Storyteller - Day 11

When I first read the Advanced Readers Cooy of Storyteller as part of Sarah Koontz's launch team, I told her how amazed I was at how much more there was to learn from these parables - stories which I've read and heard and known since childhood, and yet the Lord still had so much to show me and teach me through them.

And then, surprise, surprise - I find Him still doing it now that I'm reading through the study the second time!!

It never fails to amaze me that His Word truly is ALIVE, and it remains relevant and applicable and new, no matter how many times I read it!

Anyway, on to today's parable.

The passage of Scripture we're looking at is Matthew 13: 24 - 30 and 36 - 43, the parable of the wheat and the weeds ...

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.’” 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. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!"

When the farmer discovers that weeds have been sown in amongst his wheat seeds, he has the choice to remove the unwanted plants immediately, or wait until they are fully grown. He decides to let the weeds remain, knowing that if the weeds were uprooted now, the wheat would also be uprooted. He also knows that at harvest time it will be easier to separate the wheat from the weeds, because then it will be clear to see which is which.

This parable is a picture of how God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit grow in us while we live each day in the field that is this world.

The good seed is the “sons of the kingdom" - that is, people who live under the rule of God in their lives, who we call Believers.

The weeds are the “sons of the evil one - that is, people who, like the evil one, have placed themselves on the throne of their own lives. It's important to note that enemy's work is completely destructive. The motivating force of all his work is simply to destroy the harvest, knowing that the weeds he's plantingwill be burned in the course of his plan. He has no love for people - even those who follow him!

This parable comes with several warnings. First, to the Believers- the "good seed", the warning is to be careful of how easy it is to fit in, to be like unsaved world around us. And yet the Lord chooses not to remove us from the field, but rather He strengthens us and sanctifies us through the Holy Spirit, and He ­allows us to stand in contrast to the weeds, as we produce the crop we are intended for.

The second warning is to the unsaved - the people who are not followers of Christ. The modern world doesn’t like to hear a word like "judgment". "Judgment" implies that there are standards, laws and absolutes, which the Devil tries to convince people are old-fashioned, unnecessary restraints on their freedom. But God clearly says in His Word that a time of judgment is coming, that will deal with lawlessness and unrighteousness.

But the parable also offers God’s children encouragement to persevere in their faith. Sarah Koontz explains it well: "As Christians, God’s promises give us the courage we need to continue growing even when it seems as though the weeds are winning the war. God’s perfect plan will prevail against the plot of the evil one."

"Christ’s parable of the wheat and the weeds teaches us about God’s economy, the enemy’s strategy, and our destination." Sarah Koontz

Please feel free to comment with your thoughts and share your takeaways from today’s parable - I'd love to hear what the Father is teaching you during this study.