Kingdom parables in Matthews Gospel

Matthew 13v24-30,36-43 - the Wheat and the Weeds

This year is the tercentenary of one of this country's best known evangelists, John Wesley. Yesterdays Daily Telegraph had a long article about him and Roy Hattersley has recently published a biography. In a quote from the book, Harry reads how John had been miraculously saved from a fire as a young boy - "like a brand snatched from the burning"

There is some burning mentioned in our parable today. This second parable is rarely preached on - it is a difficult parable with profound implications for all of us. It is one of the two parables in this chapter where Jesus gives an explanation.

So what is the kingdom of God, kingdom of heaven? We live in a world which was created perfect by God but which wsa corrupted by sin. We live in a corrupted world and the Kingdom of God is Gods redemptive work, winning individuals back to him.

Within the professing people of God there will be an inobvious mixture. The weeds in the parable were almost certainly a plant known as "bearded darnel" which is indistinguishable from wheat while it is young. Recently our family made a hotel booking in France over the Internet. The booking was made in good faith on the basis of the pictures available of the place.  Unfortunately the reality didn't live up to the image, the hotel was in the middle of an industrial zone and had the smallest, most horrible rooms imaginable in a hotel. Sometimes appearances can be deceiving.

In earlier centuries death was much more of a reality that it is in most peoples lives today. A hundred and fifty years ago everyone talked about death and nobody mentioned sex. The situation is almost reversed today! Back then, the lack of medical care and antibiotics made death far more common that it is today, and so it was thought about more often too.

When reading this parable it is helpful to compare it with Matt 7. Jesus begins with the words "judge not, that you not be judged". It is not for us to judge other people next to us, in front of us or behind us. Don't try to start weeding others out... it is the pathway that leads to inquisitions and other horrors from the troubled past of Christianity. Weeding is Gods job. Also compare with Matt 7v21ff. There will be many who come to Jesus and say "didn't we do all these wonderful things in your name" and Jesus will say "begone, I never knew you".

What is the evidence that we are genuine? At a recent housegroup we had been looking at Acts 2v42 and saw the peoples love for the apostles doctrine, breaking of bread, fellowship and prayer together. Is our testimony just about what happened when we were saved all those years ago, without being the testimony of what God is doing in our lives right now? What is honestly going on in our lives? How different are we now from last week, last month?

Let us think and pray seriously about these things.

Harry Smith