6-8, Psalm 86:11-17, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
When our family arrived here a little over 2 years ago, one of the things that caught our attention were the flowerbeds planted around the parsonage and in the backyard. Each year, a vast collection of beautiful flowers grows all around our home. But there is a problem. Jen and I are not particularly good with growing flowers. OK, we’re pretty bad with them altogether.
The first couple of years we’ve bought hanging baskets for the front porch, but usually at some point during the summer, we forget to water them for a few days, and they turn to toast. On the other hand, we were given a pair of cacti, and we wound up watering them too much. The garden behind the garage has now grown over with grass and clover, and due to the recent lack of rain, even the grass is pretty much brown and crunchy. Next Sunday is our wedding anniversary. So, here is a bit of advice….don’t buy us any plants.
The first couple of years we’ve bought hanging baskets for the front porch, but usually at some point during the summer, we forget to water them for a few days, and they turn to toast. On the other hand, we were given a pair of cacti, and we wound up watering them too much. The garden behind the garage has now grown over with grass and clover, and due to the recent lack of rain, even the grass is pretty much brown and crunchy. Next Sunday is our wedding anniversary. So, here is a bit of advice….don’t buy us any plants.
Now, I can give all sorts of reasons why we don’t do very well with plants. Some of those will be legitimate, and others will sound like excuses…because they probably are. However, some people just seem have a green thumb, and some do not. Much of what these people know, I think comes from experience. To my wife’s credit, this year she planted a flowerbed by the front porch, put down mulch, and has watered it quite faithfully this summer.
In the meantime, I still do not know much about wildflowers. I see things grow and begin to blossom with little yellow or purple flowers. I assume that these are flowers and they are supposed to be in our flowerbeds. But it is only when someone more knowledgeable than myself tells me that this is a weed and needs to be pulled.
In the flowerbed facing the driveway, there is a weed. At first I did not recognize it was a weed because of all the flowers around it. Now, with the drought, the flowers are wilting badly, and this weed is growing like…well…a weed. The problem is this weed is so large that it is pulling water from the flowers that I want to grow. But we know that most weeds have some ridiculously deep roots. If pull it up, I’m likely to pull up the perennials as well.
Last week, we heard a parable from Jesus in Matthew 13. It was the story of a farmer who scattered his seed. Depending on the type of soil on which it fell, the seed might die or grow and be faithful. Jesus later explained that the seed was the message of God’s kingdom, and the soils were the hearts of those who hear it. Some people will hear the message of God and reject it. Some will hear of Jesus and believe in him, but they will walk away from their faith in times of trouble. Some will hear the good news of Jesus Christ and accept him, but worldly worries or chasing after money will make these people fruitless. Their faith will not lead to others knowing Christ. The last group Jesus mentioned is of those who hear this message, come to faith, and grow in it. Their faith will lead to others knowing Jesus as well. We are encouraged…even commanded to be fruitful Christians.
Later on in the same chapter of Matthew, Jesus continued to speak in parables. Matthew 13:24b "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.” Although this man planted good seed, his enemy was trying to harm him. Perhaps the weeds would make the wheat less fruitful…less useful. Maybe these weeds might wipe out the entire crop of wheat.
Later on in the same chapter of Matthew, Jesus continued to speak in parables. Matthew 13:24b "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.” Although this man planted good seed, his enemy was trying to harm him. Perhaps the weeds would make the wheat less fruitful…less useful. Maybe these weeds might wipe out the entire crop of wheat.
But what to do? Should the farmer and his servants pull the weeds? No. There was no sense spending all this time pulling the weeds. This would likely destroy the crop, and for all their work, the farmer would end up carrying out the destructive work the enemy intended in the first place. So in verse 30, the farmer gives this advice to his servants. “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.'"
Just like the parable of the four soils last week, Jesus took time to later explain to his disciples what this new parable meant. 37 He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
This time in the parable, its not the soil the gets the attention, but the seed. Jesus, the Son of Man, has given the message of forgiveness, life, and fruitfulness to mankind. Those who accept his message are the good seed planted on the earth. Just as the wheat is expected to bear grain, the good seed is to grow and bear fruit. But the devil doesn’t want any part of this. Last week, we mentioned the seed that fell on thorny soil. When it grew, it never yielded any fruit. It was useless.
Although people in the world, and even many people within the church do not like to hear it. There is evil in the world attempting to defeat the work of God on earth, and overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Even Jesus calls him “diabolos”…the devil. I read. I listen. And people anymore do not want to believe that there is a devil or anything evil. The black and white of Christian faith has been replaced by a society with infinite shades of gray.
If I talk to someone about something being wrong or right, I am considered judgmental…even when the Bible is clear on these things. Even with Christians, if I say that we should not watch a certain show, or that their kids should not be doing a certain thing, I am now looked at as being intolerant. They’ll tell me that there is no right or wrong, and that things aren’t black and white. But I don’t give advice to be judgmental, and I don’t take a stand on issues because I want to be hard-headed. I want people to know God. I want people to be filled with God.
It’s like this parable. There are going to be two crops. The wheat and the weeds. The farmer will have the weeds harvested bundled and burned and the wheat harvested and kept. Why? The wheat is useful. It is the wheat that feeds us. Farmers grow crops to feed us or to feed the animals that feed us. But can’t we eat the weeds too? I guess you can make a dandelion salad, but the thing about weeds is that they usually don’t taste very good and they have little or no nutritional value. If they did, farmers would grow them as feed.
I know that Ag Sciences have made great developments over the last century or so. With science, we can combine two different species to make new hybrid plants, but Jesus tells us that in his kingdom there are no hybrids. There is no part wheat and part weeds. It is one or the other.
Although people in the world, and even many people within the church do not like to hear it. There is evil in the world attempting to defeat the work of God on earth, and overthrow the kingdom of heaven. Even Jesus calls him “diabolos”…the devil. I read. I listen. And people anymore do not want to believe that there is a devil or anything evil. The black and white of Christian faith has been replaced by a society with infinite shades of gray.
If I talk to someone about something being wrong or right, I am considered judgmental…even when the Bible is clear on these things. Even with Christians, if I say that we should not watch a certain show, or that their kids should not be doing a certain thing, I am now looked at as being intolerant. They’ll tell me that there is no right or wrong, and that things aren’t black and white. But I don’t give advice to be judgmental, and I don’t take a stand on issues because I want to be hard-headed. I want people to know God. I want people to be filled with God.
It’s like this parable. There are going to be two crops. The wheat and the weeds. The farmer will have the weeds harvested bundled and burned and the wheat harvested and kept. Why? The wheat is useful. It is the wheat that feeds us. Farmers grow crops to feed us or to feed the animals that feed us. But can’t we eat the weeds too? I guess you can make a dandelion salad, but the thing about weeds is that they usually don’t taste very good and they have little or no nutritional value. If they did, farmers would grow them as feed.
I know that Ag Sciences have made great developments over the last century or so. With science, we can combine two different species to make new hybrid plants, but Jesus tells us that in his kingdom there are no hybrids. There is no part wheat and part weeds. It is one or the other.
40 "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 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. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
I know that this is not a popular message. No one wants to hear about the possibility of hell. Our friends, our neighbors, our loved ones…everybody gets into heaven, right? That seems to be the popular opinion nowadays, even among some pastors and theologians. I read a comment someone made about their grandfather looking down on them from heaven, playing the slot machines and winning every time. Really? Is this heaven? And anyone who has ever done one good thing gets to go there? Throughout the Gospel, Jesus tells us of a righteousness that does not come from ourselves. It does not come from fulfilling our own desires, but submitting to God’s call to holiness.
Jesus tells us that there is a hell, a fiery furnace of pain and suffering. People will go there. People we know and love. Although this message may not be popular, it is reality. We all want to create this hybrid life of wheat and weeds. We want to be good people, but we can do pretty much whatever we like…and we all get to heaven in the end.
Like I said earlier, I believe that the Church in North America is losing its influence and power in our society today because we want to look like wheat, but we live like weeds. We want to look like heaven at Church, but live like hell at home. We might tell people that we are the Church, but we don’t look any different or act any different than the rest of the world. We are called to Godly living, but we just want to live the high life. It’s hypocrisy.
Take every step possible to attain righteousness. We must be willing to reject the things and influences of this world. Parents, pay attention to the things your children are involved in. Do they draw your kids closer to God, or farther from him? All of us need to take a good hard look at our lives and the things that influence us. If anything causes you to stumble, get rid of it. If anything causes you to lose sight of God, push it aside. If we are moving away from God, stop, turn around, and head the right direction. If anything should hinder your growth in God, it is not from him, but the devil.
Matthew10:28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Don’t let your life be filled with weeds, but let your heart be filled with the love of God. Let him make your life anew, that you may stand in the end. Matthew 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
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