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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, April 9, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Parable of the Weeds Bible Verse:Matthew 13:24-30 (ESV) "Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” The Parable of the Weeds Explained 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 will it 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 law-breakers, 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." Message:
Whether the parables were meant to explain the truth to those seeking it (as Matthew seems to indicate), or hide it from those who opposed Christ (as Mark emphasizes), and although they were intended for an uneducated agricultural audience 2000 years ago, we find we do not need Christ’s explanatory material for a basic understanding of the Parable of the Weeds. The fundamental meaning is fairly easy for the modern reader to grasp.
bible tares | bearded darnel
Darnel (right) and rye (left)
at maturity.
Some historical and cultural background adds interest to the story. There is a weed common in Canaan, bearded darnel, that is both noxious (not deadly, but bitter-tasting and inducing nausea and dizziness) and difficult to distinguish from wheat until it is mature. Malicious competitors or enemies would actually sow darnel seed in another farmer’s wheat fields to sabotage him. Because the immature plant looks like wheat, the farmer would have to let it mature; and because it was poisonous, he would have to remove and burn it before harvesting the wheat.
This practice was common enough that Rome had a written statute outlawing the sowing of bearded darnel in wheat (and barley) fields and providing criminal penalties for doing it.
The longer we look at the parable, the more lessons we may take from it:
There is an active enemy who seeks to destroy Christ’s Word. We should not look at the Bible as an auxiliary in a neutral world. Life is not God-neutral; it is rather a battlefield. If one does not actively seek salvation, the enemy will attack and destroy him.
The parable contains the idea of deceptive appearances. A good person and an evil one might look just alike. “By their fruits you shall know them” is interpreted literally in the parable.
Perhaps the greatest lesson is patience and withholding judgment. If the Lord cannot or will not judge between wheat and tares until the harvest, it makes our refusal to pass judgment even more important. Notice that one reason darnel is not removed from wheat fields until the harvest is that its roots become entangled with the wheat. If a farmer tries to weed his field of it, he will destroy productive wheat. Some of those who are meant to be saved, without doubt, lead early lives of terrible sin. Consider Paul of Tarsus!
Judgment does, however, come. The weeds flourish and prosper during the summer, as much as the wheat. But one day the time for harvest arrives, and the angels of God separate it and burn it.
Meditation : Prayer : If you are with me, O God, who can be against me? For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus my Lord........Amen |
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