The Parable of the Weeds
Matthew: The King and His Kingdom • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 41:18
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· 7 viewsThe kingdom of heaven advances in the world while good and evil coexist, until Jesus brings final separation at the harvest.
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Call to Worship
Call to Worship
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.
27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
Adoration
Adoration
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Confession
Confession
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Message
Message
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.”
37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place 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.
The parable of the soils reveals the beginnings.
Whereas the parable of the weeds focuses on the ends.
“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare.”
Lewis is not saying that people are actually ‘gods and goddesses.’
Rather, that everyone’s destiny of every person is either heaven or hell.
If heaven, they’ll look so glorious that you may be tempted to worship them.
If hell, they’ll be so horrendous that even your nightmares cannot make sense of them.
The kingdom of heaven advances in the world while good and evil coexist, until Jesus brings final separation at the harvest.
The kingdom of heaven advances in the world while good and evil coexist, until Jesus brings final separation at the harvest.
24 He put another parable before them…
As we’ve already seen, Jesus’ parables are concealed from the hard-hearted but revealed to the soft wax.
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him…
The crowds ignore the parables as strange babblings of a teacher their intrigued by.
But the disciples press in to understand what He means by the parables.
We see again that Jesus is not trying to be sneaky or deceive people.
But the hard-hearted will reject the kingdom of God coming near and those who have hears to hear will press in.
The parable presented in Matthew 13:24-30 ought to be understood in tandem with it’s interpretation in Matthew 13:36-43.
The Kingdom Heaven has already begun but is not yet completed.
The Kingdom Heaven has already begun but is not yet completed.
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.
The characters of the parable are critical.
The Kingdom of Heaven has come truly.
In Jewish thought, the coming kingdom of God was going to happen in a blaze of glory.
The Messiah would come, and God would put everything right immediately.
This is essentially the same view Jews still hold to.
And it was the common view in Jesus’ day.
And if you recall as we saw Jesus say earlier…
11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Jesus corrects their understanding about the kingdom.
The kingdom will come even while the enemies of God are present.
The Kingdom of Heaven has come truly.
Yet, we acknowledge the kingdom of God has not come fully.
There is where we get the language of inaugurated, but not yet consummated.
The kingdom has begun, but is not final.
This was a radically different understanding of the kingdom for the first century audience.
It would have been shocking to hear that the kingdom would not come in a blaze of glory, but it would coexist with the evil empires of this age.
We ought to be careful here on the front end of making a popular mistake in these parables.
The kingdom is NOT equated with the church.
God with Us: Themes from Matthew The Parable of the Weeds
“Church” refers to Messiah’s people;
“kingdom” refers to God’s (or Messiah’s) reign.
So “the message of kingdom of God” is the message of the reign of Jesus Christ!
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field…
Jesus Christ is the source of every good through those who believe the gospel.
Jesus Christ is the source of every good through those who believe the gospel.
37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom.
The good seed sown by the Son of Man.
The Son of Man is the sower of the “good seed” which He later explains to be “the sons of the kingdom.”
Often I think we blur the parable of the soils with the parable of the weeds, but to do so is to do harm to Jesus’ own interpretation.
In the parable of the soils, the seed of the kingdom seems to be the message of the kingdom with it’s reception among the soils.
Whereas the parable of the weeds already assumes the the seed has taken hold and is equated with “the sons of the kingdom.”
The sons of the kingdom are placed in the earth by the Lord Jesus Himself.
The good seed sown in the earth, owned by the Son of Man.
Jesus describes the field as “His field”, literally drawing reference to the fact that the Son of Man has authority and power over the earth.
The sons of the kingdom are placed in the earth at the discretion of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein…
Jesus again draws reference that all the earth is HIS, and the seed sown there will be the sons of the kingdom.
Isn’t it interesting how the kingdom grows in the world?
If we view ourselves merely waiting for some end-times war or some end-times coming we will do great harm to the parable Jesus gives.
Instead Jesus describes the seeds of the kingdom, which are the sons of the kingdom, as being scattered in the world now as it is.
There’s application for us Christians here to consider that if you’re a “son of the kingdom” that you have been specifically chosen, called, and set apart by Christ Jesus Himself.
Some have said from a parable like this, “Look, the church is meant to be filled with both ‘good seed’ and ‘bad seed’!”
The problem with this logic is that this parable doesn’t immediately equate to the church.
He doesn’t say that the church has been mingled with “good seed” and “bad seed” because the reference to the earth is referring to “the world”
38 The field is the world…
The field that Jesus places His seed will be in the world.
15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
They’re not of the world, but they’re in it!
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
Jesus is not trying to condemn inattentive workers, laziness, or haphazardness.
The evil sons of darkness are sown right alongside the sons of light.
The Devil is the source of every evil through his ambassadors.
The Devil is the source of every evil through his ambassadors.
The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.
The weeds sown among the wheat by the evil one.
The word used for “weeds” is far more insidious than it appears on the surface.
We picture weeds as just that pesky dandelion that are difficult to remove.
But the word for “weeds” or the KJV calls it the “darnel” literally is the “poisonous weed.”
It’s a kind of weed that in it’s early stages looks identical to wheat and is nearly impossible to tell the difference from (Rogers & Rogers).
Worse yet, it is also poisonous in it’s early stages.
It was common in the ancient world to sow darnel in a person’s field as an act revenge.
Serious enough to be punishable by Roman law (France).
“the error comes after the truth, which the actual event testifies. For so after the prophets, were the false prophets; and after the apostles, the false apostles; and after Christ, Antichrist. For unless the devil see what to imitate, or against whom to plot, he neither attempts, nor knows how.” —Chrysostom
There’s application here for us as Christians to consider…
First, we’re terrible judges of fruit in our own life.
Often what we think looks like good fruit in a person’s life turns out to be bad.
We’re often too quick to make judgments about fruit we see.
Second, we ought to expect opposition in this life.
This does not mean…
“Evil and good will always be 50/50 until Jesus comes back.”
Jesus doesn’t say that evil will be 50/50 mixed in all the earth.
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
It’s only after the seed that Jesus plants bears fruit that you can tell a difference between the two kinds of seed.
Good and evil will coexist in the kingdom that Jesus inaugurates.
Good and evil will coexist in the kingdom that Jesus inaugurates.
A small infestation of poisonous seed could sometimes be weeded.
But it always came at a cost because the wheat would actually grow together with the poisonous seed.
If the field had a huge infestation, it would be nearly impossible to weed them out.
We ought to reject a kind of Christian triumphalism that says we can somehow stamp out all the poisonous seed.
Jesus promises that the sons of the evil one will remain until He comes back.
27 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?’ 28 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?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest…
The servants of Christ offer to collect the wicked seed.
They offer to separate the good from the evil.
Jesus will eventually separate good and evil at the harvest.
Jesus will eventually separate good and evil at the harvest.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest…
40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place 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.
The time of harvest biblically is always associated with the end time judgment.
The evil seed will be gathered and burned in unquenchable fire.
The evil seed will be gathered and burned in unquenchable fire.
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.” ’ ”
It’s remarkable to consider something we have already seen about that language of “sons of the kingdom” from Matthew 8:12…
11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
It won’t merely be those who claim to have Abraham as their father that will be in the kingdom of God.
39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. 41 You are doing the works your father did.”
Then Jesus will go on to call them…
44 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.
Jesus uses that term for “sons of the kingdom” in a radically different way here in Matthew 13 to describe those who have been planted by the Son of Man in the earth to bear fruit.
It will no longer be those who claim to have Abraham as their father, but those who “doing the works Abraham did” (John 8:39).
We leave final judgment up to Christ.
Jesus Christ will eventually be the One who sorts out the good from the evil.
To look at the world with the eyes of faith is to look at the world and long for the sons of darkness to become sons of light.
The good seed will shine like the sun in the kingdom of God.
The good seed will shine like the sun in the kingdom of God.
Why are the children of God shining?
Maybe you think, “It’s heaven, so it obviously going to be bright!”
Sure, but why will it be bright there?
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”
10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God,
11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.
The church shines like the sun in the kingdom of God forever.
Why do they shine?
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb.
24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it,
25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.
26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations.
27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Benediction
Benediction
