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In our study of the parables of Jesus, we find the next story he tells. Remember, that’s what a parable is – it’s a story along with a teaching. It’s earthly stories with heavenly meaning told for a purpose by Jesus.

Matthew 13: 24-30

Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

“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?’

“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.

“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 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.’

Okay – now what does that mean exactly? Once again a planting story to tell us more about the Kingdom of Heaven. The disciples were unsure what this meant, so they asked him. WOW – what a concept. When you don’t understand, ASK JESUS.

Really, have you done that?

What uncertainty are you facing right now? What confusing situation are you in? Where are you right now that just doesn’t make sense and you don’t know what the next right step is? You honestly don’t know the solution. You don’t know the right thing to do? You don’t know what to think or what to say. Well, there’s one place to turn for that – YOU GO TO JESUS!

Jesus, I don’t understand this – please help me to understand. Jesus, I don’t know what to do, but you tell me that YOU ARE THE WAY and I’m trusting you. Show me the next step in your way.

When the disciples ask Jesus what this parable meant, guess what happened? HE EXPLAINED IT TO THEM! Wow, just like that. They didn’t have to sit around arguing about it. They didn’t have to wander around confused and perhaps getting it wrong. They just asked Jesus!

Girl, just ask Jesus! Have you done that yet?

So, here we go – Still in Matthew 13:36-44:

Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom.

Thank you Jesus for making that clear. Thank you for helping us understand these heavenly things with this earthly story. Now, because we may be slightly removed from the experience of growing wheat today, let’s dig deeper so we really get it.

The farmer is Jesus.
The field he is working in is the world.
The good seeds he plants are his people.
The enemy is the devil.
The weeds he plants are those who reject God’s kingdom and oppose Jesus’ work.
The harvest is the end of the world.
The harvesters are the angels.
There are 2 eternal destinies:
• The fiery furnace
• The Father’s radiant Kingdom

My friends, there is evil among us. There are counterfeits all around us, sent by the enemy do to evil. There is a real spiritual battle taking place all around us. Wherever God plants truth, the enemy plants deception. Wherever God brings life, the enemy tries to sow destruction. Wherever God grows wheat, Satan tries to plant counterfeits. They were sent to destroy us, but God won’t let that happen. The work of the enemy is to destroy all God’s good work. God plants good seed, then the enemy sneaks in and sows weeds in the field. But God is wise and he will NOT allow the enemy to succeed.

So here’s what God does – he waits. Oh how patient our Lord is. He waits for the good seeds to grow. And he waits for the weeds to grow. He allows it.

It’s easy for us to question why. Why would God allow evil? Why would he permit for the enemy to be trompsing around in this field doing his nasty work? Well first, remember this, the world we live in has been given over to Satan. This is a fallen world and the prince of this world is the devil. How can he do his nasty work here – well girl, this is where he reigns. BUT ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS – his reign is temporary and he’s already been defeated!!!! He knows his destiny and it cannot be undone. Jesus promises victory!

1 John 5: 18-19, “We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.”

You and I are just passing through this world. This isn’t our home. We’re on our way to a radically different destination – the Father’s radiant Kingdom is our destiny. We are set apart, untouched by the evil one, promised at eternal paradise on the other side of this brief life in a fallen world. Will there be evil here? Yes. Will the enemy plant weeds here and cause trouble? Yes. Do we have to worry about it? Nope. We just stay close to Jesus and remain in his truth!

The farmer delays judgment because pulling up the weeds too soon would damage the wheat. His patience protects His people. Here’s what we often overlook today – There was a weed called darnel that looked EXACTLY like wheat. This weed was poisonous but you couldn’t tell the difference as it was growing. But when the wheat started producing and the darnel started producing, you could tell the difference. Until then, they looked exactly the same. It was an imitation plant bearing poison.

And yes, that’s what we have around us. Imitations. They look like what God is doing, but they’re NOT. They are planted by the enemy to bring destruction. With time, they are revealed.

What sets the wheat and the weed apart? What they produce! When the wheat grows to maturity and begins producing, then you can tell it apart from the weeds planted by the enemy. Before then, it all looks the same.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:20, “Just as you can identify a tree by it’s fruit, you can identify people by their actions.”

You know that saying, “When people show you who they are, BELIEVE THEM!” Actually, yes. We will be known by our fruit, and our lives look completely different based on if we are God’s wheat or the enemy’s weeds. Remember our study on the fruits of the Spirit? The fruit we produce when God’s Spirit lives within us: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Over time, fruit tells the story. We all have bad days, but over a lifetime, what grows out of us reveals if we are wheat or a weed.

But here’s what the wheat is not called to do. The wheat is not called to identify weeds. We are not called to police the field. We are called to do one thing – become faithful wheat! That’s it – grow, bear fruit and trust the Lord of the harvest.

In the end, God will sort this all out. That’s not our job. Our job is grow in this field and know when we’re done growing we will be gathered into the farmer’s barn. That barn is the radiant Kingdom of Heaven where we will get to shine forever. God will take care of these weeds. We don’t have to worry about them.

So today, stop looking around the field. Stop counting the weeds. Stop obsessing over who’s fake and who’s real. Stop letting evil steal your attention. The enemy would love nothing more than for God’s people to spend their lives staring at weeds instead of becoming healthy wheat.

Jesus never said, “Go inspect the field.” He said, “Follow me.” Your assignment isn’t to expose everyone else’s fruit. Your assignment is to produce your own.

Become a woman whose life is overflowing with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Let your roots grow deep in Christ. Stay planted. Stay surrendered. Stay faithful.

Have you ever noticed that healthy wheat doesn’t spend its energy competing with weeds? It simply keeps reaching for the sun. That’s our calling too. Keep reaching toward the Son. The healthier your relationship with Jesus becomes, the more fruit your life naturally produces.

There will always be weeds in this world. There will always be deception, evil, heartbreak, betrayal, and counterfeit versions of what God intended. Don’t be surprised by that. Jesus told us it would be this way. But don’t let the weeds make you question the Farmer. The Farmer hasn’t lost control. Not for one second.

He sees every seed.
He knows every counterfeit.
He misses nothing.
He never loses one stalk of wheat.
And He has already determined how the story ends.

One day the harvest will come. One day Jesus will make every wrong right. Every counterfeit will be exposed. Every injustice will be answered. Every tear will be wiped away.

And on that day, those who belong to Him “will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom.”

Can you imagine that? No more weeds. No more temptation. No more evil. No more fear. No more tears. Only the radiant Kingdom of our Father.

So until that day… Keep growing. Keep trusting. Keep producing good fruit. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

Because the field is temporary… but the harvest is forever.

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