The parable
is one of those Kingdom of God is like parables, and is one of three that considers
the fact that in a world created good by God, the bad is allowed to continue
alongside the good. The story of the sower has choice seed fit for purpose scattered
far and wide, but it doesn’t always fall on good soil. Then there’s story of
the dragnet with its catch of both good and bad fish, and the parable of the
weeds growing alongside choice wheat. The Kingdom of God is not the utopian
sole domain of heavenly good yet. It’s more about God’s activity, what he is doing,
and the return on investment he looks for. And these three parables spoken by
Jesus explain that. It’s a common criticism of Christian belief that if God is
a good god, why does he allow the good and the bad to grow side by side? Why
doesn’t he simply wipe out all the bad right now? Why is it allowed to go on?
Now it’s
not God’s fault that evil has grown up alongside the good, or that there are
those who are likened to rocky paths and clumps of thistles who do not have ears
to hear the good word sown among them. According to the story, the master sowed
good seed; it’s the enemy that has sown the bad. So you can’t blame God.
Well, like the
good evangelical disciples they are, off they want to go and clean it all out
right now. But Jesus says no, the time is not yet, because you might pull up
some of the good along with the bad. Why? Because in the early stages, the bad
is not always distinguishable from the good. In the parable, the weed is
darnel, which looks very much like wheat until it matures, and then is seen for
what it really is.
You see,
the enemy comes along and sows in our hearts and minds what at first appears
harmless and benign. But as the heart and mind begin to go along with it, what
is apparently harmless begins to poison the mind and harden the heart until it
is so calloused that it can no longer distinguish good from evil in any shape
or form. And that’s what is so dangerous about the way the enemy works.
But along
comes God’s grace and injects itself into a heart and mind that is not yet at
the point of turning away to a life of the bad with no repentance. Or, the
grace of God comes in and enables repentance and a turning away from the bad.
And that’s the wheat that might be lost if the harvest is taken too soon. The
wheat is carefully chosen and fit for purpose, and not one gram of it will be
lost in the end. That’s why the timing of the Kingdom of God is what it is, and
not the timing of the kingdom of earth we expect.
And the
other image of letting weeds grow until later before pulling them up, is that
it’s easy to pull up a weed that’s grown up, compared to small young shoots.
The grown weed comes out root stock and barrel, cleanly leaving nothing behind.
It’s completely gone. Whereas the young shoots just break up in the hand,
leaving the root behind to grow another day.
So, when
the last day of history arrives, the image illustrates how the bad that has
flourished will be completely and decisively eradicated, root stock and barrel,
leaving only the choice fit for purpose good and faithful wheat to be finally harvested
into the Kingdom of God on the last day.
We do not
have to worry and fret about why evil seems to proceed on its merry way as we
speak. Don’t be consumed by anxiety over the question. The good and faithful
wheat, that is those who are faithful to God in their lives, is carefully
chosen and sown fit for purpose. And that’s how it will be gathered in to the
Kingdom of Heaven on the last day.
It’s an absolutely
guaranteed promise of God, as we read time and time again in the scriptures.
Whereas those who mature as unfaithful darnel will be rooted out totally and
utterly for what they are, and thrown out where there will be weeping and
gnashing of teeth.
So fear not
tomorrow for God is already there, and he has decided the last day. It will
happen. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their
Father. Let anyone with ears to hear, listen.
Philip Starks
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