THE STORY OF JESUS: Matthew 13:36-43
“Will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.” (Matthew 13:41)
The disciples have ears that are hungry to hear, so they press Jesus to explain.
Jesus answers plainly: the field is the world, good seed are people of the kingdom, etc.
The punchline of this story, a day is coming when the Lord will clean up His kingdom.
We’re not there yet, we are still in the days before the harvest.
What do we do with a message like this, what is the point, or the lesson.
Jesus doesn’t say, but the meaning is plain, and if we have ears to hear, we will hear.
If someone warns us a plane will crash, the point is ‘don’t go on that plane!’
Even if they don’t say it, that point is obvious, right?
Jesus is warning us about our relationship to sin and evil.
If we get comfortable with sin – greed, selfishness, anger, cruelty, lust, etc – we’re hopping on the plane.
God made us to shine like Him in His kingdom, not to darken it with ‘dirty deeds’.
What are the attitudes and behaviours in your life that are unlike God, unlike Jesus?
If you can’t think of any, then you really don’t know God or Jesus.
Be specific, don’t just admit in a generic way ‘I’m not perfect’ or ‘I’ve sinned’.
A day is coming when the angels will come looking for the weeds in His garden, to uproot them.
We can uproot them NOW by confession, and working with His help to change them.
Daily tending the garden of our heart, with the help of the gardener, we can produce good fruit.
Grace will cover our imperfections if we receive it; it will also help us change, if we want to.
With His help, we will more and more “shine like the Son in the kingdom of the Father!”
Will we have ears to hear this parable, and open our hearts to His forgiveness and weed-killing power?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, this is a moment of conviction for me. I need to more beyond generalities, and confess my specific weeds, and work with You to uproot them. Your grace is all I need to succeed, and shine!