Matthew 13:24-43 - The Enemy Within

Parables are shocking stories that have spiritual meanings.

Matthew 13:24-43 (NIV)

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ ”

36 Then Jesus left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

Canons of Dordt

Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election

Articles 1-14

Article 15 - Reprobation

Holy Scripture most especially highlights this eternal and undeserved grace of our election and brings it out more clearly for us,
1. in that it further bears witness that
  1. not all people have been chosen
  2. but that some have not been chosen or have been passed by in God’s eternal election—
2. those, that is, concerning whom God, on the basis of his entirely free, most just, irreproachable, and unchangeable good pleasure, made the following decree:
  1. to leave them in the common misery into which, by their own fault, they have plunged themselves;
  2. not to grant them saving faith and the grace of conversion;
  3. but finally to condemn and eternally punish those who have been left in their own ways and under God’s just judgment, not only for their unbelief but also for all their other sins, in order to display his justice.
And this is the decree of reprobation,
1. which does not at all make God
  1. the author of sin (a blasphemous thought!)
  2. but rather its fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger.

Summary

Parables are often described as 'earthly stories with heavenly meanings.' I'm not sure who this description originated with, but it's not a very good one. Jesus meant parables to be shocking stories with a spiritual meaning, and the parable we're chewing on today is a perfect example of how they work.

Along with so many other parables - especially in this section of Matthew's gospel - the point of today's parable isn't just to provide some feel-good tips on living your best life now, but to explain what the kingdom of heaven is like. The shocking element of this story comes when Jesus tells that an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. Jesus meant to upset His listeners with that twist. What kind of person would do that? How low and despicable!

The farmer's crew, stunned to see weeds sprouting right alongside the wheat, immediately ask for permission to eradicate the problem, but the wise farmer holds them back, knowing that in the early stages of growth, it's hard to distinguish between the weeds and the wheat. Attempting to pull out the weeds early on would have the unintended consequence of significantly reducing the overall yield of wheat.

But he's not without a plan of his own. He'll send a crew out right before harvest, when the differences between wheat and weed are far more evident. He'll have them collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned. Then the fully developed wheat - the ultimate purpose and goal of all the farmer's hard work - would be successfully brought into his barn.

Dig Deeper

The disciples don't get it. But don't be too hard on them - you and I wouldn't get it either if we were part of that early audience. But we don't need to speculate about what Jesus meant, because thankfully Jesus' confused crew had the gumption to ask Him what He meant by it.

So Jesus lays it all out for them. Every element stood for something: the farmer and his field, the good seed and the weeds. The whole story formed a composite picture of reality: The Son of Man sowing the people of the kingdom in the world, only to have the enemy - the devil - plant the people of the evil one in the midst of God's good field. At harvest time - the end of the age - an angelic crew will follow the farmer's orders.

Jesus uses more words explaining what will happen to the pulled weeds then He uses to explain the plot of the parable. The Lord's angels will weed out everything that causes sin and all who do evil, Jesus explains. These weeds will be thrown into the furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God's choosing of some and passing over others for salvation is a deep mystery for sure, but our Canons echo Jesus' parable in making clear that although God decreed to leave some in the misery of their sin, He is certainly not the author of sin. God planted only good seed in His good field. The Enemy corrupted it with evil. Instead, our Lord is the fearful, irreproachable, just judge and avenger of all the evil the enemy has sowed.

AAA Prayer (About)

ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who will make the righteous shine like the sun in His kingdom;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the strength, courage and patience to continue growing in a weed filled world.
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: