Rev. Dustin ParkerParable of the Weeds
Concordia Lutheran Church
July 17, 2011, Pentecost 5
Don’t Worry about the Weeds..
Matt 13: 24-30, 36-43
† IN JESUS NAME †
As we rejoice in His grace and mercy, may we follow our Master’s direction, knowing that all is taken care of in His wisdom!
His ways are different than ours!
Does the explanation of the parable we heard a few moments ago bother you?
It causes me some concern, until I spend some time with it.
It seems odd to me, against all logic, that the angels of God cannot be trusted to carefully eradicate the weeds that proliferate through the fields, that they cannot remove those who are evil, leaving the good wheat.
Why don’t they know? I understand that there may be some cases where it is a close call, but can’t even we mere mortals determine which people in the world, and even in the church are the healthy, fruit bearing weeds, and which ones are the evil weeds. These weeds take in all the good things in life, but do not produce anything but poison, as these weeds, called darnel do.
I mean, we can determine which people are God’s children, and which are the children of Satan – in most cases – right?
The more time I look at this parable, the more time I realize the love and care and tenderness of God.
For sometimes, I probably appear more like the weeds than the wheat. Some of you might understand that.
Praise God it is not by my standards I am judged. We have a God who really sees, who really knows, and is patient to wait until the harvest!
The Temptation to Sift the Church, or the World
The problem is – you don’t know until the harvest.
We heard a couple of weeks ago, that the God’s thoughts are different than our thoughts, that His ways are higher than our ways. I think we really see this here, in this passage.
As we look at all these parables and prophecies about the growth of the Kingdom, it is easy to get into a mode where we believe we are the workers in the field, entrusted with maintaining the field. Logically, there is only so much room in a field, there are so many nutrients in the soil, and there is a tendency to wonder about those who waste those nutrients and as far as we can see, bear no fruit. Our culture, our thoughts would be that if we remove what appears to be the straw, we can care better for those who really appreciate the message, who will bear fruit.
I completely understand the angels desire. Let’s get rid of those weeds! Let’s focus on ministering to those who will grow, who will respond in a way that works in our view, our logic,
That’s the world’s way – it is not God’s way. And the stakes are higher than we realize – for the weeds are going to hell. This isn’t like children deciding who gets to be in the super secret neighborhood club – we aren’t talking about who gets into Concordia or any other church. We are talking about who is welcomed in heaven, or who is sent to hell.
Deciding that, when the wheat and the weeds look so similar, is a decision way above my paygrade. In Sunday School – we’ll see it is even above Paul’s paygrade, Paul doesn’t even want to make the decision about himself.
So then, if we can’t decide who are the wheat, and who are the weeds, how do we decide whom to minister, whom we will invest our time and talents, serving them and sharing with them the word of God?
Real Ministry is no different to the Tares or the Wheat!
It’s still about Law that Convicts
It’s still about Jesus and Deliverance
It’s still about Examining ourselves and receiving cleansing
It’s still about pointing people to hope, and seeing that which blocks them removed.
If we are not to uproot the weeds, because we do not know who truly is a weed or wheat in God’s judgment, how does that effect how we effectively minister? To put it more bluntly, do we really serve those around us who we think are unbelievers differently than those who we think are pretty solid Christians?
Maybe a 19th century hymn will help…
I love to tell the story
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it like the rest
And when in scenes of glory
I sing the new new song
'Twill be the old old story
That I have loved so long
I love to tell the story
'Twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old old story
Of Jesus and His love
Basically, the ministry of the church, the ministry of God’s word, and the way it works, is identical – whether it is to the wheat or the weeds.
That story of Christ’s love is what we all hunger and thirst for, whether we realize it, or needed to be reminded by the law of that hunger and thirst for righteousness.
The ministry of the law remains the same, though its use may be different. When we talk about the first, second and third use of the law, it is the same law, the same sins are confronted, the same guilt and shame revealed. The same burden is created by sin, whether in the believer, the one who will become a believer, or the weeds in the world. That sin is perhaps hidden until the law reveals it, even so it afflicts our hearts and minds, stealing the peace that God created us to live in.
But even as the Law remains the same, so does the message of the gospel, the glorious news that God took the punishment we deserved for our sin, and poured that out on His only begotten Son. Because of Christ delivering those who trust him from sin, we know that we are declared righteous children, a people He has made for His own possession. That is a message to many we might think are tares need to hear, they don’t know of God’s love – they often have only heard or considered Him as the one who condemns all sin and all sinners. They don’t know of the love that patiently waited to send Jesus, that patiently waits for them to hear, to be brought to life as the Holy Spirit plants God’s word
It doesn’t matter who we are – we still deal with, and are impacted by sin each and every day, and each and every day we must realize that God is there, ready to cleanse us, ready to minister to us, ready to prove His love and His faithfulness to us. Why do you think God has Paul advise us to examine ourselves prior to coming to the altar? To have us prove our faithfulness, or realize how much we need His comfort, and the assurance of His love, to hear again that which divided us from Him, and from each other has been torn asunder in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross?
How can we claim we know when someone is past hope? Yes there are times were a church must/can discipline a person, that they realize the need for God’s love and forgiveness – but that is not the same as giving up on them. That requires more work, and more dependence on God’s love – even more trust in God. There are times when someone walks away, mad at God, or struggling with doubt. While we cannot force them back in the door, that door remains open, the hope of reconciliation always available.
Those doors have to remain open to those who would come here looking for hope, to those coming here looking for grace, to those looking for love.
It’s still about Christ being proclaimed to a lost and broken world
Paul’s quote
It is the ministry of our Master, our Lord Jesus CHist that makes all the difference. Remember the words prophesied about His ministry, 20 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause [righteousness] ( Justice in the NLT) to be victorious. 21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.” (Matthew 12:20-21 (NLT))
If there is hope for us, who once were thought to be the weeds, who people have wondered about the fruit of, it can only be found in the name by which we have been claimed. The name of a master who says, it is never over until it is over, a God who tells even his angels hands off, let’s be patience and see if this one, or that one comes to repentance, even as He sends His message to planted in them, through those He has called to do that very work.
So as you look around, as you see those the world has written off, realize that they may be those God would gladly call His own, even as you have been called His own. Even though they may be written off as weeds, God knows what He has called them too, even as He knows He will need to deliver them, as He did us. Tell them why you praise a God who loves that deeply, who cleansed you that completely, who declares you righteous.
Trust God, that He will know whether they are weeds or wheat. He know whether they will come alive by the power of the Holy Spirit as He calls and declares them righteous and holy. Trust in His cleansing, in His nurturing them, even as He does it, through His church that He has sent to bring His message of redemption to the world!
As Jesus guards your hearts and minds, secured in Him through baptism, secured in His peace!
AMEN
July 17, 2011, Pentecost 5
Don’t Worry about the Weeds..
Matt 13: 24-30, 36-43
† IN JESUS NAME †
As we rejoice in His grace and mercy, may we follow our Master’s direction, knowing that all is taken care of in His wisdom!
His ways are different than ours!
Does the explanation of the parable we heard a few moments ago bother you?
It causes me some concern, until I spend some time with it.
It seems odd to me, against all logic, that the angels of God cannot be trusted to carefully eradicate the weeds that proliferate through the fields, that they cannot remove those who are evil, leaving the good wheat.
Why don’t they know? I understand that there may be some cases where it is a close call, but can’t even we mere mortals determine which people in the world, and even in the church are the healthy, fruit bearing weeds, and which ones are the evil weeds. These weeds take in all the good things in life, but do not produce anything but poison, as these weeds, called darnel do.
I mean, we can determine which people are God’s children, and which are the children of Satan – in most cases – right?
The more time I look at this parable, the more time I realize the love and care and tenderness of God.
For sometimes, I probably appear more like the weeds than the wheat. Some of you might understand that.
Praise God it is not by my standards I am judged. We have a God who really sees, who really knows, and is patient to wait until the harvest!
The Temptation to Sift the Church, or the World
The problem is – you don’t know until the harvest.
We heard a couple of weeks ago, that the God’s thoughts are different than our thoughts, that His ways are higher than our ways. I think we really see this here, in this passage.
As we look at all these parables and prophecies about the growth of the Kingdom, it is easy to get into a mode where we believe we are the workers in the field, entrusted with maintaining the field. Logically, there is only so much room in a field, there are so many nutrients in the soil, and there is a tendency to wonder about those who waste those nutrients and as far as we can see, bear no fruit. Our culture, our thoughts would be that if we remove what appears to be the straw, we can care better for those who really appreciate the message, who will bear fruit.
I completely understand the angels desire. Let’s get rid of those weeds! Let’s focus on ministering to those who will grow, who will respond in a way that works in our view, our logic,
That’s the world’s way – it is not God’s way. And the stakes are higher than we realize – for the weeds are going to hell. This isn’t like children deciding who gets to be in the super secret neighborhood club – we aren’t talking about who gets into Concordia or any other church. We are talking about who is welcomed in heaven, or who is sent to hell.
Deciding that, when the wheat and the weeds look so similar, is a decision way above my paygrade. In Sunday School – we’ll see it is even above Paul’s paygrade, Paul doesn’t even want to make the decision about himself.
So then, if we can’t decide who are the wheat, and who are the weeds, how do we decide whom to minister, whom we will invest our time and talents, serving them and sharing with them the word of God?
Real Ministry is no different to the Tares or the Wheat!
It’s still about Law that Convicts
It’s still about Jesus and Deliverance
It’s still about Examining ourselves and receiving cleansing
It’s still about pointing people to hope, and seeing that which blocks them removed.
If we are not to uproot the weeds, because we do not know who truly is a weed or wheat in God’s judgment, how does that effect how we effectively minister? To put it more bluntly, do we really serve those around us who we think are unbelievers differently than those who we think are pretty solid Christians?
Maybe a 19th century hymn will help…
I love to tell the story
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it like the rest
And when in scenes of glory
I sing the new new song
'Twill be the old old story
That I have loved so long
I love to tell the story
'Twill be my theme in glory
To tell the old old story
Of Jesus and His love
Basically, the ministry of the church, the ministry of God’s word, and the way it works, is identical – whether it is to the wheat or the weeds.
That story of Christ’s love is what we all hunger and thirst for, whether we realize it, or needed to be reminded by the law of that hunger and thirst for righteousness.
The ministry of the law remains the same, though its use may be different. When we talk about the first, second and third use of the law, it is the same law, the same sins are confronted, the same guilt and shame revealed. The same burden is created by sin, whether in the believer, the one who will become a believer, or the weeds in the world. That sin is perhaps hidden until the law reveals it, even so it afflicts our hearts and minds, stealing the peace that God created us to live in.
But even as the Law remains the same, so does the message of the gospel, the glorious news that God took the punishment we deserved for our sin, and poured that out on His only begotten Son. Because of Christ delivering those who trust him from sin, we know that we are declared righteous children, a people He has made for His own possession. That is a message to many we might think are tares need to hear, they don’t know of God’s love – they often have only heard or considered Him as the one who condemns all sin and all sinners. They don’t know of the love that patiently waited to send Jesus, that patiently waits for them to hear, to be brought to life as the Holy Spirit plants God’s word
It doesn’t matter who we are – we still deal with, and are impacted by sin each and every day, and each and every day we must realize that God is there, ready to cleanse us, ready to minister to us, ready to prove His love and His faithfulness to us. Why do you think God has Paul advise us to examine ourselves prior to coming to the altar? To have us prove our faithfulness, or realize how much we need His comfort, and the assurance of His love, to hear again that which divided us from Him, and from each other has been torn asunder in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross?
How can we claim we know when someone is past hope? Yes there are times were a church must/can discipline a person, that they realize the need for God’s love and forgiveness – but that is not the same as giving up on them. That requires more work, and more dependence on God’s love – even more trust in God. There are times when someone walks away, mad at God, or struggling with doubt. While we cannot force them back in the door, that door remains open, the hope of reconciliation always available.
Those doors have to remain open to those who would come here looking for hope, to those coming here looking for grace, to those looking for love.
It’s still about Christ being proclaimed to a lost and broken world
Paul’s quote
It is the ministry of our Master, our Lord Jesus CHist that makes all the difference. Remember the words prophesied about His ministry, 20 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause [righteousness] ( Justice in the NLT) to be victorious. 21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.” (Matthew 12:20-21 (NLT))
If there is hope for us, who once were thought to be the weeds, who people have wondered about the fruit of, it can only be found in the name by which we have been claimed. The name of a master who says, it is never over until it is over, a God who tells even his angels hands off, let’s be patience and see if this one, or that one comes to repentance, even as He sends His message to planted in them, through those He has called to do that very work.
So as you look around, as you see those the world has written off, realize that they may be those God would gladly call His own, even as you have been called His own. Even though they may be written off as weeds, God knows what He has called them too, even as He knows He will need to deliver them, as He did us. Tell them why you praise a God who loves that deeply, who cleansed you that completely, who declares you righteous.
Trust God, that He will know whether they are weeds or wheat. He know whether they will come alive by the power of the Holy Spirit as He calls and declares them righteous and holy. Trust in His cleansing, in His nurturing them, even as He does it, through His church that He has sent to bring His message of redemption to the world!
As Jesus guards your hearts and minds, secured in Him through baptism, secured in His peace!
AMEN
