The Wheat, The Weeds, & The Warning – The Warning

 This is a continuation of the previous 2 posts.  Please read The Wheat and then The Weeds before reading this post.  Thank you.

III.                  The Warning

Once again, how could something like this happen?  How could bad seed be sown in a good field?  Obviously, this was not the Sower’s plan.  This was not what He wanted.  What possible conditions could there be in which this terrible thing could happen?

 Matthew 13:25  But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

I believe that we, as Christians, are two elements in this parable.  We are the good seed, planted to bring forth fruit and bring glory to God.  We are also the servants of the Sower.  Remember the Sower is the Son of Man.  It is the central focus of my life to be a servant of the Sower.

That said, we know that the Sower never slumbers or sleeps.  It was “…while men slept…” that the enemy came and sowed bad seed among the good.  The enemy will always try to stifle fruitfulness among the good seed.  In other words, he will try to keep the good seed from taking root and growing according to God’s plan.  He will try to cultivate the tares in such a manner that they will overtake and choke out the good seed.

 Matthew 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Another thing that we need to consider is the reaction of the servants.  It’s interesting that they didn’t even realize that there were weeds among the wheat until the plants started sprouting and appearing in the field.  Remember they were asleep when the tares were planted.

And then, when they noticed the weeds, they were quick to try to pin blame on the Sower.

 Matthew 13:26-27  But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

Can you hear their accusation?  “Sir, did you use bad seed?”  It couldn’t have been their fault.  It has to be the Sower’s fault.

Can you hear our accusation?  “Lord, look at the world around us.  There are tares growing right in the middle of the church.  People are not receptive to the message of the gospel anymore.  Lord, we’ve done all we know to do and it’s not working.  Master, did You use good seed?  We know we shouldn’t ask such questions and we know the right and obvious answer to that question and yet we ask it.

We may not ask it out loud, but we ask it in our private thoughts.  We ask it when we are having a pity party in our prayer time.  We ask it to soothe our conscience.  There must be something wrong with the seed if the harvest is not what we think it ought to be.

 The truth is: while we, the church, slept, the enemy has sown tares among the wheat.  A nation that was founded on the truth of God’s Word has become a post-Christian nation.  We have allowed our government to remove God from every corner of the public arena.  And we wring our hands and reminisce about how things use to be in the church and wonder if they can ever be the same again.  But we are so reluctant to let any of the blame fall on our shoulders.

 The next response of the workers was to take matters into their own hands.  Sir, we will fix your problem.  We will gather the weeds and get rid of them right now.  We’ve got this covered.

God did not place us in this world to get everyone to live the way we think they ought to live.  God didn’t save us or bring us to this place so that we would weed His garden.  He planted us here to bear fruit.

The Sower told the servants to let the wheat and the tares grow together and wait until the harvest.  Then things will be sorted out in a manner that will be just and righteous.

Matthew 13:39-42  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

The end of the world, as we know it, is coming.  I believe the signs of the times are pointing to the imminent return of the Lord.  That will be the time of the harvest.  That will be when the weeds will be gathered together and separated from the wheat.  The weeds will be cast into a lake that is burning with fire and brimstone.

This is a warning that we need to share near and far.  What a sobering thought that those who are lost today may very soon be lost forever.  Heaven and hell are not just theoretical places.  They are not a fairy tale created by man’s imagination.  Oh sinner, please hear and heed the warning of the Sower.  Don’t wait until it is too late.  Oh Christian, please hear and heed the warning of the Sower.  There are so many souls lost and dying without any hope.

I need to point out one more thing.  After the sorting and after the tares are burned, we see the outcome of the good seed.  We get a glimpse of the completion of God’s purpose for our lives.

Matthew 13:43  Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

You may have all the ritual and formality figured out and know all of the right things to say.  But if you don’t belong completely to Christ, you have been planted among the wheat by the enemy.  Your future is an eternity in the Lake of Fire.  That’s not a very pleasant thought.

However, if you will surrender completely and give God your all, He will make a trade with you.  He will take away the promise of an eternity in hell and give you the promise that you will one day shine like the sun in the Kingdom of Heaven.  That’s a trade that you cannot afford to resist.