Matthew 13:24-29, 37-40
“[Jesus] told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too. “The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’ “He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’“The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’ “He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you’ll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’”
Jesus’ explanation: “The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
Bob and I were discussing this parable the other day. Often it is used in context with the church – those who are there for pure reasons – seekers of truth and righteousness, and those who are there as disruptors, plants from the enemy to sow discord. But the reality is that this parable is much broader than just the church. And truth is, Jesus wasn’t even talking about the church. Jesus explains it quite clearly in vs. 38 — the field is the world!
(A lot of times the church is an “easy interpretation” since people don’t like to deal with the issue of church discipline which contradicts this interpretation as those who sow discord are to be dealt with – Matt. 18, Rom. 16, I Cor 5.) The sower of the tares is the enemy – he is after the pure seeds and is seeking to devour!
This parable wasn’t quickly understood, even by Jesus’ disciples. After he had gone on to tell another story, they pulled him aside afterward and said, tell us the meaning of the parable of the wheat and thistle. Jesus didn’t spoon feed His audience. He told parables – stories with multi-layered meanings that were not always clear. So it is to the disciples credit that they sought out the truth. Ed Stetzer writes, “Here again, Jesus demonstrated that the kingdom of God is mysterious. It’s for those who have ears to hear and will remain inscrutable for those who don’t. His disciples approached Him in private, and in private Jesus told them about the field of the world, the good seed of the sons of the kingdom, and the two sowers.”
My hope is to be counted as good seed – a ripe mature plant which has brought forth fruit worthy of the harvest.
Amen