There's wheat, and there's weed, which one are you? We hope there are more wheat than weeds in this life, but we are way outnumbered. With 7 billion people and only 2 billion Christians in this world, yes, we are outnumbered. We realize we live in a true melting pot in the parable of the wheat and the tares (weeds). God put us with many different kinds of people.
In Jesus's day, there was a group of people who hated him and there was a group of people that wanted to learn from him and follow him. Jesus was a genius though, he used parables so that those with hard hearts will be confused, but those who want to know the truth would understand them. So he tried to confuse the enemy and enlighten his followers by using earthly analogies with heavenly meaning.
In Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. "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?' "'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' "'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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.'"
I love this parable for many reasons. One is Jesus explains it to his disciples away from the crowd. There is no assuming; he spells it out. Also, when Jesus talks about the end of the age, he's talking about the end of the church age, when he returns. Jesus explains in Matthew 13:36 Then he 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." He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 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, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 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. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
In Jesus' day, when someone was mad at you they would put a weed called "darnel" in your field of wheat. The similarity between wheat and darnel is so great that in some regions, darnel is referred to as "False wheat." It bears a close resemblance to wheat until the ear appears. So when the farmer looked out and his crop was just starting to grow, he would think he had a great harvest coming, but when it came close to harvest time he would see only so many had the bloom on it.
This is us today; in our classrooms, workplaces, neighborhoods, and even in our churches, the field is our world and we will find many false wheat in it. We have a mixture of people throughout, so how do we navigate this, we focus on our own journey and not allow others to derail it. How often do we allow others to steal our joy and peace and even change our minds? We get so upset; how often have we said things like, "And they call themselves a Christian." I know I used to do that, and then I had to realize that, number one, we are all human and make mistakes. God knows I'm not where I used to be, though I'm not where I want to be either. So we must give people a chance to grow and find their way. Only God knows their hearts. That's why it's essential to not be swayed by others. We must stay connected to God in his Word and focus on Jesus, just like Peter did when he walked on water. Stop looking at our circumstances and look at your God. We live in a fallen world, in a field of unbelievers and believers, don't lose who God called you to be in a field of Tares. Amen.
Let's pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, so much to be thankful for, Lord. Though sometimes it doesn't look like a perfect place to be. We are learning to lean on you, Lord. Thank you that we will see your ways above all ways. We will focus on you alone. Thank you for your guidance and your love in our field of tares. In Jesus Holy name, we pray. Amen.
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