Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

The Parable of the Weeds

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.

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, and 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.”

’ ”

The Parable of the Weeds Explained

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.

This week we’re going to look at two portions of Scripture.

Matthew has not only recorded for us this parable, but in verses 36-43 he includes Jesus’ interpretation that he gives to his disciples.

Not all of Jesus’ interpretations are recorded for us in the Gospels as we’ll see here over next few weeks, so it’s a privilege when we have them recorded here for us.

Picture of God’s Kingdom

Now, what I want you to keep in mind is that these parables are not disjointed, they’re not isolated stories, rather they’re intended to paint a complete picture of God’s kingdom, in fact, they often build upon one another.

They communicate to us what the kingdom of God is like and what we should come to expect of it.

Biblical Expectations

Therefore, one of the most important aspects of these first two parables (both the parable of the sower and the parable of the weeds) is that they set out for us what we should expect within God’s kingdom.

In the first parable Jesus teaches his disciples that they should expect different responses to the message of the Gospel.

Some will reject the message, some will receive it with joy but abandon it when persecutions arise on account of it, others will receive it but eventually have it choked out because of the deceitfulness of riches and the cares of this world.

And there will also be those who receive the message of the Gospel, understand it, and who go on to bear fruit.

Jesus shows his disciples what they should expect as they go out and share this good news of the kingdom.

Not all will receive it, some will fall away, but some will go on to bear fruit.

And it’ll be no different in this parable of the weeds.

Jesus will layout for them further expectations for his kingdom as they carry the Gospel to the rest of the world.

Which is what we’ll spend much of our time looking at today.

It’s no different in this parable of the weeds.

Jesus will layout for them further expectations as the Gospel is carried throughout the world.

But the reason it’s important for us to have right expectations is so that we’re not caught unaware, or left dismayed in our commission to share the good news of the Gospel with others.

We’re not to expect that all will repent and turn to follow Christ, and we’re not to expect that everyone who hears the word of God and receives it will persevere, there will certainly be many who do but not all will, and their responses to the good news of the kingdom will vary.

When we share the Gospel with others it’s important that we remember this, so that we’re not discouraged when many do not obey the word of God when they hear it.

And on the flip-side, we’re also to take heart that there will indeed be those who do receive the word of God and go on to bear fruit, and that it isn’t anything in us that can mess that up (because we’re all using the same good seed).

So it’s important that we have biblical expectations when we evangelize.

Jewish Expectations

This was particularly important for Jesus’ first century disciples.

In many respects they expected the kingdom of heaven to be immediate and indomitable.

That the kingdom of heaven would overthrow Rome and subdue their enemies while bringing blessing and favor to God’s people.

The idea that God’s kingdom would come in such a way that it wouldn’t be received by all was somewhat foreign to them, so Jesus gives them the parable of the sower to tell them why many, even in Israel, would reject the Messiah.

This is why the Apostle Paul later argues that, “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring.”

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In many respects the kingdom of heaven came in a manner that was out of sync with contemporary Jewish thought.

This is why John the Baptist back in chapter 12 began to have doubts whether Jesus was the Messiah or not.

In the Jewish mind the mission of the Messiah was twofold.

It would be a time of great blessing, a time of God’s favor toward his people, but also a time of vengeance and recompense for those who opposed him.

In Isaiah chapter 61 we read,

61 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor;

he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;

2  to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

Therefore, from the perspective of Jesus’ disciples (and even John the Baptist) they expected Jesus to usher in both of these realities, both blessing and judgment simultaneously.

We saw this in John the Baptist’s own words back in chapter 3 when he said to the Pharisees,

You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.

Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!

Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.

9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees.

Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

However, as Jesus’ ministry progresses they’ll discover that God’s kingdom will play out over a much longer period of time, at first, the good news that the Messiah has come to save his people from their sins, and later at the consummation of the kingdom, a day of judgment, a day of vengeance for those who have rejected God’s kingdom.

However, as Jesus’ ministry progresses they discover that God’s kingdom will play out over a much longer period of time, at first, the good news that the Messiah has come to save his people from their sins, and later at the consummation of the kingdom, a day of judgment, a day of vengeance for those who have rejected God’s kingdom.

Modern Jews Reject Jesus

However, as Jesus’ ministry progresses they discover that God’s kingdom will play out over a much longer period of time, first ushering in God’s mercy and grace through the preaching of the Gospel, and later at the consummation of the kingdom, a day of judgment, a day of vengeance.

In fact, this is why many modern day religious Jews reject Jesus as their Messiah.

They emphasize the Messiah’s role of judgment toward unbelievers and his rule over the nations, and since this aspect of Jesus’ ministry won’t be played out until his second coming they reject him.

In fact, they’ve so emphasized the Messiah’s judgment and dominion over the earth that many of them have lost sight of the Messiah’s mission to bring good news to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to the captives, or that God’s salvation will also be brought to the Gentiles.

So what Jesus does with these parables is give his disciples a fuller and clearer picture of God’s kingdom, both the nature of that kingdom and how the coming of that kingdom will play out.

Weeds (Darnel)

So with that in mind let’s turn back to our text in Matthew, starting there in verse 24,

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.

There has been some discussion over the centuries as to what kind of weed Jesus here is referring to, and in recent years it’s believed that Jesus is talking about a weed, known in the land of Palestine, as Darnel.

Darnel is a type of rye grass that resembles wheat (by some it’s even called bastard wheat), and, it’s nearly indistinguishable from wheat stalks until the ear (or the fruit) appears before harvest.

Hence, why the servants, here, didn’t notice the weeds until much later.

Sowing Darnel Illegal

Jesus also tells us that while the servants were sleeping that an enemy came and sowed the weeds among the wheat.

This scene would have been very familiar to Jesus’ Jewish audience.

Not only would the locals have been familiar with wheat and the danger of weeds to their crops, but they would have been well aware of the danger of an enemy sowing weeds in their fields to destroy their crops.