Culver Community Church

Pastor Chris Sweeney

Sermon Notes

April 22, 2018

Matthew 13:24-43 Kingdom Parables – Weeds

{Matthew 13:24-30} After hearing the Parable of the Soils, the disciples would have come to the conclusion that not everyone will receive or enter into the Kingdom (3 types of rejecters and one receptive).  So, the next logical thought would be “what will happen to the rejecters?”  This second parable addresses that question.  Remember, the disciples were filled with excitement – they had gotten in on the ground floor of this movement and they constantly expected the full Kingdom (the Messianic rule over all the Earth).  They thought and hoped (like a pyramid scheme) those at the highest levels would have the most power and blessings.  We see that they were jockeying for position – trying to be the “greatest in the Kingdom”.  They were very much concerned with that same type of kingdom expected by the religious leaders and often failed to pay attention to or understand the spiritual Kingdom that was already among them! 

The Kingdom was a common question for the disciples.  In fact, even as Jesus was about to ascend to the Father as He gave their final instructions (don’t leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes, etc.), they actually interrupted to ask again! (Acts 1:6-7)  Jesus gives a gentle redirect – “that is not your concern” and goes right back to what He was saying.  Don’t forget, God has set the times and days for His return; and for your birth, and your death and everything in between!  It is easy to understand this obsession with the kingdom – it was scriptural, their leaders taught it and like vacation or retirement - it is the light at the end of the tunnel, the most wonderful thing imaginable!  This was also what both John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching “Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand!”  Let me tell you that it still happens today, lest you think that we (modern day, Holy Spirit indwelt believers) have it all figured out and our lives are all properly prioritized.  Have you ever wistfully looked to that great day when Jesus will return as a solution to your problems?  (I know we do!)  We can be just like those first believers – waiting anxiously for God to wipe out the unbelievers, to set all things right and to just get “eternity started already”! (Eternity is now – in Christ)  Who doesn’t long for the happily ever after – except with Jesus, it won’t be a fairy tale!  We cry out like the old commercial but instead of Calgon, we cry “Jesus, take me away!”  This is understandable too – in this world we “will have troubles” (John 16:33) but when the Kingdom has fully come “God will wipe away every tear from their [our] eyes.” (Revelation 7:17)  I personally believe (very strongly) that our tendency to obsess about such things is why God doesn’t tell us too much about our forever home!

{vs. 36} Let us skip over verses 31 – 35, until next time when we’ll take a look at those parables.  Starting here with verse 36, the disciples will come and ask Jesus about the parable and He will explain to them (in the house away from the crowds).  Notice that as they go back inside, this time only the disciples and Jesus go in.  Last time the house was packed with the Pharisees (taking their prominent places, no doubt) and as much of the crowd that could squeeze in.  It is interesting to note that the disciples name this parable – so while they may not have fully understood, they at least got that the main point of the parable is the “weeds (darnel) in the field.”  Last time, the weeds were just distractions trying to steal resources from good seed – this time the weeds and what will happen to them are the focus!

{vs. 37-39a} As with our first parable, the One who sows good seed is Jesus.  However, that is where the similarities end.  They might both be farming stories about the Kingdom – but they have different lessons to be learned and the key elements do not represent the same things.  The Parable of the Sower shows Jesus sowing or offering His Kingdom message to all, and that only a few will receive or take the straight path and enter in at the narrow gate.  However, in the Parable of the Tares we see a second sower and two types of seed.

Notice that Jesus plainly states, “The field is the world”; I reiterate this because many preachers and commentators try to “reinterpret” this parable for Jesus, changing it to “The field is the church”.  While this one word change may seem subtle – it is an excellent example of changing the Word of God to suit our liking, it is wrong, it changes the message of the parable and it causes real problems when we apply this to the church!  Many (in fact maybe the majority) desire this interpretation because they want to pull a different lesson out of the story – that there are always “false Christians” and even “false teachers” wherever God’s church is growing.  This can actually be seen in the story because the tares are sown throughout the field (world) – and the implication is that they are very close (too close to be pulled without damaging the wheat) to the God’s good harvest.  However, if we suppose that the field is the church – then God is instructing that false, destructive believers and teachers be allowed to stay in the church until the end of the age (His return).  This is a problem because it takes away the church’s ability to discipline those who would harm the body.  God loves the church too much for that!  In fact, it was God Himself, who laid out Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) because they were trying to deceive the Holy Spirit and corrupt the first church.  Jesus has already (Matthew 7) warned us to “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves”, instructing us to discern the good from the bad - “You will know them by their fruits.”  The epistles give direct instructions on Church discipline and how to remove someone from the fellowship when necessary (“hand this man over to Satan” as Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 5:5).

In the full telling above, we see that the field belongs to the sower (his field) – this world, belongs to Jesus (God)!  The man is not renting, leasing or fighting over the field with the enemy – the World is God’s (He made it and sustains it - that settles it, period!) – (Colossians 1:15-17)  Satan may be trying to claim it, by usurping power from Adam and Eve but God still has the title deed and God tells us in Revelation, that Jesus will exert those rights in the end!  Satan is like a ‘squatter’, hoping that if he just occupies this world long enough, he will be able to stake a claim.  Trust me, God is fully aware of his tricks and has prepared a place to send him!

There are two sowers and two kinds of seed, but don’t think that puts the Devil on an equal playing field with God.  God sows good seed, representing those who enter the Kingdom but Satan sows bad seed, representing the unrepentant (wicked).  Here we see God sowing intentionally, not the random broadcasting depicted in the first parable.  Acts 17 describes the deliberate way that God “sows” people in determined times and places – (Acts 17:26-27) This is one of my all-time favorite verses because it describe the Omniscient God choosing the very time, place and circumstances of my life (yours too)!  So while God was waiting (He does not sleep, but the work is done and now it’s time to wait for the crop to grow up) the devil came and oversowed the field (put other seed on top of the first).  This was a familiar practice – an enemy might sow weeds (tares or others) in a field to ruin the crop and devastate the owner financially, possibly for hatred or simply to take control of a nearby field (at a bargain price).  It was a cowardly act (in the night) and nearly impossible to establish who the criminal was but if caught, Roman law punished such acts severely.

Jesus uses the tares (darnel) to represent the wicked.  Called zinzanium by the Jews, a name believed to have come from a root word for adultery – hence it was known as “bastard wheat”. Darnel is a very similar to wheat in appearance; growing side by side, they are virtually indistinguishable until harvest time, when the wheat grains (large and tan) cause the heads to bow (as if before God in humility).  However, the darnel heads carry small gray to black seeds that are so light that the heads stand straight up (as if in pride).  Darnel requires human cultivation (it would be sown with wheat because the seeds slipped in with ‘good seed’).  Modern sorting machinery enables darnel seeds to be separated efficiently from wheat virtually eliminating it from the developed world (but it still can be found in undeveloped countries to this day.)  Darnel seeds are poisonous to man and animals (not poultry?), causing sleepiness, nausea, convulsions, hallucinations and blindness.  When darnel is ground into flour, baked in bread, and consumed while hot, the eater may experience symptoms similar to drunkenness, including trembling, followed by an inability to walk, hindered speech, and vomiting.  In large doses, it can do heavy damage to the central nervous system and be deadly.  {vs. 39b - 43} The first part was all just setting the scene (word-picture) but now we have the truth to be imparted – God will allow the wicked to grow up with the saved until the end of the age.  This parable is to teach the disciples (then and now) patience!  We can’t go around like James and John trying to call down fire on rejecters – trying to pull up the tares.  God wants us to know that our job is to be fruitful, to reproduce – not to weed the field.  He and His angels will separate the wicked and yes, throw them to the fire.  Too many times we try to be God’s enforcers, executing holy wrath (when it is really our wrath, not God’s). The present age is about the offer of God, the gospel of grace and not wrath!  That is why they call it the “Age of Grace”.  One day it will come to an end, but that is not our concern (like the disciples).  We must trust God and His timing because He placed all of the good seed right where they belong for His plans and His glory.  God also knows where the bad seed are and He has a place prepared for them.  In the meantime, remember - “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)  At one point all of us looked just like tares, and just imagine what would have happened if some overly zealous weed-picker had tried to yank us up!  You and I don’t see the hearts of men - only God does, we just can’t tell who is wheat and who is darnel – so don’t try to weed!  Even if we could tell the difference, the damage done by running around uprooting the weeds would cause damage to the good wheat around them.  Learn the lesson of the tares - God’s Kingdom will be fully brought to light in His time and we as wheat (citizens of the Kingdom) must learn our place – being fruitful, not reapers or harvesters!