So we're going to read two parts of chapter 13 from verse 24 to verse 30 and then verse 36 to 43.
He put another parable before them saying,
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him,
Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?
He said to them, An enemy has done this.
So the servants said to him, Then do you want us to go and gather them?
But he said, No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat amongst them.
Let both grow together until the harvest and at harvest time I will tell the reapers,
Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned.
But gather the wheat into my barn.
Verse 36.
Then he left the crowds and went into the house, and his disciples came to him saying,
Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.
He answered, The one who sows the good seed is the son of man.
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom.
The weeds are the sons 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 gathered and burned with fire, so it will be at the end 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 lawbreakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace.
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father.
He who has ears, let him hear.
Amen.
Well, good morning, everyone.
It really is a privilege to be up here and open the word with you all this morning.
This is week two of our five-week series where we have some of the lay members of the congregation
preaching through the various parables that Jesus was teaching us in Matthew.
And we do enjoy a lot of really good teaching here, don't we?
Good times in the word, and we have many capable teachers across our congregation.
And it's really a blessing to spend time each week opening God's word together and considering it.
A series like this is really quite helpful to have five different preachers,
because we're looking at five distinct and different aspects of the one kingdom.
As Jesus has told different parables to kind of turn the diamond in our hands
and shine the light in a different way and highlight a different aspect of this glorious kingdom that's coming to be.
And these are key aspects.
That's why Jesus gave us these parables and why Matthew so faithfully recorded them for us.
We enjoy that privilege position of being able to gather and look back,
learn from our great Lord and just marvel at our God and creator.
But life is still hard, isn't it?
It seems we find ourselves having to struggle to hold to biblical values
against the current of society that's trying to get further and further away.
Autonomy is now such a part of our society and an individual's rights
that even the concept that we might live our lives by an external moral standard
has become deeply offensive to people.
And it's hard to see that changing any time soon.
If Jesus' resurrection really did triumphantly usher in a new kingdom,
how do we orient ourselves in a society turning away from his teachings?
Why do we feel the pain of friendship strained?
At the least the weight of those awkward silences, judgmental silences.
And at the more extreme end, close family ties broken
just for trying to negotiate with integrity, living who we are now in Christ.
Well, this morning, we're going to see just how much our God cares for us,
even as we await the perfection of his kingdom to be realised in full.
We're now residents of that kingdom,
living in aliens amongst the brokenness we see in this world,
from morning to evening, day in, day out.
So this week we're following on from Matt last week.
It's important to remember, though, that this is a distinct parable.
We're again using a farming story, a farming metaphor,
to help us understand the kingdom in a tangible sense.
But we need to be really careful this morning
not to bring the four soils into the wheat paddy.
Rather, this is a separate story
with a separate aspect of the kingdom that we need to learn.
It's going to be a particular challenge for us this week
because this parable of the wheat is only in the Gospel of Matthew,
so it's a lot less familiar to us
than some of the other parables that pop up
in multiple Gospels and different accounts.
But like with the four soils,
as we're looking at this aspect of the kingdom
through a farming analogy,
we're fortunate that when Jesus' fishermen and disciples
confused came and sought him out in private later,
he explained it all again.
So we've got not just the parable,
but this detailed explanation to fishermen
of what was going on with this agricultural parable.
And we're going to benefit immensely
from having it spelt out in the second telling as well.
So although there are dangers in misunderstanding parables,
at their core parables are stories,
and stories are a very powerful way of communicating to us.
They teach us an understanding at a different level
to just a list of facts.
If I were to ask you,
what does it mean to be an Australian?
I doubt that you would proceed to rattle off the Constitution
or sing me a rousing rendition of the National Anthem.
It's far more likely you would tell me the story of the Anzacs
or waltzing Matilda
or the latest exploits of one of our many national sporting teams.
These stories just resonate in a different way
to a list of facts.
And so it is with parables.
But as Matt helpfully highlighted for us last week,
we need to do the legwork
to make sure we're understanding what Jesus intended for us.
And we're going to do that together this morning.
So if you'd like to open up your Bible to Matthew 13, verse 24,
you can follow along in the text as we walk through it.
And we'll start here with a clear identification
that it is a parable,
and specifically it's a parable about the kingdom of heaven.
A man, who will later be identified to represent Jesus himself,
sows good seed in the field.
Then an enemy deceptively sows weeds amongst the wheat that was planted.
And already we've come across one of the traps of parables.
There are lots of details included in a parable.
Some of those are there to teach us,
and some of the other details are just there to facilitate the story.
I like to think of the movie The Lion King.
It's the story of young Simba growing up in a pride of lions.
He has an evil uncle, Scar, and a good father, Mufasa.
Now if we think about the lionesses,
there's his mum, his friend, Nala, and his friend's mum,
and then, well, a lot of other ones.
They're integral to the story.
You can't be a lion and have a pride of lions
without there being a lot of lionesses.
But while they're in the key events of the story,
we don't even know their names.
They really don't add, and they kind of blur into the background.
Here, in this parable, the men being asleep
while the devil sows the weeds is like the lionesses.
It's a key part of the story.
It's important for it to function,
but it's not the key teaching point.
We can be confident that it's not the key teaching point
because Jesus runs through the disciples explicitly,
and this isn't what the parable is about.
What does unfold, though, seems to us really weird, doesn't it?
Sowing a weed amongst the wheat just seems like a very odd thing to do.
But it actually would have been quite identifiable and relatable
for the audience at the time.
In fact, under Roman law,
to sow a weed, this particular weed called Darnell,
among wheat of someone as an act of revenge,
is actually a specific criminal crime
with a code and punishment assigned.
Darnell itself is a plant that's related to wheat,
and as it grows, it looks just like wheat
until the head of the grain starts to form.
And if you look at verse 26,
when it's talking about produced grain,
that's really what it's talking about.
It's when the head of the grain starts to form,
you can tell that the wheat is different to the weeds.
The young wheat looks pretty much the same.
But now we can distinguish between the two,
and it becomes obvious to the helpers
that there are weeds in this paddock
that up to that point it just look like wheat.
Again, it's not a major thing.
It's just another detail that we need to understand
to get the story to progress
without it being the point of the story.
So the servants, who are identified as angels,
and when Jesus explains it in full,
now see what's going on.
There's wheat and weeds in this paddock.
And they go to their master confused.
What are the weeds doing here?
Surely this isn't looking like the kingdom
that Jesus has been talking about.
This isn't the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven,
as he taught his disciples to pray in chapter 6.
Weeds surely are contrary to God's good character.
But once they raise the issue,
you see, the situation is not a surprise to Jesus.
He's across it.
He knows that the weeds are there
and where they've come from.
And he can answer all of their questions
while affirming that indeed they're not true to his character,
they're not from him.
An enemy has planted the weeds amongst the good seed.
Naturally, the angels want to sort it out right now.
Let's pull out the weeds.
But no, Jesus is across it.
If that's what he wanted,
he would have had it done already.
He is in complete control of the situation.
Notice the care for his church,
as he's not willing to risk uprooting the wheat
in the process of removing the weeds.
Let both grow together, he declares in verse 30.
Let both grow together until the harvest.
Jesus isn't going to let this abomination stand.
It will be addressed.
But not yet.
He's going to address it in such a way
that is of no risk to his people.
To feel the full weight of the significance of these statements,
we need to consider where Jesus is in time
as he describes these events.
Jesus is teaching these parables
on the cusp of his kingdom being realised.
The book of Matthew is rapidly approaching
Jesus' death and resurrection.
But this is before.
This is a parable of prophecy.
It's describing the people,
and most particularly to his disciples,
how things are going to be.
And it's quite confronting for a Jewish audience
who are looking for a Messiah to come
and overturn the Romans,
restore the natural order of things
with the kingdom of Israel
being a kingdom here on earth
right then and there.
Like the angels,
we're also confused by this description.
If Jesus' triumph is at the cross,
if his victory is displayed
and sealed at the resurrection,
then surely we should be looking forward
to a world without tears
where every eye has been dried.
A world of peace
where man is free to serve God faithfully.
We're sitting the other side
of the death and resurrection, aren't we?
Looking back,
we know that's not the world the disciples will see.
Indeed,
indeed,
under Jesus' kingship,
most of them will be executed
for following him,
following the risen king
in a world that is still in open rebellion.
And it's that same period of time
we find ourselves in.
Looking back,
our hope is secured
in the victory of the resurrection.
But the world is still not one of peace.
This is not all that we've been promised in Christ,
is it?
If we're honest,
the last few years have rattled
much of our sense of security and prosperity,
even in a relatively sheltered
and protected Australia.
We don't even need to consider
world-scale events
like pandemics and wars
that have ravaged
this perceived security
in the past couple of years.
We feel the consequence
of living amongst the weeds
every day.
Weeds tend to grow really well.
That's one of the things
that makes them weeds.
And they grow particularly well
even when the plants
are finding it difficult.
Perhaps lockdowns and uncertainty
have peeled back the veneer
that we paint over our life.
And reality is jarring
once it's gone.
The effects of the corruption of sin
mar each of our relationships.
The ultimate expression of this,
where we see it most clearly,
is in death.
We've all felt
the deep unnaturalness
of that permanent separation
that's an inherent part
of our lives, isn't it?
Indeed, it's the ultimate fate
of each of our
worldly relationships.
We're familiar
with the pain of things
that we wish we said
while they were still here.
Or other things
that we did say
that we can now
never take back.
It hurts terribly.
This is not
a peaceful kingdom.
Our lives are not
a place of rest
but of weariness.
Is this really
the kingdom to come
that Jesus was teaching
his disciples
and the crowds
to look forward to,
to aspire for?
No.
The story doesn't end
with the wheat
and the weeds
intermingled in the field
indefinitely.
Look at verse 30.
At harvest time,
I'll tell the reapers,
gather the weeds first
and tie them in bundles
to burn them
but collect the wheat
in my barn.
That's the toned down
version that the crowd got.
Let's look at verse 41
which is the detailed
explanation for the disciples.
The Son of Man
will send out his angels
and they will gather
from his kingdom
all who cause sin
and those guilty
of lawlessness.
That's the weeds.
They will throw them
into the blazing furnace
where there will be
weeping and gnashing
of teeth.
Then,
the righteous
will shine like the sun
in their father's kingdom.
Let anyone who has ears
listen.
It's a remarkably
similar description
to that later used
by Matthew
of Jesus himself
in the transfiguration.
Chapter 17,
verse 2.
He was transfigured
before them
and his face
shone like the sun
and his clothes
became white as light.
It's an appearance
that bears witness
to his status
and the father's approval.
verse 5.
This is my beloved son
with whom
I am well pleased.
Listen to him.
In Christ,
we now share
this status as co-heirs.
In Christ,
we are
and will be
righteous.
That is the punch
of this parable.
There is more
to come.
It is a lofty reward
and we're to look forward
to it
while we're in the field.
What is to come
is our frame of reference,
if you will.
We can endure
the impact of the weeds
for now,
safe in the confidence
that their time
is limited.
They will answer
for their actions.
More importantly,
we will be recognised
as who we now are,
righteous in Christ
and we'll enjoy
that righteousness
with him.
We know
that the weeds
endure now
only for our own safety,
that we would be damaged
if they were to be removed.
Behind the harshness
that we endure
in this kingdom
that has come now
but is still not yet,
we know
that a deeper love
is being expressed
by a God
who is
absolutely righteous
and even more offended
than we are,
but his hand
is stayed
for our ultimate good.
We will make it
to the harvest
if we endure it in him.
Once a crop is planted,
it's on a trajectory
to yield a harvest.
It's not a perennial plant
that will enjoy
the beauty of
year after year
after year.
It's not a fruit tree
that will return to
for nourishment
again and again.
A crop
is on a single track.
It will grow
for a short season.
It will produce a yield.
It is not pretty
it is purposeful.
It is terminal.
And so we are called
to live a life
in face of this reality.
To live in the kingdom now
but in anticipation
of the fulfilment
of this kingdom
which is still to come.
We're not called
to believe in this
with a blind faith
but we are called
to have faith
in this truth
of the reality
that we live in.
Others cannot see it
but that doesn't
make it less true.
And some here this morning
are not going to find
much comfort here.
Jesus taught
on hell frequently
and in this parable
we again
see no apology
for its reality.
The matter of fact
fire
in the initial rendition
is further expanded
as being thrown
into a blazing furnace
where there will be
weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
These images
piled upon images
to describe the horror
of the consequence
while at the same time
assure of the reality
and the sufficiency
of justice.
It will be realised
and it will
fit the crime
absolutely.
There's no room left
for the audience
to take this current world
in our current situation
where the weeds
grow in the field
alongside the wheat
as in any way
an approval
or a dilution
of God's holy character.
In fact
the description
of the weeds
in verse 41
as a causer of sin
or a lawbreaker
puts an emphasis
not just on the consequences
of failing
to accept Jesus
as the Lord
and King of this world
and indeed ourselves
but
the judgement
that's stored up
as they cause
others to sin
and tempt the wheat
away from their Lord
in the field.
John Piper once quipped
that in this world
only people
will last forever.
The importance
of people
and the significance
of harming others
by tempting them
into sin
is met with this
really sombre
warning.
The severity
shows up
in the severity
of the judgement
that fits with it.
but the severity
of this judgement
at the same time
amplifies love
showing to his people
not just their
hardships of the world
will be corrected
but he died
in their place
so that they are
righteous
and spared
from this fate
in his name.
If you are here
this morning
and you're hearing
about this
without having
accepted Jesus
as your Lord
and Saviour
you really do need
to consider why
the stakes
couldn't be higher
in a story
about wheat
and weeds
the division
couldn't be greater
what grounds
do you have
to disagree
with this truth
to turn away
from life
while it is
freely offered
to you.
Many
have wrestled
and earnestly
wrestled
with how a good
God could be
comfortable
with this messed
up world
that we live in.
Many have stumbled
here convinced
that the nature
of this world
means that either
God isn't good
or he isn't
powerful enough
to do anything
about it
so it's not
worth following.
Here we can see
that Jesus
saw this problem
coming
this parable
is a loving
explanation
that God
is very concerned
with the mess
of his world
and he's very much
capable of sorting
out that mess
but there is a bigger
concern in play
his love
for his people
so he puts us
above his own
righteous prerogative
for justice
that all
who trust in him
will not be damaged
when those
who have rejected him
and led others
away from his ways
are thrown into
the fire.
The harvest
is coming.
Repent
and believe
the good news
while the door
remains open
to you.
Of course
many of us
here have put
our faith
in Christ
and for us
there is great
comfort
here and now
if only we
would take it.
there is great
hope
and security
for the weak
loved
tended by Christ
intended
for his barn
but if we're honest
often what we really want
is a more immediate
satisfaction.
It is a relatively
easy choice
between the barn
and the fire.
We clearly want to be
in the barn
at the end
of all things.
we accept
Jesus as our
Lord
day to day.
If I were to ask you
for three aspirations
for your future
we'd probably all
have fairly
similar answers
depending on our
stage of life.
It might be
to finish school
and move out
from home.
It might be
to find a wife
or a husband
to have kids
to buy a comfortable
house
for our kids
to finish school
and move out
from home.
We might want
to have a secure
job
to achieve
recognition
in our profession
in one way
or another.
We might want
to travel
to a particular
place
or experience
a particular
event.
All are good
things
blessings from
our Lord
to be enjoyed
and even relished
in our freedom
in Christ.
All are expressions
of who he has
made each one
of us.
But if I asked
that simple
question
how many
of us
would list
to be with
Jesus
in heaven?
If I'm honest
I don't think
that answer
would come
to mind
in time
to make
my list
of three
life ambitions.
I believe
it.
I hope
for it.
But it
doesn't define
the way I see
the world
and the way
it ought to.
We miss
the hope
that is ours
in this fallen
world
when we look
to the world
to deliver us
the satisfaction
and peace
that will only
come to us
when we are
reunited in
Christ.
Our problem
is our
perspective.
Our reality
is that in
our earthly
futures
every good
thing we
enjoy
and will
enjoy
and that
we have
to look
forward to
pale
when compared
to our
future home
in the
kingdom of
our
Father.
But we
tend to
look to
bring every
little
pleasure
out of
every little
thing
far more
than we
look forward
in
anticipation
of reaching
our true
and intended
home.
And in
doing so
every
disappointment
in this
life
is felt
way more
heavily
than it
is on
the scale
of reality.
Living
our days
amongst
the weeds
is going
to be
difficult.
We should
expect
constant
disappointment.
If this
is where
our hope
is,
this life,
we're always
going to be
let down.
you can
see the
angels
immediate
and almost
reflex
reaction.
It's quite
telling.
They just
want to get
rid of the
weeds
straight away
to fix
the problem
now.
But Jesus
is explaining
to his
disciples
and to
us.
He has
a better
plan,
a bigger
plan.
He uses
a parable.
We're not
privy to all
the details,
but we do
know that he
is acting
here in
love for
us.
The
darnel
plants we
talked about
earlier grow
so closely to
the wheat that
their roots
intermingle.
To pull one
out is to
pull out the
wheat.
To remove
the weeds
now is too
high a price.
Living with
the weeds is
the better
option than
having them
torn out,
which would
inevitably hurt
many of his
people.
But there is
never a moment
of uncertainty
here.
The harvest
is coming.
Why do
we find it
so hard to
live as
if this
were true?
Why do
we find
ourselves
forgetting
this ultimate
good so
quickly in
our day-to-day
lives?
Jesus
ends the
explanation to
the disciples
with a
familiar
refrain,
let anyone
who has
ears listen.
Ultimately,
our singular
main hope,
our central
joy in
life,
ought to
stem from
our status
that is
now
redefined
in
Christ.
We are
wheat and
not
weeds.
Let
anyone who
has ears
listen.
But we're
really good
at forgetting
that.
We stop
listening.
Or rather,
we allow
ourselves to
listen to
something else.
Every day,
there's ads
splashed across
our phones and
TV.
They lie to
us,
selling that
true meaning,
deep
satisfaction,
is to be
found in
a better
holiday,
a new
gadget,
or looking
a certain
way.
Our
non-Christian,
and indeed
often our
Christian friends
and family,
sell their
pursuit of
happiness in
these things.
They slash
it across
Instagram and
Facebook and
discuss it
around the
lunch table
at work.
And over
time, we
let our
guard down.
We buy
into it.
Not all at
once.
Just a little
bit here,
a little bit
of that there.
Brothers and
sisters,
let's be
true friends
to each
other.
Constantly
reminding
each other,
praying for
each other,
pushing each
other into
the word,
to listen to
Christ and
remember the
truth.
This is not
our home.
We have
something so
much greater
to look forward
to.
Moss and
rust cannot
hurt anything
that offers
actual
satisfaction.
More than
this, our
loving Saviour
knows what is
our experience.
He allows
it only
because it
is taking
us directly
down the
path to
something
greater.
Don't let
each other
forget where
we are
headed.
Don't
replace that
ambition with
the desire for
lesser things.
Our hope is
our place in
the barn, and
our place in
the barn is
locked in,
held secure
by Christ.
It is there
that we will
enjoy peace and
righteousness,
forever.
Thank you.