The wheat and the weeds

The wheat and the weeds

Scripture:

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.’” Matthew 13:24-30

Observation:

In this parable, the Lord again uses the analogy of a Sower in describing an aspect of the kingdom of heaven. At first glance, we see the picture of a man sowing good seed in the field. However, did the man sow the seed directly himself? It would appear not, since he had servants to do the work for him. Rather, he owned the seeds and passed it to his servants to sow for him. God is the owner of the field, and the owner of the seeds. His holy angels do the sowing, the weeding and later the harvesting.

After the sowing, an enemy comes in the night and sows weeds among the wheat before slinking away. At first, the seed of the wheat and the seed of the weeds cannot be differentiated. The particular weed Jesus referred to was probably a darnel or tares, which looks just like wheat in the early stages.

I found an interesting article by Ed Tarkowski on this subject where he first quotes from the Easton's Bible Dictionary on the description of "tares" - "the bearded darnel, mentioned only in Matt. 13:25-30. It is the Lolium temulentum, a species of rye-grass, the seeds of which are a strong soporific poison. It bears the closest resemblance to wheat till the ear appears, and only then the difference is discovered. It grows plentifully in Syria and Palestine”. Soporific poisons typically cause drowsiness and Botanical.com describes how darnel consumed causes symptoms of drunkenness like trembling, hindered speech, inability to walk and vomiting. Hence, we see that the fruit of the wheat and the weeds is very different. While wheat is good for food as a staple diet, the weeds are dangerous and poisonous if consumed. As the Scripture says “we will know them by their fruit”.

After some time, when the wheat sprout and form heads, the weeds also appear. The angels of God recognize the weeds and ask God if they should pull them out. The Lord however replies that doing so may uproot the wheat, and defers dealing with the wheat until harvest time.

This parable warns us that in the Church, there are both wheat and weeds, allowed to co-exist together. The wheat are the true children of God while the weeds are children of the devil. Both may think they are saved, but we are reminded again the Lord’s warning that not everyone who calls him “Lord, Lord”, are saved.

How do we become wheat or weeds? Remember that in the first parable of the Sower, our hearts are the soil and the seed is the Word of God. When a plant grows, it takes water and nutrients from the soil. In a sense, the soil becomes part of the plant. Whether we become weed or wheat depends on what seed we put in our hearts. In other words, If we receive good seed, we become part of the wheat. If we receive bad seed, we become part of the weeds. The seed we receive makes us who we are.

In the church today, there is also good seed and bad seed. Many cults twist the Word of God to fulfill their twisted theologies. It is so important for us personally to read the Word of God regularly and know it well for ourselves so that we are grounded and stable. And, we must keep that close, personal relationship with the Lord, so that we may be quickly receptive to hear the Spirit’s warning should wrong teachings cross our paths.

Application:

Be aware that there are both wheat and weeds in the church. Not everyone who says they are a Christian are true Christians. Be careful not to put our trust in man, but instead look to God first in all things. We will recognize them by their fruit. How do we recognize good and bad fruit? We need to love the Word of God and know it well for ourselves, and stay close to the Lord, that we may be sensitive immediately to teachings not in line with His Word.

One useful way to analyze fruit is to look at the fruit of the Spirit which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. For example, in analyzing the prosperity gospel, many of this fruits seem evident. Surely people would have lots of love, joy, peace, kindness and goodness when they are expecting lots of blessing. However, what of the fruits of longsuffering, faithfulness which self-control? The prosperity mindset does not fit in with these fruits with its overemphasis on blessing. Where is the teaching of being faithful and persevering in the midst of trial, and controlling oneself from being polluted from the world? Ask God for wisdom in discerning the good seed from the bad seed.

Prayer:

Bless You, Heavenly Father, for the great wisdom You reveal to us through Your Son. Praise You, Lord Jesus, for the beauty and wisdom of Your parables that teaches us so much. Guard us and protect us we pray, precious Lord, from the many deceptions even within the Church. Teach us, Lord to dig deep in the Word, and be strong and firmly grounded that we may not be easily swayed by deceptive teachings that sound good to the ears, yet are not consistent with Your complete Word. Grant us Your Spirit of discernment O Lord to recognize these things and what to do accordingly. Give us strength, we pray, O Lord, for we need Your wisdom and guidance in all things. May Your name be praised forever. In Jesus name, Amen.