What happens to unbelievers around the believers growing in the good soil? What happens to those in the midst of true believers, but only appearing to be real? Jesus explained with his next parable picking up where he left off. Matthew 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
KINGDOM PARABLES
By Pastor Delbert Young
Weeds and Wheat
Weeds and Wheat
Scriptures: Exodus 9:29, Psalms 24:1, 1 Corinthians 10:26, Genesis 1:28, Matthew 5:17, Matthew 11:12, Mark 4:11-12, Matthew 24:3, Matthew 13:24, Matthew 13:25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, Matthew 13:36, 37, Daniel 7:13-14, Matthew 24:30-31, Matthew 13:37-39, Matthew 13:40-43, Matthew 12:32, Matthew 24:36-39, Matthew 23:33, 37., 39, Matthew 24:1-3, 21, 34, Matthew 13:42-43, Revelation 14:10-11
To set our minds in motion, we need to say the Lord Jesus Christ is the King of the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ is the ruler of this earth. The earth is the Lord’s. Moses told Pharaoh…
Exodus 9:29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S.
Psalms 24:1 THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;
1 Corinthians 10:26 for, “THE EARTH IS THE LORD’S, and everything in it.”
Satan has a part to play as prince of this world, but Jesus is King. Satan was created by God to be crafty and fulfills a distinct purpose.
There is no period of time when the kingdom of God was/is not in effect on the earth. Every aspect of human history marks some facet of the kingdom. God mediates his rule and advances his kingdom on the earth through men in specific ages. Initially it was through Adam.
Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and SUBDUE IT. RULE OVER the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Man was and is to subdue and rule over all God created. After Adam, came the age of the patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Next came the age of Moses – the law and prophets, which included the kings. The prophets spoke of a king coming, a Messiah, a Christ. As we know, incarnate Jesus Christ came to end their age by fulfilling and advancing it.
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to FULFILL THEM.
The age of the House of Israel is fulfilled, meaning the covenant with them completed. It’s time for THE NEW COVENANT and advancing the kingdom.
Matthew 11:12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching and baptizing until now, the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN HAS BEEN FORCEFULLY ADVANCING, and violent people attack it.
Jesus sent the apostles to begin and build the church, which is the age and time of the kingdom in which we live. When I say “church,” I am speaking about the time Jesus spoke, when the Holy Spirit dwells within those who receive Jesus Christ as Lord and savior.
Jesus told us in Matthew chapter 13 what this age and specific kingdom time will be like. However, Jesus didn’t explain “clearly” about the age and kingdom. He told it in unexplained riddles and parables. Why? As we discussed, it was because he didn’t want the House of Israel to get it. They committed the unpardonable sin and as strange as it sounds to us, they would not be forgiven.
Mark 4:11-12 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT TURN AND BE FORGIVEN!'”
Delbert, I don’t understand. Why would God not want to forgive? They crossed the line. They rejected Jesus the Christ. There’s a big price to pay when anyone rejects Jesus. God spoke through the prophets and told of a time when Israel would be judged. This was the end of the age of Judaism and the beginning of the age of the church.
Matthew 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the END OF THE AGE?”
Jesus spoke about the new kingdom age in Matthew 13. We’ve seen Jesus sat in a boat just offshore speaking to a multitude of people (Mat 13:1-3). He told his first parable. It was about different soils and how the soils received the seed broadcasted by the farmer. It was actually about different hearts influenced different ways and how they receive THE MESSAGE ABOUT THE KINGDOM and the word. We sow. Some seed will find good soil and a life will change.
So, what happens to unbelievers around the wheat growing in the good soil? What happens to those in the midst of true believers, but only appearing to be real? Jesus explained with his next parable picking up where he left off.
Matthew 13:24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven IS LIKE a man who sowed good seed IN HIS FIELD.
The kingdom IS LIKE. It’s not coming. It is like because it IS. The kingdom is like a man who had a field. It’s his field. He owns it and rules it. Into the field, he sowed very good (kalos – beautiful, valuable, virtuous, high quality) seed.
Matthew 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
Immediately after broadcasting the good seed an enemy came and broadcasted weeds (KJV says tares –zizanion – darnal or false grain) into the midst of the good seed. The zizanion looked exactly like the plants from the good seed until the plants matured, only to find it was false. In those days sowing zizanion in a man’s field was so common the Roman government had a law against it. It sabotaged his living and life.
Matthew 13:26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
Imagine the field. It was full. It had to appear great, but as the final semester of the growth season came, it was discovered all among the good seed plants were zizanion – weeds/tares.
Matthew 13:27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
They were shocked. They would not be shocked had it been a few weeds. Anyone would expect a few weeds. They were shocked because the field was full of zizanion.
Matthew 13:28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“Let us do something to fix the problem. We will pull them up. We can see the difference now. We will pull those things out.”
Matthew 13:29-30 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER UNTIL THE HARVEST. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.'”
There were so many zizanion the roots entangled. No matter how cautious and careful the workers attempted to be, while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER UNTIL THE HARVEST. At harvest, I will instruct the harvesters to FIRST separate weeds to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.
It’s a simple story, but what does it mean. The disciples wanted to know too. Later, away from the crowd they asked.
Matthew 13:36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
Matthew 13:37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the SON OF MAN. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one
Who is the Son of Man? This is new in the parables. The Son of Man is a separate teaching. In an attempt to keep this as condensed as possible, the Son of Man is, of course, Jesus. It was his favorite way to describe himself. It was his title for himself used 78 times in the gospels alone mostly by Jesus. It relates back to Daniel and the one ascending to receive a kingdom that would never end.
Daniel 7:13-14 In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a SON OF MAN, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
This would be a vision of the ascension and Revelation 5 and opening the seven seals. The kingdom IS and it is EVERLASTING and WILL NEVER BE DESTROYED. There is no 7 year great tribulation in which the antichrist reigns. There is no future kingdom one day. It is now and it is forever.
Coming with the clouds speaks of the Son of man coming in judgment.
Matthew 24:30-31 “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the CLOUDS OF THE SKY, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
The context of Matthew 24 is the great tribulation (Mat 24:21 KJV) which would come upon their generation – not a future generation. Jesus said their generation (Mat 24:34) would not pass and it didn’t. The Son of Man came upon the house of Israel in AD 70 in judgment. Let’s look at Matthew 13:37 again.
Matthew 13:37-39 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the SON OF MAN. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the SONS OF THE KINGDOM. The weeds are the sons of the evil one and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the AGE, and the harvesters are angels.
Jesus is talking about serious stuff. The Jews knew exactly what Son of Man and coming on clouds meant. The disciples knew exactly what it meant. The Son of Man is sowing good seed – exceptional seed – into the world – kosmos – orderly arrangement including its inhabitants. Jesus sows sons of the kingdom throughout the world. We are exactly where he planted us (this is good to know). We are the good seed. You and I are sons and daughters of the kingdom. Jesus didn’t say the field was the church. The field is the world. I need to make sure we note this. Purposefully, all around your life and mine, your spouse’s life and mine, your children’s life and mine, the devil sows zizanion. Why? He hopes the roots will entangle and when God deals with them it will damage or destroy us. However, there is a harvest day and the angels will separate.
Matthew 13:40-43 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, SO IT WILL BE AT THE END OF THE AGE. THE SON OF MAN will send out his ANGELS, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
It is not our ministry to judge the world. It’s our job to grow even with zizanion among us. History shows when the church attempted to judge. Remember the crusades in history? What a mess they was. It was a dismal time for the church. The “Christian” crusaders massacred people who were not Christians. How wrong was it! God has angels specifically for this task.
Jesus said, so it will be at the end of the age. Which age was Jesus speaking about?
Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in THIS AGE or in THE AGE TO COME.
As we process this thought, every age ended with judgment. The Adamic age ending with Noah certainly did. It ended with the flood where the wicked were taken. We see a similar situation with the ending of the patriarchal age with plagues coming upon Egypt and the Red Sea collapsing on the Egyptian army as the age of the Law and Prophets began through Moses. Jesus speaking about the age of the law and prophets – Old Covenant including their generation said,
Matthew 24:36-39 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
You may have heard this passage taught as the rapture of the church. I assure you it is not. Those taken by the flood were the wicked. The wicked are always taken at the end of an age.
When Jesus said, “…either in this age…” of which age was he speaking? When he spoke it, he was addressing those in the age of the Law and Prophets began by Moses. So, did their age end and was there a mass judgment? Oh yes!
Jesus experienced a massive confrontation in the temple with the religious system in Matthew chapter 23. He spoke multiple woes to them finally saying,
Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Matthew 23:36 I tell you the truth, ALL THIS WILL COME UPON THIS GENERATION.
Matthew 23:38 Behold, YOUR HOUSE is left unto you desolate.
It was the most intense and final condemnation and denunciation by Jesus of the Judaism system. Jesus walked out of the temple.
Matthew 24:1-3 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN, and what will be the sign of your coming AND OF THE END OF THE AGE?”
They understood their age was about to end. The entire context is the damnation of hell Jesus spoke to their generation. Jesus answered their questions. He spoke of the horrors coming upon the entire region calling the horror GREAT TRIBULATION.
Matthew 24:21 For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
But, when would the great tribulation happen? Jesus was very clear.
Matthew 24:34 I tell you the truth, THIS GENERATION will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Jesus spoke this approximately in AD 33. In AD 70 the Roman army laid desolate the entire region exactly as Jesus warned in Matthew chapter 11. The temple was dismantled stone by stone as warned in chapter 24 and as you know, all remaining today is the Wailing Wall. Josephus recorded a million Jews died in the horrific event. I’ve written a book about the event titled WAR OF A.D. 70 GREAT TRIBULATION. Jesus said nothing like it ever happened from the beginning of the world, or ever shall be. The Age ended. The angels harvested. The zizanion were burned and the wheat was taken to the Lord’s barn. I challenge you to investigate this.
So, Jesus was definitely speaking about their age, but he said either this age or the age to come. As we’ve seen, every age ends similarly. This age, the church age, will be no exception.
Matthew 13:42-43 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun IN THE KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER. HE WHO HAS EARS, LET HIM HEAR.
They are thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation 20 for those not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It’s the fire of hell prepared for the devil and his angels. It’s the most horrible pain and torment imaginable. People think they will go to hell and it will be fine. They will be with their friends and love it down there. Jesus tells us the true reaction to hell – eternally grinding teeth and screaming shrieks.
Revelation 14:10-11 He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night…
I’m not so sure about being in the presence of their friends. I am sure the holy angels and the Lamb will be watching. It’s not the contemporary picture we are given “sweet gentle Jesus.” It’s because the Lamb is also the Lion and the Son of Man.
Those who had ears to hear went into the Kingdom of their Father. Those who didn’t were thrown into hell. So, how are your ears concerning the kingdom and the weeds growing around you? You better listen. Are you wheat, or are you zizanion? Are you a child of the kingdom, or a child of the evil one? Will you be gathered into the kingdom, or thrown into hell to burn forever?
Other Related Sermons:
Ascension The Day The Kingdom Began – sermon notes video audio notes
Revelation Chapter 18, Jerusalem Babylon the Great – sermon video audio notes
Wealth And The Lord’s Coming How They Work – sermon video audio notes
Also see: