To Weed or Not to Weed

It is easy to become distracted and forget what you were supposed to be doing. It happens at work, someone comes in and the next thing you know you’re working on something else. You have a plan for your life and it gets sidetracked.

2) Painting word pictures. How do you describe something to someone…?

"stay the course" allegedly originated as a nautical metaphor on maintaining a constant, unaltering course while navigating. For instance, in a 2003 column, William Safire asked his readers what they knew of its origins, saying it "appears to be rooted in a nautical metaphor." In this context 'stay' refers to the ropes or guys and sheets that hold the 'course' (mainsail) in a fixed position appropriate to the heading.[2] Citations from the late 19th century, however, show the phrase describing horses having the stamina to remain on the course of a racetrack.[3][4] Safire found the same, writing that the earliest such use found was for an 1873 rowing competition.

a) comparisons and use a lot of “like” statements. Describe a scene

b) Jesus is describing the Kingdom. Each para is part of the painting

Read the passage: 13:24-30, This passage explains the elements 36-43

Matthew 13:24–30 NASB95

Jesus presented another parable to 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 tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

Matthew 13:24-30

Matthew 13:36–43 NASB95

Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Outline:

Recent events – Stay the course in spite of opposition

Jesus sows His good seed into the world.

Christ is the sower – proclaiming the kingdom, 38- good seed are the sons of the kingdom.

The seeds of the church are being sown and they are meant to grow.

The mission is to make disciples

mission ; go and make disciples; that is how it grows.

Same mission as always, to be obedient image bearers.

d) Seeds expect a harvest that is sure to come. J harvest=end of the age, when the church will be called out. Until that day we are to be about the business of the church, the business of Jesus.

e) problem in the wheat field. Not evident at first, but now you can see it.

Satan sows Weeds in Jesus’ field.

While the servants slept the evil one sowed his seeds and left. Not uncommon, Roman law

Satan doesn’t sleep.

Always working to ruin God’s plan.

He sows seeds of evil and discontent and then leaves.

Doesn’t have to stay, damage is done. Once first seeds are dropped, evil will multiply

Not evident at first.

Weeds were there; they just weren’t obvious at first.

i) how Satan works. Starts small, inch at a time, then all of a sudden…

ii) Illustration - TV and media, from Ricky and Lucy to Sex in the City.

Big Question: How can there be weeds in the master’s field?

How can there be weeds in the master’s field? “Didn’t you plant good seeds?”

“Didn’t you plant good seeds?”

Question implies something is wrong

with the sower or the seed.

“How can there be evil if Jesus is only sowing good?”

Theodicy

Simple answer is: The Enemy sowed it

v28. Straight forward

i) Jesus makes it clear that Satan caused this to happen. He is responsible for the evil. tells us,

James 1:17 NASB95

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.”

“Every good and perfect gift is from above.” Everything God made was good. God is not the author of evil, Satan is.

Everything God made was good. God is not the author of evil, Satan is.

(1) Application - I’m doing the right things. Everything I’m supposed to do. I’m sowing good seeds. How come bad things happen? Evil one is trying to distract us, derail God’s plan; to keep us from the work of the kingdom. Garden We have to stay focused.

It is not our job to remove the weeds.

V28 do you want us to gather them up? No! You would think YES, but here is the twist, not in the kingdom.

i) -rejected by the Samaritans, J&J “Do you want us to command fire…” “Did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.”

May damage the good.

(1) We are not capable of judging who is wheat and who is not. God’s job. We think we are.

(a) Over the centuries, how many people have been killed by the weeding out of heretics or others considered to be weeds? Polycarp, Boniface, Jan Hus, Savonarola, William Tyndale, hundreds. Westboro? Looks different?

(2) Individually – not to judge or condemn, but to spread the light of Christ.(Sow seed) judge not. We become Pharisees if not careful

iii) If we can’t attack the enemy. What do we do with the weeds?

Faithful servants keep to the master’s business.

The master will take care of the weeds.

(2) Satan’s ploy is to distract us and keep us from fulfilling our mission. We have to stay the course. Especially true for this group! Jesus gave his explanation to his closest followers. He knew they were going to face opposition. You can be guaranteed wherever you sow good, he will…

iv) Our job is to grow, because

because at maturity we should be distinguishable from the weeds.

At maturity, we should be distinguishable from the weeds.

(1) We are meant to be different, from the beginning. Obedient image bearers, carrying the light of Christ into the world.

(2) Application - Don’t dispel darkness by fighting it or by cursing it; darkness is overcome by light.

3) There will be a harvest at the end of the age, a judgment. It is hard to wait, surrounded by weeds every day. We live in tension. Violence begets violence. But in the end

a) Tares will be bound and burned. V 41 they will be gathered out and will be thrown into the furnace of fire. God will judge in His time, not ours. Weeds will be gone. Until then we stay the course.

b) Wheat will be gathered into the barn. We will be gathered into the presence of the Father.

c) Then the righteous will shine. We will share in God’s glory.

Conclusion:

Until the harvest comes we will have evil all around us.

Has always been that way. From the Garden, to Exodus, through Israel’s idol worship and even in Jesus’ time, Satan sows evil and seeks to derail the plan of God. It didn’t work in the Garden, the Desert or at the cross and it won’t work today. God’s plan will be fulfilled. He invites us to have a part. Weeds will win without Jesus. We have to stay the course focused on our task at hand and not be distracted from our purpose. We are charged with sowing seed, going and making disciples; God will take care of the rest.

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