Wheat and Weeds

Beloved people of God,

In this parable Jesus told the people contains two main questions. The first one is regarding the seed. On one day the servants passed the flied and wondered on what they saw. They knew that the owner would only use good seed, but now they saw was weeds coming up between the wheat. This didn’t make any sense to them. They looked at his fields and said to one another: ‘This is weird, come and lets ask the owner about it.’ And so they went to him with his question.

The next question of this parable has a lot to do with their first one. Because they knew the owner, they were prepared to do what they taught it was necessary. They taught: ‘This field should only contain good wheat, lets get rid of the weeds.’ And so they also asked the owner permission to pull-out the weed.

Today we will take a closer look to this second question, because the answer is disturbing. Because every good farmer will protect his harvest against weeds, He thinks different. He does not allows the servants to do what they think it is necessary. No He asked them to wait until the end of times. Only then the evil seeds will be removed. Only then only the good wheats will remain. Isn’t it odd?

Move 1

Because, if we could change the world, we probably would change a lot. We too like to see the world as a peaceful place. No criminals and no threads. We want to get rid of the bad things. If we’re given the chance, we would pull out as much as possible weeds. We would like to cleanse the world from evil. Isn’t it? If this is the world of God, than it should look like the world of God: ‘Out with all evil!’

Yes, we do recognize that question of the servants, when they asked: ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ It’s a question, which a lot of people are bound to ask. If we take a look at all the evil in the world of God, why we can’t get rid of it? Wouldn’t it be much better? Because the world would look so different if we could remove all evil in order that the good wheats can grow. Sometime people are willing to do the job themselves, because they do believe that than they will grow safely, that will not lose their faith.

And if the world is too big for us we surly would like to start in the church, isn’t it? Because, we think: ‘The church is the body of Christ. No weeds belongs between the community of believers.’ We think: ‘The church is holy and therefore no bad people do belongs there.’

So, in the church we sometimes can see a tension. If there is a disagreement, people easily can say that, not théy themselves are wrong, but that their counterparts, their brothers or sisters in Christ are wrong. When this does happen, then people easily think that it would be better for the evil ones to be removed. They think that it would be better for the church to have a place were we actually can hear no evil and see no evil. Because only then the good will grow.

Now, we don’t have to be surprised. Jesus didn’t say that the servants were wrong in what they saw. But in this parable the servants were not allowed to preform what they asked to do. They were not allowed to remove the weeds. They have to wait until the end of time.

Move 2

According to the servants of the owner it would be better when they could remove the evil weed. They know that the owner did use only good seed, so the weeds are a disgrace. But the problem seems to be, that the weeds are growing everywhere. It is not only strong rooted, but also difficult to discern. What is good and what is bad?

Let me try to clarify the problem Jesus tries to explain. In this parable He said something about wheat (ukolo) and weeds (ukhula). Not only the words look similar, but the plants look a like. If it is not full grown, it is hard to discern what is wheat and what is weed. Besides this, the people in Israel know well, that those weeds have stronger roots. If you pull them up, a lot of soil will come up too. Of course this will damage the good wheats as well.

These two problems do occurs when the servants will start with pulling up the weeds. Jesus says: Don’t do this, be careful, I don’t want good wheats to be destroyed. Yes, in the world there are so many bad people, but there are also people who are mine. If you try to deal with the bad one, you easily make a mistake. They are so close, let them grow instead.’

This also may be true of the church. Even in the church we sometimes see evil grow. Sometimes it seems not to be different as it is in the world. But if this happen in the church, than we find it difficult to understand. It is difficult to see that also in the church there is good as bad seed growing so close to one another. But we have to be honest, because don’t we see the roots of evil intertwined in our personal lives as well?

If we think it would be better when the evil weed are removed, than Jesus tells us that we are at a risk. Of cores Jesus did only use good seed, so the weeds are a disgrace in the church. But the problem seems to be, that the weeds are growing everywhere, it is strong and difficult to discern for what is good and what is bad.

Move 3

Because we realize that Jesus is still sowing the good seed, but we have to be aware for the enemy of God. He still sows weeds among the good seeds of God. Jesus told this parable not explain that God stopped once He was finished. The kingdom of heaven is still in under the reign of Jesus, He is the sower of the good seeds.

Although there is a lot of bad things going on, we also can see good things happening. God did not let the world to its own fate. No through the work of the holy Spirit Gods governance is still present. God is the Lord in whole the world. But it also means that the devil is going round, in the first letter of Peter we read this same warning (1Pet 5:8) it says:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever.

According to Peter the problem we face are the treads in our lives. Because in our lives the good seed of God has been sown, but we also know that there is some bad seed being sown as well. The reformer Calvin explained this well. He said: ‘The devil is sowing weeds in order that the good seed of eternal live will be destroyed (Inst. I, XIV, 15). This is an important warning for every one. We cannot prevent the devil to sow weeds and therefore everyone can be affected by the weeds.

Therefore there are two sides of the story. On the one hand the good seed is still being sowed into the world. The word of God is still going around over the world and it is still bringing people to live. On the other hand the weed is also being sown. Yes, the reign is in the hands of Jesus, but there is still the enemy of God around and he threatening the world.

Move 4

Therefore we should be encouraged. In vers 30 the owner tells the servants to let the wheat grow until the harvest. He isn’t worried about the good seed, but confident instead. At the end of times, when the kingdom of God will fully be restored, the wheats will be ready to harvest. And each and everyone will bear fruits of faith.

For a long time faith can be so comfortable, that you don’t care about what will happen. But when the disappointments in the church come, faith can become a burden. Do you have enough faith in the Lord then, to stay in the church? Sometimes it can be a place you do not feel the peace at all. And if the church is no longer a harbor of peace, what will happen? What then can we say of our faith? Will we able to survive, or will we lost our faith and leave the church. It has happened so many times, that one can ask whether the church will survive.

But the bible assures us that no child of God will lose his or her faith. He takes care for the smallest birds in the sky. No sparrow will fall of the roof, without the knowing of God. Now, don’t people exceeds those birds? God knows His children and therefore he takes care of them. The same will be true for our growth, God will take care of the wheat He planted and will not allow to be destroyed.

This is the grace of God in our lives. Jesus is our King. We can trust Him. Even when there are so many weeds in the world. Even maybe when there are weeds in our lives, we do not have to fear that the good seed will be overgrown. The children of God be sure they will be save from evil weeds.

Move 5

Because God has the wisdom, we can rely om His governance. He knows how dangerous the evil can be and therefore He allows it to grow. No good seed will not be damaged by pulling out the weeds. Therefore we too are not allowed to pull up any weed. We can not take the risk of removing bad weeds, without damaging the good wheats.

Maybe we can compare this with an example. If we listen to the news we hear a debate on political level. After the resignation of former president Thabo Mbeki some people within the ANC feel that there are evil weeds growing on. The problem seems to focus on the Freedom Charter, the statement, or constitution of the ANC. From both sides people are accusing one another and therefore we see a split in the political party. The only reason to do so is of because people want to get rid of their counterparts by saying that they want to get rid of the evil elements within the party. But who can tell what is bad? Will than a party look well and grow safely? I find it hard to believe.

For us this can be a surprising decision, of Jesus. Because if we think of the Kingdom of Heaven, we think of a perfect place. Now, if we do believe that with Jesus the Kingdom has indeed come. We may even share some of it in church, but we have to be patient as well. Because evil will grow in church as well, but for us, we can not judge who or what it is. Even Jesus did not do so. He said in John 12:47 As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.

The servants were not allowed to remove the bad weed, it can easily affects the live of the children of God. A mistake can easily be made. No one can truly say that he or she didn’t anything wrong in his or her life. And therefore it is not up to us to accuse someone else. Even if we hoped that we could do something on the problem of evil, apparently we can’t.

Move 6

Of corse we are not the only ones who sees the evil in this world. But God decides different than we expect. If people try to pull out the weed, they do not know what they are doing. They do not know how God will handle the evil. God knows that on the end of time every wheat but also every weed will be harvest.

Only at this time God will divide the good from the bad. But until the harvest time God allows both grow together! Jesus has sown the seed and it is good seed, we can trust that it will grow and that it will stay good until the time of harvest. We even can say that He gives us time to grow, as we are supposed to do.

So, lets be honest. This is far from what we hoped. We think it is good to remove every weed from in between good crop, but we can not because of the damage it can bring to others. We even don’t have to, because Jesus also said in John 12:48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. Not wé have to judge, but the word of Jesus which has been rejected will judge those people themselves. Each and every person have to appear before the throne of God. His or her deeds will be the final judge before God.

In the meantime what can we do? I think, we only have to take care of our own faith. We only have to take care of our own growth. We may feel unsure what will happen, but we don’t have to be. Because if good seed has been sown, we can be sure that it will grow. We do not have to become insecure of how evil will affects our faith, because the quality of the seed is coming from heaven. Therefore it will grow as God has made it to grow.

We will wait on the deliverance and the return of Jesus. When He will return to the earth again, He then will send his angels to gather all His children. But the wicked ones will receive His judgment. Hold on, because indeed in the kingdom of heaven the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father.