Tag: Parable

The last week or two has been filled with tragic news. If you’re like me, you may be wondering what this world is coming to. I can’t blame you.

I have decided not to say much on social media, but I do grieve deeply and pray for the families who have lost loved ones in the senseless violence.

But I’ve also found comfort in a place that may surprise you, a parable of Jesus known as the Parable of the Weeds (also known as the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares):

²⁴ Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. ²⁵ But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. ²⁶ When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

²⁷ “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

²⁹ “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

-Matthew 13:24-30 NLT

The scene Jesus presented in this parable would have been familiar to His ancient audience. A farmer planted wheat (good seed), but his enemy sowed weeds. This unwanted plant refers to the darnel weed. This weed is poisonous, but looks so much like wheat in the early stages that you can’t tell the difference between the two.

The planting of this kind of weed in someone’s field was a way to destroy or greatly reduce the value of your enemy’s crop. It happened frequently enough that there was a law against it in the Roman empire.

But the wise farmer knew that intervening prematurely would result in the loss of perfectly good wheat. He said in effect,“I’m still interested in all that wheat that’s planted out there.”

Herein lies the lessons that encourage me greatly:

The presence of evil in this world does not negate what God is doing in this world. The presence of evil does not nullify God’s redemptive activity. 

Yes, wicked people are becoming bolder, more perverse, and more hostile to all that is good. In that sense it seems the world is getting worse.

But here’s a question we must consider: are the “weeds” the only thing growing? No!

God has not given up on the harvest—neither should we!

God has sovereignly allowed evil for a season. He has temporarily allowed good and evil to coexist. One day there will be an awesome judgement in which God will separate wheat from weeds; good from evil (vs. 37-43). Until then, let’s not forget the words of Jesus:

“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”

-Luke 10:2b

Let us not be guilty of only seeing the weeds and overlooking the wheat.

Matthew 18 includes the Parable of the Lost Sheep:

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish.”

Matthew 18:12-14 (NLT)

We (people) are compared to sheep more than once the Scriptures. It actually happens earlier in Matthew’s Gospel:  “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

The comparison is embarrassingly accurate.

First and foremost, sheep are completely dependent upon their shepherds for survival. They need guidance to find food and water. They have no natural defense against predators. Their own wool will grow until it blinds them if they are not regularly shorn. We, like sheep, are vulnerable without our Shepherd’s care.

We have something else in common with sheep: a tendency to stray (see Isaiah 53:6). We wander off and find ourselves in places we should never be, doing things we should not do.

I wish this wayward tendency was obliterated the moment we come to Christ, but it isn’t. Matthew 18 is, in fact, a chapter about the care and disciple of God’s children–our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We can and do stray, even as believers.

Here’s the amazingly good news of the parable: God doesn’t give up on His wayward children. I can hardly describe the comfort I find in this truth!

His concern, in fact, is only heightened when we lose our way. He is much like the mother who momentarily loses sight of her child: the concerned response will be immediate and the joy at finding the child will be immense. The wayward sheep is not more valuable than the others, but its need is greater until it is found.

You may be in a season of disobedience as you read this post. I cannot promise you that your life will be everything it could have been had you walked in obedience. But I can promise that there is One who pursues you relentlessly and awaits your response. It only takes one step of obedience to find His joyful embrace.

No matter how far you go, there is always a path called forgiveness back to God.

AW Tozer