Delivered October 22, 2006
by Pastors: Marilyn & Eric Henderson
The kingdom of heaven may be compared
to someone who sowed good seed in his field;
but while everybody was asleep,
an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat
and then went away
So when the plants came up and bore grain,
then the weeds appeared as well.
And the slaves of the householder came and said to him,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where, then, did these weeds come from?
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.'
The slaves said to him,
‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds
you would uproot the wheat along with them.
Let both of them grow together until the harvest;
and at harvest time I will tell the reapers,
Collect the weeds first
and bind them into bundles to be burned,
but gather the wheat into my barn.' "
Jesus, I hear your parable about the kingdom of heaven. I understand that this kingdom is living and growing, and there are seeds that you have planted and weeds that have been planted by an enemy.
Both of them grow together until the end of time, whenever that is or whatever that means. Then you and your angels will separate the plants sowed by God and the weeds sowed by the enemy. The weeds sowed by the enemy will be destroyed and the plants sowed by God will be gathered into God's warehouse, which may have some similarities to the Ten Thousand Villages warehouse, but most likely will be significantly different.
There are some things I don't quite understand. I don't understand why you don't take care of the weeds before they get so big or why you even allow an enemy to plant them in the first place. And now days we have herbicides that would take care of weeds in modern wheat or grain fields. So isn't there something like an herbicide that God could come up with that would take care of the weeds? Or isn't there something the other disciples and I could do about either the weeds or the enemy?
Jesus:You've heard the parable and you're beginning to understand it. Remember what I told you some time ago … you are to be salt and light in the field. Your good deeds are to shine brightly like a city on a hill. You are to continue my ministry of healing, cleansing, casting out demons, raising the dead and proclaiming that the kingdom of God is near.
Disciple:OK, I heard what you said and I think I'm starting to get it, but could you tell me who is the one who sows the seed? Who's the good seed and who is the enemy and who are the weeds? And what's this thing about harvest?
Jesus: Meaning of the Parable (Mt. 13.36-43)The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;
the field is the world,
and the good seed are the children of the kingdom;
the weeds are the children 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 collected and burned up with fire,
so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels,
and they will collect out of his kingdom
all causes of sin and all evildoers,
and they will throw them into the furnace of fire,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom
of their Father.
Let anyone with ears listen!
So you're saying the good seed is the children of the kingdom living in the world. And around them are the children of God's enemy, who is the devil. And they both grow together until the end of this time as we know it.
Then God will send his workers, his angels, to gather up or collect children of God's kingdom and children of the devil who have been doing evil. And the angels will burn up the children of the devil which will allow the righteous to shine brighter.
So, are you saying that some people are destined by you to be part of your kingdom and others are destined by you to do evil as children of the devil? It sounds like no one has a choice. They're either planted by God or planted by the devil, they're either good seed or bad seed. Now, if I were in God's place, I wouldn't have allowed the devil to plant evil in the world in the first place!
Jesus' response:You forget that I have chosen the entire world—all the nations—to be blessed. That was part of my covenant with Abraham. I did choose the descendants of Abraham because I loved them and extended my grace to them. "The whole earth is mine, but my intent for … [the children of Abraham] is that you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation." (Ex. 19.5, 6)
When my people began choosing evil practices, I sent prophets to tell them of my love and call them back to be a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.
I sent John the Baptist to call people to turn to God and warn them that the kingdom of God was near.
Then I came, also calling people to turn to God. It isn't as though I don't know about making choices. Remember, I had to make choices in the desert when I was face to face with the devil himself. My choice was between doing what my Father wanted me to or what the devil was asking me to do. I have been teaching the ways of the kingdom of heaven. People choose to love their enemies, forgive, to be a light to the world, to accept God's authority, seeking first the kingdom of God. Or people choose the ways of the evil one. And when I called you and the other disciples, you had to choose whether or not to follow me.
In the near future a child of the kingdom named Paul will recognize that God is reconciling all things to himself through me. And through me all people can choose to become new creations (2 Cor. 5.17, 19).
God has chosen everyone to be children of the kingdom. Therefore, God has destined everyone to do good. Everyone has a choice about whether or not they will do the will of my Father in heaven. I am rejoicing that you have chosen to be a child of my Father's kingdom and trust that God will help you bear good fruit always.
Disciple:That's beginning to make more sense to me. But I still have one more question. It seems like it would be a lot easier for the children of the kingdom if they would be in a field by themselves, away from the children of the enemy. It makes sense to me that if they were separate, the children of the kingdom wouldn't be tempted to join in the evil practices of the devil's children. That's the way I would do it!
Jesus' response:Do you recall that I sent you and the other disciples to minister to the lost sheep of Israel? I sent you with authority to drive out evil spirits, to heal, raise the dead, cleanse and preach that the kingdom of heaven is near.
I'll let you in on a secret. At the end of my time here on earth as a man- I will leave you with my authority and commission you to make disciples of all nations. There's no way you can fulfill this task if you are fenced off in your own little field somewhere with little contact with the rest of the people in the world.
Even if children of the kingdom separate themselves, the evil one continues to be at work among them—lust, covetousness, unforgiveness, gossip, self-righteousness, arrogance, greed, judging and critical spirits and every other form of evil can grow.
I appreciate all your questions and am glad you came to me with them. However, you need to remember that not only is the kingdom God's kingdom. This world is God's, too. You are not always going to be able to figure out the "why" behind God's actions and choices. Remember that God knows all things, and God has a much better perspective and understanding of the destiny of all people.
Application:M. As we've studied this parable, a few things have come to mind from our past experiences. After we share those with you, you will have the opportunity to share questions based on this parable or interpretations different from what we presented or applications that you believe are appropriate and helpful for this community of believers.
Our experiences:E. 1) We find within ourselves and within the community of believers, regardless of who they are or where they are, the temptation to take God's place in judging and condemning others. The Jews, God's chosen people, stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Since that time the church has condemned to death and persecuted many others judged to be children of the devil. The Mennonite Church continues to struggle to make disciples, rather than condemn and shun those struggling with sin.
Even if we don't practice violent punishment for people we consider to be children of the evil one, we often invest time and energy in condemning others. By doing so, we lose the perspective that we are called to be God's people extending God's friendship to peoples of the world and continuing the work of reconciliation.
M. 2) We've observed that some people become immobilized in doing kingdom work when a brother or sister is overcome by sin. Some choose to leave various denominations when leaders are found guilty of various sins-particularly sexual sins.
The parable of the weeds warns that evil and good grow together, that God will do the final judging and punishing. We are not to be surprised or immobilized by the work of the devil. Perhaps saddened, perhaps disappointed, but not distracted or immobilized from being children of the righteous One who live with hope and who share that hope with others.
E. 3) The Mennonite Church and other denominations have established various institutions that help people carry on the work of the kingdom of God. Mennonite Mission Witness, Mennonite Central Committee, Mennonite Disaster Service, Ten Thousand Villages and Mennonite Church Eastern Canada can be partners with God creating the kingdom of heaven on earth. However, we need to guard against taking ownership of various institutions and remember we are partners with God. We need to guard against believing that various institutions are the kingdom of God.
M. Through this parable we hear Jesus calling us to focus our energies on answering God's call to join in kingdom work rather than taking God's place as judge. What has God been saying to us as the body of Christ at Petitcodiac Mennonite Church?
E. (Explanation—what God is saying to me or what God is saying to us)
Opportunity for congregation's answers:
Petitcodiac Mennonite Church