Word of Salvation – Vol. 14 No.52 - December 1968

 

The Weeds Among The Wheat

 

Sermon by Rev. J. VanderStaal, B.D. on Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43

SCRIPTURE READING: Matt.  13:1-23

PSALTER HYMNAL: 324; 389:1,2 (After Law); 491 (After Creed)
                                      92:1,2,3,6; 370 (After sermon); 368:1,4; 124:5

 

Beloved Congregation,

In Matthew 13 we find various parables of our Lord concerning the kingdom of heaven.  In the first of these parables – the well- known Parable of the Sower, He tells about the seed which was sown in the field, and what happened to it afterwards.  Part of the seed which was sown perished, because it fell on barren soil.  But other seed fell on good soil.  There it grew up and brought forth grain, some a hundred fold, some sixty and some thirty.

In the second parable (which we read as our text), the Lord again tells about a man who sowed good seed in his field, and again the point of the parable is what happened afterwards to that seed.

The story itself is very simple, even though it is a bit unusual in our eyes.  In the springtime a farmer sowed good seed in his field.  But at night an enemy came and sowed weeds, tares, among the wheat.

From the original text, it appears that here a special kind of weed is meant.  It was a kind of rye grass, which at first looked exactly like the wheat which had been sown by the farmer.  So you can understand why the bad plants were at first not noticed by the farmer.  The difference did not appear until the fruit had set and the corns of grain were growing in the ears.

But by then it was too late to weed out the tares.  The roots of the good and the bad plants had become so intertwined that, by pulling up the weeds, the wheat too would be rooted up.  Therefore the farmer said to his servants that the weeds should not be destroyed before the harvest.  First the field must be reaped.  After that it would not be difficult any longer to separate the weeds from the wheat.  Then the weeds would be gathered and burnt, but the wheat would be brought into the barn.

In this parable the Lord points again to the powers of evil, by which the growth of the good seed is threatened, and the fruit of the proclamation of the gospel may fail.

In the Parable of the Sower, it is shown that part of the seed could not grow and bear fruit as a result of the unsuitability of the soil.  The fruit of the preaching often fails because of all kinds of counteracting factors; in particular, because of the unspiritual disposition of our hearts.

In this second parable, something else is pointed out by the Lord.  Here He speaks about the opposition of an enemy who sowed weeds among the wheat; and in the explanation of the parable He says: The enemy is the devil.

So we are faced here with the opposition of the Evil One, who is trying to prevent the development of God's kingdom with all the means which are at his disposal.  He is the one who sows the weeds in the field.  He is the one who tries to separate the believers from their Lord, and to harm the work of Christ's salvation as much as he can.

This parable reminds us of the alarming fact that the contrast between the kingdom of God and the realm of Satan still continues to exist.

On the one hand, we do believe that Christ has gained the victory by His sufferings and death on the cross of Calvary, and by His resurrection from the dead.

On the other hand, however, it is clear that His victory is not yet complete; it is not yet final.  He is now sitting on His throne in heaven, and all things are subject to Him.  But at the same time the Evil One still has a tremendous power.  Sometimes it even seems as if HE is sitting on the throne of Christ, and as if all things are subject to HIM.

In the parable of the weeds among the wheat, the Lord Jesus teaches us that things are happening that way indeed.

On the one hand, the kingdom of God develops in the world.  The good seed is sown.  It sprouts and grows and bears fruit.  The message of the gospel is heard and accepted by many people.  The believers are gathered together in the church, and the power of the kingdom is working in the world.

But the picture has also another side.  While the kingdom of God is being built, Satan is also doing his utmost to keep up his realm.  As it is said in the parable: he sows the weeds in the field of the world.  He resists the building up of the church and the coming of the kingdom with all available means.

That's what is happening in the world today.  God is working there, but Satan is working there too.  The good seed is sown, but the weeds are striking root, too.  The church develops and tries to influence the world, but the hostile powers of the Evil One are making progress too.

The believers are called by the message of the word to come to Christ.  But at the same time they are earnestly warned about the temptations of Satan: "Simon, Simon; behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith might not fail.”

That is the position, the sad position we are living in today.  The weeds and the wheat are standing together in the field of the world.  The weeds and the wheat are growing together in the field of our hearts.

* * * * * *

There is another element in this parable, congregation, to which we must turn our attention.

Jesus told His disciples about the weeds and the wheat, because it was not easy for them to accept the fact that, by His coming into the world, the fullness of salvation had not yet come.  As we have said already: His work is not yet complete.  It is still provisional.

For us, too, it is not easy to accept this truth.  Many people think that the church, now that it has been established by Christ, should be perfect.  And indeed, the church SHOULD be perfect.  But she IS not yet perfect in actual fact.

In the same way, it is often thought that the Christian believers, because they belong to Christ, should live a holy and almost sinless life.  And indeed, the Christians SHOULD live that way.  But we DO NOT live that way in actual fact.

The period of time in which we are now living can be characterized by two words, the words NOT YET.  It is the time in which the weeds and the wheat are growing together in the field.  We have not yet come to the perfection which so clearly is put before us.  Yet, we need not be in any uncertainty as to the victory of Christ.  In our parable, two things are emphasized by the Lord, and from both of them it becomes apparent that the final victory will be gained – not by Satan, but by Christ.

The first fact which is stressed by Him is that the good seed is sown in the field, and there it sprouts up and begins already to bear fruit.

However many imperfections there may still be in our lives, however many sins and imperfections may still be found within us, we may give ourselves up to Christ.  He is our perfect Saviour.  With all our problems, all our needs and all our sins, we may throw ourselves into the open arms of Jesus.

He does not leave us to ourselves.  We may flee to Him, particularly when we are combated by the evil enemy of our souls.  Jesus wants to be our refuge, when we are tempted by the powers of sin.  You must flee to Him in your temptations.

Girls and boys, when the power of the Evil One appears to be that strong, that you are not able to overcome him, flee then to Jesus!  Give your life into His hands!  On the cross of Golgotha He gained the victory.

There the ruler of the world came up against Him, but he had no power over Him, Christ gained the victory for us, and if you give yourself up to Him indeed, then He will give His victory to you, too.

The second fact which is shown in this parable, and by which we can be sure of Jesus' victory, is that all things speed to the close of the age, and that then the great and final decisions will be made.

The Bible teaches us to look upon our lives on earth in the light of the consummation of all things.  We must consider this in the light of the final decisions which will be made on the day of Christ's coming again.  That way, a new dimension is opened up for us, as it were; for then the light of eternity shines upon what is happening in our time.

For the servants about whom Jesus told in the parable, it was a difficult problem as to what should happen to the wheat in the field.  It was surrounded by the weeds, and could easily be damaged by them.  But for the farmer himself it was no problem at all.  He thought of the harvest which would come, and then it would not be difficult to separate the weeds from the wheat.

Jesus says: That is the way it will happen at the close of the age.  What good is in the world will then be cleansed from all wickedness and evil.  On the day of the last Judgment the weeds will be gathered and burnt, but the wheat will be brought into the barn.

It is a great thing, congregation, that this dimension is opened up for us in the Bible: that we are taught to consider all things, both in the world and in our own lives, in this light.  Let us be on our guard not to lose that view, for then we no longer consider things in a spiritual way, as believers, but then we consider things as they are done by worldly and unbelieving people.  Such people do admit that the things we are doing here may have all kinds of consequences for our lives in the world, but they do not know of any consequences for the life which is to come.

But that, is the thing which is stressed so much in the Bible.  Our present life is a preparation for eternal life.  The harvest time is drawing near, and then each one will receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body.

That's the message of the Bible, and therefore we must not cease to consider the things which are happening in this passing world in the light of the consummation of all things; in the light of eternity.

When we are doing this it will become clear to us, on the one hand, how imperfect all things are in this world.  It is still the time of which we must say: NOT YET.  Everything is still provisional.  That applies to the new life of a Christian: to his fight against sin, to his struggle for holiness.

That even applies to the work of Christ: to the victory He has gained for us, and to the salvation which we receive from Him.  Christ is Victor indeed.  Yet the power of Satan has not yet been completely broken.  His realm has not yet been totally destroyed.

Yet we may be of good courage, for we may look at these things in the light of the consummation at the close of the age.

In the parable we are taught that there are two kinds of crops in the field, and that they remain there till harvest day.

There are two ways of life, and they will be found in the world until the day of Christ's coming again.  There are people who live with Christ, and there are people who live without Christ.  There are believers and there are unbelievers.

Their different ways of life will result in different outcomes of their lives.  Those who have lived here with Christ will one day live with Christ eternally.  And those who have lived here without Christ will one day be condemned to live without Christ for ever.  Scripture clearly teaches: there is eternal life, and there is also eternal death.

We must listen to the impressive message at the conclusion of the parable: "At the close 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 evil-doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has an ear, let him hear.”

Are you sometimes wondering, my brother and sister, where your place will be on that day of Christ's return?  Well, Scripture clearly tells us: that depends on the position which is taken by you here and now.  For on the one hand it is true that we must consider our lives on earth in the light of eternity.  But, on the other hand, it is also true that the decisions which will be made on the last day depend on what is done by us, here and now.

Where will be your place, and where will be my place, on the day of Christ's return?

Let me put it this way, with the words of the parable: for us, the great thing is not whether any weeds are found in the field of our hearts.  The sad thing is that those weeds will stay there till the end.  But the great thing is whether the good seed which is sown by the heavenly Sower has fallen in the field of our hearts; whether it has sprouted up there, and borne fruit.

Out eternal salvation depends on our faith in Christ.

It depends in particular on the fact whether the fruits of faith, even if they are but small, are found with us.

That is the point of what Jesus says at the end of the parable: Then the righteous – the believers, with whom the fruits of faith are found! – the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

He who has an ear, let him hear!

Amen.