1. God has a plan that He is working out over time (be patient!). We live in a world where tragedies and accidents occur every day and where injustice and violence still wreak havoc in people’s lives. Where is God and why doesn’t He do something? The Parable of the Wheat & Weeds teaches us that God does have a plan for this world and He is working to accomplish it. However, it is unfolding over time and that means there’s some waiting to do, something we find difficult. Jesus is teaching us patience – the patience of a God who chooses to delay His judgment. God is not in a hurry and we must be prepared to trust Him and wait for His time. In the end, God will win and good will overcome evil.
2. There is an enemy at work in the world (be alert!). Alongside the power of the Kingdom another power is at work seeking to disrupt God’s plan. The action of this enemy, the devil, is a prominent feature in Jesus’ ministry. This parable presents us with a worldview that accounts for and is not surprised by evil in the world. It also teaches us that evil will not be completely removed until judgment day but that does not mean that we should not fight against evil in all its forms in the meantime – in our own lives, in the church and in our society. This awareness calls us to live lives on spiritual alert while avoiding the extremes of being ignorant of the devil’s schemes or of becoming overly preoccupied with his activity.
3. God alone is the judge of all people (be humble!). Right from the beginning of history there have been two seeds or two generations of people – the righteous and the wicked. We find our place in either group not by birth, by fate or by our good works but by our response to the grace of God that He shows toward us in unique ways. God desires everyone to be saved and to become His children. Each person will ultimately choose to be either for God or against God and will be treated accordingly. However, in the meantime it is vital that we not get caught up in determining who is IN and who is OUT. God alone knows the human heart and He will be their judge, not us. Wheat and weeds look very similar…until the time of harvest when their true nature is revealed. In fact, Jesus hinted that we may be surprised who is in and who is out. We ourselves are a mixture of wheat and weeds – people in desperate need of the grace of God. This should cause us to be humble in our approach to other people.
When it comes to judgment we must avoid caricatures of God that turn Him into either a sadistic monster ready to unfurl His wrath on people or into a soft grandparent who still give the kids chocolates even after a day of continual misbehaving. God has revealed Himself as a supremely loving, wise, beautiful, holy, just and true God. It is that combination of attributes that we must learn to see when it comes to the matter of judgment.
4. We are called to partner with God’s purpose (be fruitful!). In the Parable of the Wheat & Weeds, we are the seed. God plants His people in His field – this world – and He desires us to be fruitful for Him. A partnership mentality helps us avoid the extremes of apathy (thinking that God will do it all) and of a messianic complex (thinking that we will fix the world and rid it of evil all by ourselves).
(MARK CONNER)