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.’” I can't say that I will ever understand why evil exists. Or why we're forced to co-exist with it. But I do know that God's knowledge and wisdom is much greater and deeper than mine. So while I can't claim to know the answers I just trust that God is doing what is good for me and what is right. I know that I am the good wheat. I know that one day I will be separated from evil. What a glorious day when the weight of this world is lifted from me.
31 Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”
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John
Burnett: 4 Jesus presented another parable to
them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven [a]may be compared to a man who
sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while his men were
sleeping, his enemy came and sowed [b]tares among the wheat, and
went away. 26 But when the [c]wheat sprouted and bore
grain, then the tares became evident also. 27 The slaves of the
landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? [d]How then does it have
tares?’ 28 And he said to them, ‘An [e]enemy has done this!’ The
slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 But
he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the
wheat with them. 30 Allow both to grow together until the
harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather
up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat
into my barn.” Wheat and tares look almost
identical and you have to look at them closely to tell the difference.
This passage is referring to the many people in the church building who
are not actual (born again) members of the church. They think that
because they look like wheat, act like wheat, and go to where the wheat goes,
they will be treated as wheat is treated and be gathered into the barn.
God knows who is his wheat, has given them the Holy Spirit, and will not let
tares pollute his kingdom.
The Mustard Seed
31 He presented another parable to them,
saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and
sowed in his field; 32 and this is smaller than all other
seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and
becomes a tree, so that the birds of the
[f]air come and nest in
its branches.”
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Allen Michaels: The Parable of the Weeds
Jesus gives the meaning of this
parable in verses 36-43. All the parables in this chapter teach us about God
and his kingdom. They explain what the kingdom is really like as opposed to our
expectations of it. The kingdom of heaven is not a geographic location, but a
spiritual realm where God rules and where we share in his eternal life. We join
that kingdom when we trust in Christ as Savior.
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of
heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and
sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat
sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir,
didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you
want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling
the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.’” Weeds (unbelievers) and
wheat (believers) must live side by side in this world. God allows unbelievers
to remain for a while, just as a farmer allows weeds to remain in his field so
the surrounding wheat isn’t surrounded from them. At the harvest, however, the
weeds will be uprooted and thrown into the fire. God’s harvest (judgment) of
all people is coming. We are to make ourselves ready by making sure that our
faith is sincere.
The image Jesus uses here is a
common everyday example of planting, harvesting, and sorting the good fruit
from the bad. Weeds can spoil and even kill a good harvest if they are not
separated and destroyed at the proper time. Uprooting them too early, though,
can destroy the good plants in the process. Just as nature teaches us patience,
so God's patience also teaches us to guard the word he has planted in our
hearts and to beware of the destructive force of sin and evil which can destroy
it. God's word brings life, but Satan seeks to destroy the good seed which has
been planted in the hearts of those who have heard God's word. God's judgment
is not hasty, but it does come. And in the end, God will reward each according
to what they have sown and reaped in this life. In that day God will separate
the evil from the good. Do you allow God's word to take deep root in your
heart?
The Parables of the Mustard Seed
and the Yeast
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven
is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though
it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden
plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
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