Good Seed Bad Seed
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A Corrupt Kingdom
A Corrupt Kingdom
When I look out into the world and notice things that just are not right, it is difficult to maintain the faith that God will restore that which is good to the world. There was a time in the beginning when all was good and no darkness or evil crept into the land. However, with man’s heart this corruption entered into the world and allowed the corrupter to become lord over the earthly kingdom.
In my life, noticing how maintaining good along with removing the evil within is impossible for oneself to do is important in understanding how God removes things from one’s life.
Looking out into the world I recognize the enemy is at work still today tempting people to plant themselves among the good workers of Christ in an attempt to destroy what God has planted.
Wars in the world, corruption within the political realm, evil amongst families and even in the church are evidence there is an enemy amongst us attempting to thwart the good that will come with the final harvest.
Who has planted us?
Who has planted us?
We are often dismayed about the evil we see in the world. However, within each one of us lies both seeds of good and evil.
Thielicke speaks on the fact that within each one of us is the possibility to follow either good or evil and that if we forget that we too are capable of evil along with good then we can become self-righteous, self saving, and moralistic.
Following rules in order to achieve the good is not possible. Allowing God’s will to be done is the only way to allow righteousness to be restored.
Thielicke, Helmut. 1981. The Waiting Father : Sermons on the Parables of Jesus. Havertown: Lutterworth Press, The. Accessed July 17, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central.
Look into your life and notice what is done in the light, the good, and what is done in the darkness, the evil, and notice how God has allowed you to continue to grow.
We wonder at times why doesn’t God just remove the evil from the world now? Why is the enemy still allowed to prowl around looking to usurp the kingdom of God?
In the parable of the wheat and tares, Jesus gives us a glimpse of God’s patience and grace amongst both the righteous and unrighteous.
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.
While growing, the wheat and tares are not evident from one another. Only when they have born their fruit does it become evident that the tares have been sown amongst the wheat.
“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?’
Be reminded that the zeal of those wanting to remove evil from the world have often caused more harm than good. When John and James, the sons of thunder, wanted to call down fire from heaven upon those who were practicing evil Jesus told them that was not the way of the Father. His patience and love would wait until the final harvest for judgement to be enacted upon the world.
“But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.
Look into the world and notice how many times self proclaimed righteous people have destroyed the wheat while removing the tares. Those who do not hold compassion for others say, “Let God sort them out.”
‘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.” ’ ”
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;
Throughout the ages there have been many wolves in sheep’s clothing, tares amongst the wheat, self-proclaimed righteous people among those who have been truly humbled and planted by God.
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
There will be a final harvest where the separation of the good from the evil will occur. Every knee will bow and confess Jesus Christ as lord. Within each of us is the possibility to understand that while we were once sinners and planted by the devil in this world to sow chaos, we are now capable of living for Christ. We must understand it was He who originally created the world for good and the world will be restored to that good.
“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.
Jesus reminds the disciples that although the sower, God, has planted the good seed in the world, there is an enemy at work to thwart the plans of God.
It is difficult for people to understand why God does not just remove the tares from the field, but the explanation is that God’s patience allows for the both the good and the evil to receive the grace. Only at the final judgment will it be evident of who was truly following Christ and truly bearing good fruit.
God is the one who holds the final judgment and sends forth His angels to reap the final harvest.
And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.
Separating the wheat from the tares within
Separating the wheat from the tares within
The final parable in Matthew echoes what Jesus has been teaching, Matt. 25:31-33 once again explains there will be a separating and final judgement of those who were following Christ and those who were following evil.
First, look into your own life and contemplate whether you have been growing to produce the fruit of God, the fruit of the spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), or the fruit of lawlessness (Gal. 5:19-21).
We want the evil completely removed from our lives immediately as well as the evil in the world to be completely removed. There is a continual need for the submission to the grace of God for the understanding of patience, perseverance, and the power of the Holy Spirit to grow the good within our hearts to produce good fruit in the world.
There is nothing you can do on your own to change yourselves from one who was planted to cause destruction to one who will bear fruit for God. Only those who die to themselves and are reborn as a new seed will bear the fruit of God and will be harvested into His kingdom.
Knowledge within the House
Knowledge within the House
These parables are also spoken to two different groups of people. Those who are the crowd and those who are the disciples. Jesus speaks openly to the crowd to declare the truths of the kingdom. However, the explanation of the kingdom principles are given to those who follow Jesus back into the house.
This is a parable within the parable. How many in the world know about Jesus, know these words but never follow Him back to ask what they mean?
How many in the church turn away those tares who wander in in curiosity for a further understanding and because they don’t immediately look to produce the fruit that is recognizable in the harvest are turned away?
Jesus proclaims the patience of the kingdom of God to the disciples who understand the evil within the world is not of the good of the kingdom of God.
We, the church body, the house of God with knowledge of Jesus and His love for the world, must allow both the wheat and tares to grow together. It is for God to judge the finality of the fruit produced.
What we do is speak of this to the world, the good news of the patience of God that all may be saved and the understanding that while we were once sown to produce evil in the world, we too may confess our sins, die to ourselves and be born again into the kingdom of God.