Seasons of Elijah-Cross-Moses
Third
Sunday of Elijah: Matthew 13:24-30; 13:36-43
INTRODUCTION
The parable of the weeds growing among the
wheat gives justification for the coexistence of good and evil in the
world. Wheat stands for God’s elect and the weed for the godless. The
ungodly torments the chosen people. The ministers of Christ shall not
destroy the ungodly. Whereas they must be patient and tolerant until the
end of the ages, when Christ will come to separate the good and the bad.
He will destroy the evil and reward the good in the new heavens and new
earth (Rev. 21:1). Jesus has selected us to be the spiritual wheat that
supply nourishment to the world. Let us be nonjudgmental and help others
to become God’s elect. Unlike weed and wheat, the humans can transform
from one to another before the end of life.
BIBLE TEXT
The Parable of the Weeds Among the Wheat
(Luke 13:24)
Jesus told them another parable, “The kingdom of heaven can be
compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. (25) While everyone
was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left.
(26) When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also
appeared. (27) Then the servants of the owner came to him and said:
‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the
weeds come from?’ (28) He answered them: ‘This is the work of an enemy.’
They asked him: ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’ (29) He
told them: ‘No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat
with them. (30) Let them just grow together until harvest; and at
harvest time I will tell the workers: Pull up the weeds first, tie them
in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”
The Explanation of the Parable of the
Weeds
(Luke 13:36)
Then he sent the crowds away and went into the house. And his
disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in
the field.” (37) Jesus answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is
the Son of Man. (38) The field is the world; the good seed is the people
of the kingdom; the weeds are those who belong to the evil one. (39) The
enemy who sows them is the devil; the harvest is the end of time and the
workers are the angels. (40) Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned
in the fire, that is how it will be at the end of time. (41) The Son of
Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom all that
is scandalous and all who do evil. (42) And these will be thrown in the
blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(43) Then the just will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. If you have ears, then hear.
INTERPRETATION
(Luke 13:24) Jesus told them another
parable, “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a man who sowed good
seed in his field.”
(Luke 13:36) Then he sent the crowds
away and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying,
“Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” (37) Jesus
answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
(38) The field is the world; the good seed is the people of the kingdom.
He proposed another parable
The earlier parable of the sower was on the
early stage of the church when Jesus’s disciples preached the gospel in
the hearts of the people. This parable that only St. Matthew presents
deals with the second stage of the church. The church shall face
challenges like weeds in the field. Such weeds can be from within the
church like false prophets and false teachings. They might be
indistinguishable at an early stage from their appearance. However, the
church shall be tolerant and non-judgmental because God allows the good
and the bad to grow together until the second coming of Christ when he
will separate them for reward or destruction. An early destruction of
weeds can have aftereffects and can cause damage to the wheat.
The kingdom of heaven can be compared
to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
Then he sent the crowds away and went
into the house.
The one who sows the good seed is the
Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the people of the
kingdom.
The Son of Man
The good seed is the people of the
kingdom.
The field is the world.
(25) While everyone was asleep, his
enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left.
(38b) The weeds are those who belong to
the evil one. (39) The enemy who sows them is the devil.
While everyone was asleep his enemy
came.
The enemy who sows them is the devil
The weeds are the children of the evil
one.
In contrast to the wheat beneficial for
making bread and thus keeping human life alive, the enemy sowed weeds,
called darnel, which produce poisonous grains. Their roots weaken the
wheat or do not allow some to grow. Consumption of the weed called
darnel can cause trembling, vomiting, hindered speech, inability to
walk, convulsions, diarrhea, and even death. Small doses of darnel with
fungus can cause hallucinations, and high doses can damage the central
nervous system. Only spiritually strong Christians can withstand the
influence of the evil ones.
Sowed weeds among the wheat and left.
(26) When the
plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared.
The darnel and wheat resemble at the early
stage of growth. So, when they grow together, it is hard to distinguish
them. Only by the time of germination, people will realize their
difference. The Christians also face the same challenge in spiritual
life. They cannot distinguish the right and wrong teachings and
teachers. Heresies had happened in the church’s history.
(27) Then the servants of the owner
came to him and said: ‘Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your
field? Where did the weeds come from?’ (28) He answered them: ‘This is
the work of an enemy.’ They asked him: ‘Do you want us to go and pull up
the weeds?’
The slaves or servants of the householder
stand for ministers of the Church. They are enthusiastic to uproot the
weeds to protect the wheat. The natural human reaction to our enemy is
to retaliate. Luke gives an example. While Jesus was going to Jerusalem
through a Samaritan village, the residents there rejected to welcome
him. “Seeing this, James and John, his disciples said, ‘Lord, do you
want us to call down fire from heaven to reduce them to ashes?’ Jesus
turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.” (Luke
9:54-56). So, we notice this teaching of Jesus in action in his public
ministry. He did not want to destroy the Samaritan village like the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the past. Instead he allowed them
time to repent and become members of the new Kingdom. Otherwise, the
early church would have lost many future Christians from Samaria.
The enemy in this parable is the devil who
had been sowing the evil seed throughout salvation history. The Satan
keeps sowing false seeds among Jesus’ wheat by converting many good
believers as false teachers or protestors. They misguide many faithful
and lead them away from Jesus and his church
(29) He told them: ‘No, when you pull
up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them.’
Jesus wanted to allow the weeds to remain
along with the wheat to avoid uprooting the wheat. Since darnel is
visually identical to wheat in the early stage, the servants might
uproot the wheat also by mistake. Besides, the roots of the weeds will
tie up with the roots of wheats under the soil. So, by pulling the
weeds, the wheat might also get uprooted. Once the blades appear for
both, they become distinguishable and differ in height. Then the
harvesters can separate them easily without damaging the wheat.
Jesus taught: “No good tree bears bad fruit,
no bad tree bears good fruit. And each tree is known by the fruit it
bears. You do not gather figs from thorns, or grapes from brambles.
Similarly, a good person draws good things from the store of goodness in
his heart, and an evil person draws evil things from the evil in his
heart.” (Luke 6:43-45). Jesus waits for the fruits of our Christian
living to appear.
Unlike wheat and weed, humans can change in
the course of their life because all are seeds from God and carry His
image and likeness. There are many saints in Christianity like St. Paul
and St. Augustine who had changed from weed to wheat. Since there is the
possibility of a good becoming evil and vice versa, God waits to judge
us all until the end of the term of our life in this world.
(30) Let them just grow together until
harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the workers: Pull up the weeds
first, tie them in bundles and burn them; then gather the wheat into my
barn.
(39b) The harvest is the end of time
and the workers are the angels.
Once ripe, the grains of wheat and darnel are
distinguishable by their size and color. The wheat grains are large and
golden, and darnel grains are small and gray. So, the harvesters can
separate them.
At harvest time
Gather the wheat into my barn.
(40) Just as the weeds are pulled up
and burned in the fire, that is how it will be at the end of time.
(41) The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his
kingdom all that is scandalous and all who do evil.
At the harvest time, the farmer will burn the
weeds that are useless and harmful. Likewise, Jesus will send his angels
to separate the good and evil. The activity of the evil will end at the
end of the age and the angels will throw the bad into unquenchable fire.
All that is scandalous and all who do
evil.
(42) And these will be thrown in the
blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Like the weeds burned in fire, the Lord’s
angels will throw the evil doers and those who cause others to sin into
the fiery furnace. Daniel chapter three gives the image of a fiery
furnace. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king threw three Hebrew men,
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in a fiery furnace when they refused to
bow down to the king’s golden statue. He ordered to heat the furnace
seven times more than usual (Daniel 3:19). God saved these three
believers. However, the angels will cast the sinners in such a
fiery furnace in Gehenna.
Weeping and gnashing
of teeth
(43) Then the just will shine like the
sun in the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.
God said to Daniel: “Many of those who sleep
in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life but others
to eternal horror and shame. Those who acquired wisdom will shine
brightly like the splendor of the firmament; those who taught people to
be just will shine like the stars for all eternity.” (Daniel 12:2-3). At
the transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain, his three close disciples
had a magnificent experience. “Jesus’ appearance was changed before
them: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became bright as
light.” (Matthew 17:2). That was a foretaste of the glory of heaven.
Those who live a righteous life have a glorious life waiting for them in
the kingdom of the Father.
Whoever has ears
ought to hear.
MESSAGE
1. The Christians are the good seed that
Jesus the farmer sows in the entire world that stands for the field.
Even though we might face challenges from the weeds who are the evil
ones, we have to withstand it.
2. We must be patient with our opponents.
When we destroy those who persecute us, we might damage ourselves and
the church. All have the opportunity until the end of life to become
good. St. Paul and St. Augustine and many others successfully made use
of such opportunities in life.
3. There is a last separation along with
reward or punishment for each depending upon our performance in this
world. So, let us be productive as Christians, so Christ will store us
in the barns of God after our life in this world.
4. Our natural reaction to enemies would be
to take revenge on them. Jesus taught through his public ministry, how
to respond to our adversaries. We can point out their mistakes, but God
does not entitle us to judge and punish them. God reserves judgement at
the end of this age. At present, we cannot separate the wheat and the
weeds.
5. The enemies within the church can be more
dangerous than those from outside. The weeds are crushing the wheat
within the field, and they look alike before the blades appear. So also,
it might be difficult to distinguish the good and bad within the church.
So, we must be “Beware of false prophets: they come to you disguised as
sheep, but inside they are wild wolves.” (Matthew 7:15).
6. God is patient with the world that has
followers of Jesus and his opponents intermingled. When His appointed
time arrives, He will send his angels to reap the wheat and separate it
from the weeds. While keeping ourselves productive as wheat, we should
be tolerant of the weeds and make them also wheat for Jesus.
7. The good seed in this parable stands for
wheat. When the baker makes bread out of it, it becomes energetic,
life-sustaining, nutritious, and healing for those who use them. So also
Christians must sacrifice with Christ the baker to nurture the Kingdom
of God.