He Who Has Ears

The Parable of the Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30 ESV

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.”’”

Explanation of the Parable

Matthew 13:36-43 ESV

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place 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.”

Jesus Christ called himself “the Son of Man.” Although he was God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – and thus he was the Son of God, he left his throne in heaven, came to earth, and was born as a human baby to a human mother. But he was conceived of the Holy Spirit, so God the Father was his birth father. So he was also the only begotten Son of God. But while he walked this earth, he was fully God and fully human, although he was not born with a sin nature as we are. Yet, he was still tempted to sin as we are, yet without sin.

So, Jesus Christ is the one who sows the good seed. And the good seed is the truth of the gospel of Christ as Jesus Christ taught it, and as his New Testament apostles taught it, but not the gospel that many are teaching today which makes no requirements for dying with Christ to sin and walking in obedience to him in his righteousness and holiness. For it is only good seed when it is the whole counsel of God, and not these diluted and altered gospel messages which are permeating the church in America today. For Jesus taught self-denial, dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to him.

And “the sons of the kingdom” are all those (male and female) who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. We are no longer those who are walking according to the flesh, making sin our practice, but we are now those who are walking (conducting our lives in practice) according to the Spirit, who are dying daily to sin and who are obeying our Lord, in practice. We are not perfect people, but we are not living in sin.

But “the sons of the evil one” are those who are enemies of the cross of Christ, and so they reject the idea of having to deny self and to take up their cross daily and follow Jesus in obedience. And so they choose to continue walking in sin, making sin their practice, and they are those for whom godliness, righteousness, and obedience to the Lord are not their practice. For they are all lawbreakers regardless of what professions of faith they have made with their lips. So, although some of them profess faith in Jesus, they will not inherit eternal life with God, for sin is still their practice.

So, please know that it is not enough to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We must walk in that faith in the forsaking of our sins and in walks of obedience to our Lord, living holy lives pleasing to God, or we do not have an inheritance with God, and we will not enter his kingdom of heaven. But we will be numbered among the law-breakers, and we will be thrown into the fiery furnace along with all others who reject our Lord and his commands and who choose to go their own way, instead. But those who are walking in righteousness will shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father in heaven.

He who has ears, let him hear.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Softly and Tenderly  

By Will Thompson, pub. 1880

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

Calling for you and for me;

See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,

Watching for you and for me.

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,

Pleading for you and for me?

Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,

Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,

Passing from you and from me;

Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,

Coming for you and for me.

Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised,

Promised for you and for me!

Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,

Pardon for you and for me.

Come home, come home,

You who are weary, come home;

Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

Calling, O sinner, come home!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf_glkmbNbQ

Caution: this link may contain ads