We have had a lot of rain this season. This generally means that our lawns are green;\u00a0plants are growing. It also means that weeds are growing. Weeds grow right along with the grass, flowers and any other seeds that have been planted.<\/p>\n
Sometimes it\u2019s difficult to get rid of the weeds without also hurting some of the plants you actually WANT to grow.<\/p>\n
Jesus told a similar story in describing life in the Kingdom of God. It\u2019s a story that is meant to teach us something about the reality of living in this world.<\/p>\n
Jesus told them another parable:\u202f\u201cThe kingdom of heaven is like\u202fa man who sowed good seed in his field.\u202f25\u202f<\/sup>But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.\u202f26\u202f<\/sup>When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.<\/em><\/p>\n 27\u202f<\/sup>\u201cThe owner\u2019s servants came to him and said, \u2018Sir, didn\u2019t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n 28\u202f<\/sup>\u201c\u2018An enemy did this,\u2019 he replied.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe servants asked him, \u2018Do you want us to go and pull them up?\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n 29\u202f<\/sup>\u201c\u2018No,\u2019 he answered, \u2018because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.\u202f30\u202f<\/sup>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.\u2019\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 (Matthew 13:24-43\u202f NIV)<\/em><\/p>\n Remember Jesus was telling a parable.\u00a0All of this would have been common knowledge to Jesus\u2019 audience.<\/p>\n What does this\u00a0parable\u00a0mean? Fortunately, Jesus tells us what this parable means.<\/p>\n Then He left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, \u201cExplain to us the parable\u202fof the weeds in the field.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n 37\u202f<\/sup>He answered,\u202f\u201cThe one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.\u202f38\u202f<\/sup>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,\u202f39\u202f<\/sup>and\u00a0the enemy who sows them is the devil<\/u>. The harvest\u202fis the end of the age,\u202fand the harvesters are angels.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n 40\u202f<\/sup>\u201cAs the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.\u202f41\u202f<\/sup>The Son of Man\u202fwill send out\u00a0His angels,\u202fand they will weed out of\u00a0His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.\u202f42\u202f<\/sup>They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.\u202f43\u202f<\/sup>Then the righteous will shine like the sun\u202fin the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.\u201d\u00a0 (Matthew 13:36-43)<\/em><\/p>\n This parable is\u00a0clear. We have 7 images in this parable:\u00a0the sower, the field, the good seed, the weeds, the enemy, the harvest and the reapers.<\/p>\n Jesus decodes each of the seven images.<\/p>\n We generally pull the\u00a0weeds, spray with\u00a0Round\u00a0Up \u2013 figure out how to get rid of them. But it is important that we\u00a0understand their source\u00a0and know their destiny.<\/p>\n The weeds in our life are planted by whom? The source is the Devil.<\/p>\n What is the destiny of the devil? Hell forever<\/p>\n Satan has been God\u2019s enemy nearly from the beginning. Satan has sown weeds in the field of the world. He has\u00a0probably\u00a0planted some weeds in your life.<\/p>\n The devil puts bad things in our life on purpose. He did this with Adam and Eve. He did this with Job in the Old Testament and he continues to do it to us today.\u00a0The devil would like more than anything else for it to take root and grow \u2013 take root meaning establish itself in our lives\u00a0and be a strong presence.<\/p>\n We all have baggage in life \u2013 baggage that is and was caused by bad seeds planted in our lives\u00a0from the devil. It\u2019s baggage because we are still carrying it around with us. It\u2019s baggage that is weighing us down.<\/p>\n Maybe you have heard people use the phrase \u2013 \u201cthey come with baggage\u201d or \u201che has a lot of baggage.\u201d\u00a0What they mean is that their\u00a0pasts\u00a0are\u00a0full of\u00a0painful\u00a0things that have happened to them and they seem to be carrying it with them throughout their lives. They carry it with them either because they can\u2019t let it go or\u00a0don\u2019t know how to let it go. Frequently,\u00a0others\u00a0make it difficult for them\u00a0let it go.<\/p>\n We all have a baggage journey. It could have started early in life and it can still happen later in life;\u00a0we carry it with\u00a0us,\u00a0and it weighs us down. Like the weeds we need to get rid of it.<\/p>\n The parable of the weeds\u00a0tells\u00a0us that the devil is putting the bad seed in our lives. He is planting. He sneaks in. He has bad intentions. This bad seed turns out to be baggage in our lives\u00a0and we\u00a0must\u00a0figure out how to get rid of it. We\u00a0must\u00a0separate the weeds from the wheat.<\/p>\n First Peter 5:8\u00a0says,\u00a0\u201cYour\u00a0adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.\u201d That\u2019s\u00a0a little\u00a0dark\u00a0to put in a letter meant to bring people hope, but it is reality. Many of you have baggage and can\u2019t even identify that it comes from the Enemy. We have one enemy, the Devil. Yet, we have hope in what\u2019s next\u2026<\/p>\n Peter tells us to resist the devil\u00a0(1 Peter 5:9). The Bible wouldn\u2019t tell us to do it if we couldn\u2019t do it! Can you resist the devil? YES \u2013 What? Can you resist the devil? YES!<\/p>\n We learn that all Christians suffer, but Christ is bigger than the suffering. If you struggle, you\u2019re not alone!<\/p>\n There\u2019s still a third thing Peter teaches us here and it\u2019s important\u2026<\/p>\n What is humility? I used to think of it in negative terms, but as a Christ follower I think differently. The dictionary defines humility as, \u201ca modest view of one\u2019s importance.\u201d We are humble when we realize we aren\u2019t the most important thing in the universe. It also means that we can\u2019t lose our baggage all by ourselves; we need\u00a0divine<\/em>\u00a0help. We need help from God.<\/p>\n First identify your baggage.\u00a0Then, realize you can defeat the Enemy when you become humble and recognize the need for Jesus to take control of your life.<\/p>\n Check this out!\u00a01 Peter 5:10\u00a0says that after we have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to\u00a0eternal\u00a0glory in Christ, will\u00a0Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.<\/p>\n Let Jesus be the Roundup for the weeds in your life. Lay your baggage at the foot of the cross so that you are free to live! Remember the words of John: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10).<\/em><\/p>\n Photo by\u00a0Anton Murygin<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0Unsplash<\/a><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Parable of the Weeds Explained<\/h2>\n
\n
What Should We Do About the Weeds?<\/h2>\n
The Bible tell us\u00a0HOW to Deal with our\u00a0Baggage.<\/h2>\n
1. Baggage comes from the Enemy, the Devil.<\/h3>\n
2. WE can resist the Devil.<\/h3>\n
3. Humility is the key to losing our baggage.<\/h3>\n
The Ultimate Promise<\/h2>\n
\n