Faithful Christian Commitment and service
in the Middle East for almost 150 years The Nazareth Trust Healing in the Name of Jesus Since 1861
in the Middle East for almost 150 years The Nazareth Trust Healing in the Name of Jesus Since 1861
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Matthew 13: 24 – 30
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 root up 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.'
Sometimes it can be difficult to know the difference between a weed and other plants. In fact the definition of a weed varies person to person, it can most simply be defined as a plant growing in a place we don’t want it to grow.
In this parable, the servants get straight to the point and ask, “Where did the weeds come from?” – they don’t notice the good wheat which is growing, seeing first the negative rather than the positive.
We can also be the same in our attitude sometimes, as we may see only people’s faults rather than the good which is often flourishing without our notice. Just seeing faults and criticizing can overlook people’s faithfulness to God and we should be patient.
The field in the parable represents the world, but can also represent the Church. We see the servants here willing to take out the weeds, even if it damages the crop. The Master, in contrast, tells them to wait until they have both matured.
The Master has a long term perspective, where the servants are impatient and negative. Weeds and wheat may look quite similar initially, but their differences will show by harvest time. We should not be quick to judge those in the church or try to exclude them, as we may well damage good crops which have simply not grown to maturity.
It is God’s work to judge, while we love and nurture people, patiently encouraging them to grow.
This does not mean in every circumstance as there are times where we are instructed to judge, in cases of false teaching, injustice and certain sinful actions. However, our general attitude should be one of encouragement and patience.
This is God’s system of divine gardening – His field is a mixture of weeds and wheat and the servants must be positive and patient to see the results. Often something which looks like a weed may change as it matures so judgment must wait for the harvest. We see the merciful nature of our God as He allows even weeds to exist but gives them the chance to change.
Speaker: Peter Nott