Sermon Text: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Please hear with me a reading from the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, beginning at the 24th verse.
Another parable [Jesus] put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” … Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
So far our text.
The parable of the wheat and the tares – or the wheat and the weeds – teaches us some important things about this world, about ourselves in this world, and about the future end of this world.
Based on the parable itself, and based on Jesus’ explanation of its meaning, we can see that our Lord is teaching us that within this world, two kinds of “seed” have been planted: good seed, for wheat, which represents the children of the kingdom of heaven; and bad seed, for tares or weeds, which represents the children of the evil one.
It might seem kind of stark to our sensibilities, but the parable plainly teaches that there are only these two categories of men in this world: those who belong to God, believing in him and serving him; and those who belong to the devil, believing his lies, and serving his purposes. There is no category of neutral people.
Internally and spiritually, you are either one or the other. You are either among the wheat, or you are among the weeds.
Some sections of the Bible teach about the ongoing, inner struggle between the old sinful nature, and the new godly nature, that reside within each Christian. When that is the topic of discussion, we would all recognize that there is still a part of the unbelieving world inside of us, that must be subdued.
But today’s text is talking about something else, and sheds light on a different conflict. It is the conflict, and the competition, between lives that have been dedicated to God, and are shaped by God’s love; and lives that are characterized, at the deepest level, by a hatred for the true God, and by a rejection of his love.
Growing side-by-side in this world, are good plants, from good seed, who in the end will be revealed to have been righteous before God; and bad plants, from bad seed, who in the end will be revealed to have been causes of sin and law-breakers.
The kind of weed that Jesus very likely has in mind in his telling of this parable, is darnel. Darnel grows in the same regions of the world where wheat is produced. And historically it has presented a problem to wheat farmers, since in its early stages of growth it looks almost just like wheat.
It is only when the ear of the plant finally emerges, that the real difference can be seen. The ear of a genuine wheat plant is brown, while the ear of a darnel plant is black.
It’s interesting to note that Roman law prohibited an individual from sowing darnel in the wheat fields of his enemy. So, there must have been at least some people who were tempted to do this, when they wanted to sabotage the crop of a competitor or rival: hence the law against it.
So, the parable that Jesus told, as an illustration of what is happening in the world on a spiritual plane, had a basis in real human experience.
When he spoke of an enemy sowing weeds among the wheat, while the farm workers were not noticing, this made sense. Literally, this might even have happened to the wheat fields of some of the people in his audience.
But at a spiritual level, it has definitely happened. The devil has planted his seed in God’s world, and his plants are growing in God’s world.
In our understanding and application of this parable, we do need to keep ourselves limited to the relatively narrow point that it seeks to make. For one thing, our understanding of ourselves as children of the kingdom should not in any way cultivate within us a spirit of pride. If you are, as it were, a wheat plant, growing in God’s field, you are what you are by God’s grace alone. You have sprouted from the seed that Christ planted. You have been sustained and nurtured in your growth by the Holy Spirit.
You did not plant yourself, or grow yourself. God is the one who made all of this happen.
And within the storyline of the parable, the wheat and the weeds are not really the “actors” in this drama. It is the farmer’s “servants” – corresponding to the Lord’s angels – who are able to see the deeper significance of what is going on, in a field where undesirable weeds are crowding out and pinching the plants that are supposed to be there.
And it is these selfsame angels who will be sent out by the Lord on the day of judgment as his reapers, when all the plants will be cut down. The “tares” will be consigned to the fire of destruction, and the “wheat” will be gathered into the Lord’s barn.
So, in the struggle that is now taking place in this world, between the children of the kingdom, and the children of the evil one, we are not fighting against the devil’s “children” directly.
Christians preach and pray against the sin of those who oppose God, even as they preach and pray against the sin that lingers in their own hearts and minds. But Christians, as Christians, do not literally raise their hand against wicked men – even when wicked men raise their hand against Christians. The sword of the Spirit – the Word of God – is our only weapon.
Literal plants growing together in a field do not engage in wrestling matches or fistfights with each other. But, their roots and leaves do push against each other as they compete for the light and water that they need to survive.
The main point of the parable, however, is not to explore the contours and characteristics of this plant-like struggle between the wheat and the weeds, as much as it is to explain that this struggle will continue until the time of harvest – that is, until judgment day.
Before its end, this world will never be purged of sin and evil. Cruelty and injustice will remain as ongoing afflictions that humanity must endure in this world, for as long as this world lasts.
Atheists often claim that the reason why they don’t believe in God, is because of the evil that exists in the world. But if you pay attention to this parable, you will not expect this world ever to be free of evil.
A literal farmer will not pull up the weeds that are growing in his field, because he knows that he would also, in the process, pull up the intended crop along with them – since the roots are all intertwined. So too, God will not root out from this world the devil’s servants, whose lives are intertwined with the lives of his own people, until judgment day.
Admittedly we do not fully understand why this has to be so. But this is what Jesus teaches us. And so in faith we accept this, and do our best, with his help, to endure – until the time of harvest.
So many children in our country are killed by abortion before birth, and are emotionally and psychologically wounded by abuse and neglect after birth. We cannot ponder this without being affected by it. Our hearts are deeply grieved at this wickedness.
This does not prove that there is no God. But in the midst of our grief, we are reminded by the parable of the wheat and the tares that the judgment of God will indeed catch up with those who perpetrate these evils against the weakest and most vulnerable members of our human family.
When we hear of Christians in other places on earth being victimized and oppressed by fanatical Muslims and Communists, even to the point of death, this likewise is not a reason to question the existence of God. This is, rather, a confirmation of what the Lord’s parable soberly tells us to expect.
And when we see many who outwardly bear the name of Christian, actually participating in, and giving their approval to, the moral depredations of our society that damage so many wounded and misguided souls – amplifying their confusion, and inflicting upon them irreparable harm – this does not mean that there is no true church, planted by Christ.
We do cry out in anguish when we see these things happening, as we try to find ways to reach out with godly compassion to the hurting and the lonely. Yet we also remember our Savior’s promises. And we sing:
The Church shall never perish! Her dear Lord – to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish – Is with her to the end.
Though there be those that hate her, false sons within her pale,
Against both foe and traitor She ever shall prevail.
The true church of Jesus Christ ever shall prevail. As the Lord of the church is risen from the dead, never to die again, so too will his church never die.
The wheat will endure until the harvest. As thick as the weeds seem to be getting, they will never choke out the good plants that sprouted from the good seed, which Jesus himself planted in this world.
Again, remember that the point of comparison of the parable is limited. The parable talks about the children of the kingdom, and the children of the evil one.
God and his angels know who is who. They can see the difference between the brown ear on the wheat, and the black ear on the darnel.
But you and I do not know. In an absolute sense, before the end of this world, you and I do not know who the Lord’s elect truly are.
You and I do not know who the hypocrites are. You and I do not know who, among the unbelievers, will repent and believe before they die.
Remember what the parable says: that it is the servants or workers – that is, the angels – who point out the weeds to the farmer. It is not the wheat that points them out. In the parable, the role and purpose of the wheat is to grow, and to be as healthy as it can be – even when the weeds are trying to squeeze it out.
In your existence as children of the kingdom of heaven, your role and purpose in this world is to grow in faith, and to be as spiritually healthy as you can be – even when you are assaulted and pressured by those in this world who are the causes of sin, and who are law-breakers.
And in Christ you will grow, and you will survive; because God will cause you to grow, and he will preserve you by his Word and Sacrament. With these words we were comforted by today’s Epistle reading from First John:
“Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him. Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him.”
We’re not talking about the symbolic imagery of the parable any more, but about the reality of who and what you are in Christ: living now in this world, with its many trials; but looking forward to the next world, where God and his people will be vindicated and blessed forever.
As Jesus has purchased and redeemed you to be his own people, by the shedding of his blood; as he has forgiven all your sins, and continually forgives them; and as he has bestowed upon you a new life, and a new hope, you will be kept strong – in his strength.
As you abide in Christ, the frightening things that come at you from this world will ultimately not unsettle your confidence in God’s goodness. The discouraging things that surround you in this world will ultimately not destroy your faith.
The sufferings of this world will ultimately not harm your soul. And the deceptions that have deluded so much of this world will ultimately not rob you of your salvation.
God’s purposes are still being carried out – through his people. God’s love is still being shown – through his people. God’s truth is still being proclaimed – through his people.
The people of God – the children of his kingdom – are still here. And they are still alive and growing. Until the end of the world, they will be here. The wheat will be here.
Someday, the struggles and conflicts, the persecutions and martyrdoms, will be over. Someday, the injustice and the evil will be brought to an end. Someday the harvest will come.
God will reveal himself to all, as the righteous judge. His wrath will be poured out on the wicked. And his approval and justification of his believing saints will be confirmed to them forever.
“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the f