Friday, Nov. 22

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Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.   - Matthew 13:36-43

I find it fascinating that after teaching the crowds in parables, Jesus takes a little break from His public ministry by seeking refuge in a nearby house.  There are some New Testament scholars who believe that this was the house of Peter in Caprenaum.  It is possible, we know that it was near the sea of Galilee and that he apparently resided there while He was in the area.  Whatever the case, Jesus goes into this house to get away from the crowds for a while, and immediately His disciples come and ask Him to explain Himself. 

Why did the disciples ask Jesus for an explanation of this specific parable?  They didn’t seem to mind or have questions about the other parables.  This one they singled out and we have to ask ourselves, why?  Why did the disciples single out this parable from all the others?  What was in their thinking when they asked Jesus, “Please, we want you to explain this one!”

Well, for one thing, the parable of the wheat and weeds does have some disturbing images in it...our enemy the Devil, children of the evil one, angles reaping at the end of the age, a fiery furnace, weeping, gnashing of teeth, etc.  I can understand why they would want to know just exactly what all of this meant and where they stood in all of this terrifying imagery.  However, I don’t think Jesus told this story to terrify us or to scare us into obedience.  I think Jesus wants His disciples, then and now, to be absolutely clear about the reality of Judgment Day.  There will come a day when the King will return in glory and power to judge the earth with fire.  On that day, He will separate the wheat from the weeds.  This reality is actually a source of security for those who belong to Him, because know that tin the end, our great King will set everything right.

For the disciples of Jesus (both then & now) who are so often preoccupied about the weeds rather than the wheat, perhaps Jesus wants to reassure us that, in the end, all wrongs will be set right, no evil will go unpunished, and all causes of stumbling will be swept away.  Utterly dependent as we are on grace, we can, with great confidence, trust God's righteousness, which ultimately requires God’s judgment, but whose other side is always mercy upon mercy. Naturally, we just prefer that judgment when it’s others who are judged, not ourselves! The parable of the wheat and the weeds reminds us that, in the meantime, we all continue to grow together, side by side, and that it isn’t your business or mine to figure out who belongs to which category. Our task is simply to be faithful in living as a child of the King, under the reign of Christ and in the kingdom of God!

Because we know that (in the immortal words of Handel’s Messiah)...

The kingdom of this world is become
the Kingdom of our Lord 

and of His Christ,
and of His Christ;
and He shall reign for ever and ever
and He shall reign for ever and ever
and He shall reign for ever and ever
and He shall reign for ever and ever
King of Kings, Lord of Lords
for ever and ever. 

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Jeff Frazier