Weeds
St. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
23 July 2017 – Redeemer
Weeds. Whether it is the sea of dandelions in a city park or thistles in your lawn or some creeping vine trying to take over the garden, we all know about weeds. Jesus uses common knowledge in His parables to reveal the uncommon mysteries of His Kingdom, in this case “weeds.”
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.
God planted a garden in Eden, with every good food necessary for that first created couple to live and produce good fruit, to multiply, to have children begotten of their heavenly Father, begotten to live for all eternity. But an enemy came. Satan came sowing his seed. He planted lies into the ears of God’s children, lies about life and wisdom and God. When that lie took root in Adam and Eve it choked out the life that God had given them. Adam and Eve began to die the day they sinned. They also became evil. Instead of producing the fruits of faith toward God and love toward each other they shriveled into themselves. Adam blamed his beloved Eve. Eve blamed the God who gave her life.
However, the weed sowing enemy did not have the last word – God planted another Word in Adam and Eve’s ears – a word of life, that His Savior, a son, born of a woman, would come and crush Satan’s head. His Kingdom would defeat the enemy and bring a reign of life and peace and joy and deliverance for His people.
Since that first garden of life, which Satan and our sin spoiled, the weeds have been alongside the wheat. Where God’s Good Word brings forth life in believers, they will be surrounded by unbelievers. One of Martin Luther’s favorite lines was “Where God builds a church, the devil also wants to have a chapel or a tavern.” (LW Vol. 67, p. 195)
So what did this parable teach the crowds about life in God’s Kingdom? Jesus has enemies. Therefore, if Jesus is your King, if you live under His reign, His enemy (Satan) will be your enemy. They also might have drawn some conclusions from the weed that Jesus described. It is called “darnel” and while it is growing it looks almost identical to wheat. It can’t be identified as a weed until it heads out and shows its “fruit.” From this the crowds might have concluded that the sons of God (believers) would not look much different than the sons of Satan (unbelievers) until the end.
Now, are those big selling points for the reign and rule of God? If you live under Jesus Satan will be against you. If you live under Jesus your life won’t appear much different than unbelievers. You know this to be true. Satan is always sowing his doubts and despair and lies among God’s children. We look no different than unbelievers. Christians die tragically in accidents or too young from cancer. Christians commit adultery. Christians get addicted to alcohol or pornography. Christians parents deal with their children in anger instead of love. Christian pastors get caught up in scandal or power trips.
So what is there in this Kingdom that calls you to believe? The guy who is telling the parable – Jesus and the gift that He alone brings – life. He sows “good seed” that bears “good fruit.” That’s you He’s talking about. Jesus brings you to life. You were born into this world as the offspring of Satan – you belong to the Evil One because of the sin you inherit from your parents. You were born dead in sin, but Jesus, when He calls you into His Kingdom in the waters of baptism – gives you His good life. You are baptized into Christ’s death for your sins and therefore you are raised to life with Him. His perfectly good and righteous life, death, and resurrection is credited to you through your faith in Him.
Jesus, preaching this parable to the crowd says, “You won’t see much difference in your life following me. Evil will be right beside you (in fact until you die you will be both saint and sinner), but in this Kingdom I rule and where I rule there is life, because there is forgiveness for your sins.” That’s the only difference between the believer and the unbeliever – Jesus and when Jesus has you – you have life because you have His forgiveness.
That might help us understand the surprise of this parable. Almost every parable has a little surprise hidden in it. Something that we likely wouldn’t do, but God does. What surprised you in this parable? That nothing was done about the weeds. Who leaves weeds alone, especially in the garden or wheat field?
Jesus tells one reason why the weeds are left alone. The servants might pull up some wheat. In other words – God is patient until the harvest. He wants all the wheat He can get, and there will be weeds that become wheat, unbelievers who come to faith in Jesus. He doesn’t want them to lose life.
The other reason to wait is that all of our efforts to rid the world (or the church) of evil will fail. Self-driving cars won’t end automobile accidents. Medical research will never lead to life everlasting. Wars will not cease. We can no more end the evil in the world, than we can stop the evil within us – stop sinning (I dare you.) The only way to stop sinning would be to do away with yourself – and that too would be a sin.
When Jesus preaches the meaning of the parable to His disciples He tells them and us why we need not worry about the weeds. The disciples were already feeling the attacks of the enemy. As Jesus neared the cross opposition mounted. Everyone was against Him. Even after Christ won the greatest battle, took away the sin of the world and rose again to life, the opposition remained. Nearly every one of the Apostles would be killed for spreading God’s reign of life. Would evil win the day? This same persecution is not far from us – if you believe there is but one true God and one way to heaven, if you believe some people will actually be damned to hell, if you believe that you should be free to practice your religion according to your conscience, if you disagree with popular godless opinion, you will be persecuted and likely will be called evil.
To all of that, to His disciples, to us, Jesus say, “Don’t worry, the harvest is coming.” The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Once again, God’s Kingdom, His reign of life in this world and for eternity centers on Jesus. The Son of Man will send His angels – they will know and see who is wheat and who is weed. At the final harvest, the last day – what is good will be seen – and that good will be you who believe. You are good, worthy of being kept by the Father for eternity, worthy of life eternal, not because you have any good in you, but because God the Father has given you all good in His Son – His good life, His good obedience, His good death, His good resurrection, His good gift of forgiveness for your sins.
What you see in the world is not what you have in God’s Kingdom. You have been delivered from the evil One. You are alive in Christ. You are a good child of God in Christ, and you will see that in the final harvest. The righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their father. That is what Jesus wants you to believe from this parable. That is why He says, “He who has ears, let Him hear.” In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
22 July 2017 anno Domini