“Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn” (Matthew 13:30).
I love this command of Christ, because it reminds us that “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, ESV). Even though there will be a day of reckoning when those who do not believe will be cast away and those who truly do believe will be rescued, this will not happen until the Day of Judgment. Meanwhile, whether we are actually shoots of wheat or tares in God’s vineyard, our job is to grow and allow mutual growth.
What does that look like for me? That means focusing on my own growth first and foremost. That means not getting too bent out of shape over people who explore various interpretations of the Bible. That means not cutting down anybody else and allowing them their opinions. That means sharing sunshine and rain. That means not uprooting anybody.
I remember as a high schooler having a friend who had a drinking problem. (Yes; he was underage. His father and grandfather had both been alcoholics, and they had both committed suicide when they were 43). As a naive Christian from a very strict (though unbelieving) home, I had no clue how hard life was (IS!) for many, and when I learned that this young man had a drinking problem, my first response was, “Are you sure you’re really a Christian?” To me, no Christian would struggle with an addiction. Thankfully, Pat rebuked me sharply! “Don’t you ever ask me if I’m a Christian! Life is hard enough without you discouraging me. Yes, I believe, even if I am struggling” (or, something like that).
Although I can’t recall his exact words, I’ll never forget the lesson he taught me. All sorts of people struggle. I remember Mel, who was addicted to both alcohol and cigarettes, but who was immediately set free from both when he surrendered his life to Christ, and he says he was never tempted again. On the other hand, I have a dear friend who was addicted to pipe smoking and says he would smoke in a heartbeat and is always tempted, even though he resists because he knows it isn’t good for him.
by Peter Paul Reubens c. 1625 Public Domain
The world is full of traps and snares, and I believe all of us have some “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) or perhaps an “Achilles Heel.” An “Achilles’ Heel” means some area of potential fatal weakness in an otherwise strong and courageous person. The term comes from legend, and according to mythology, Thetis dipped her baby, Achilles, into the River Styx by his heel. The water of the river was supposed to have magical powers to make the child invulnerable, but because Thetis was holding him by his heel, that area was never washed with the magical water, and eventually Achilles died from a heel wound.
Thankfully, when we become a child of God by faith, we are completely washed (even our heels!) by the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:5) and are “born again” spiritually, making us completely invulnerable to spiritual death. Nevertheless, in this life, we are still vulnerable to all sorts of trials and temptations which can (and sometimes do) defeat us.
So, what’s the solution? In this parable, Jesus is envisioning for us the way God’s kingdom works: He is the sower; we are either wheat or weeds; the angels (not people) are the ones who will do the ultimate reaping, so it’s not up to us to decide who’s a true believer or who is not. Our job is simple: Grow, and allow others to grow too. How? “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). We grow by meditating on the Word of God and obeying it. Like wheat growing in a field, we need to be firmly rooted and grounded in the love of Christ (Ephesians 3:17), we need to be washed by the rainwater of the Word of God (Hebrews 10:22), and we need to be flooded with the sunlight of God’s presence (Psalm 4:6). If we do this, we can rest assured that we are truly wheat, and we will eventually begin to manifest the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
What if we aren’t? Well, more on that next week!
“Search me, O God, and know my heart!
Try me and know my thoughts!
And see if there be any grievous way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:22-23, ESV).
Text for this meditation: “He put another parable before them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, ‘Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn’” (Matthew 13:24-30, ESV).
Song of Solomon 7:8 “…and the smell of thy nose like apples.” As the husband draws into union with his wife, he becomes so intimately entwined with her that he can smell her face and finds he is breathing the very air she breathes. No bad breath here! I wonder if the bride just brushed her teeth…and if so, what type of toothpaste she used, because the word for “smell” is the Hebrew riah, which is used earlier in the book to describe the fragrance of perfumes and garden spices.
The Spirit likewise develops in us the essential qualities of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, humility, and self-control to produce one glorious character: Christ’s, which will equip us for nurturing the spiritual offspring that result from our joyful union with Him. Oh, Lord, please develop in us a passion for you that results in spiritual maturity, fullness, and truly Christ-like character!
Summer Setting 