“A Mother’s Love Amidst the World’s Weeds”

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30

Today is Mothers’ Day – a day when we celebrate the gift that mothers bring to their families – the gift of compassion, love, and a servant’s heart. Admittedly, mothers are no more perfect than any other person, but I truly believe that they all have the very best at heart for the family members who are closest to them.

But as hard as anyone may try to raise their children in truth, and in love, and for success in life, there is always something hanging out, right around the corner, with the intent to disrupt our plans and to defeat the goodness that has been offered. And this is what our parable for today is all about – the way that God’s goodness can be delayed - not defeated, but delayed - by the evil that is so prevalent in this world.

The parable is known as “The Weeds”, and this weedy culprit is traditionally known as tares – a weed that looks very similar to wheat until it is harvested, when the difference in the grains becomes more obvious. Tares, also known as bearded, or poison darnel, is toxic, and at best, if eaten, will make a person nauseous, and in many instances, can cause death.

And this is where we begin today.

Read Matthew 13:24-26

None of us would intentionally sow “weeds” in our children’s lives, but evil knows no bounds. It loves to inject itself into the unsuspecting lives that never see it coming. In the parable, Jesus tells us that good seed was planted, with great anticipation for a marvelous harvest. But evil will always have an aversion for goodness, and will do all that it can to destroy it. We have to note two things in Jesus’ teaching.

First, - the sower of weeds is an “enemy”. Anything that goes against the goodness of God is not only the Lord’s enemy, but it must also be our enemy. And how do we know the difference? If a word contradicts scripture, or perverts it by changing it or taking a phrase out of context, the enemy has been revealed for the evil it is.

Second, we read that after sowing the bad seed, the enemy left. That’s the way evil works. It sets the stage, it makes its way appear to be legitimate, it begins its deceitful work, and then leaves the rest up to the natural flow of things. And evil will begin to grow, with the appearance that it is as good as anything else. So what do we do about it?

Read Matthew 13:27-28

The one who sowed the good seed still hadn’t recognized the weeds for what they are. It took the observance of others to identify the evil. So the question for us is this – why is it so hard for us to come to grips with the sin that creeps into our lives? The truth is that whether it is for evil or goodness, life can easily blend them together as they grow and becomes natural in life, and sometimes, it can become extremely difficult for us to tell the difference.

This is why Christian friends are so vital for our spiritual health. Others will be able to see us from the outside, from a slightly different perspective. And when their love for us outweighs their reluctance to tell us that we are walking a wayward path, and when they reveal the truth about our life, we have a choice to make – will we believe them, or will we decide that our truth is more important than theirs?

Sin is one of those insidious things that can so easily haunt us without our ever recognizing it. Down deep, we may know that it isn’t right, but until someone else points out the error of our ways, there will be little that we are willing to do about it.

Read Mathew 13:29-30

Appearances can be deceiving. The servants wanted to wade into the field and start weeding! A noble thought, but the tares and the wheat looked very similar, and as they grow together, their roots begin to intertwine, and by the time that the two plants begin to look different, we are unable to eliminate the poison without damaging the nourishment. The only way is to wait until the time of harvest has arrived. And then is the only appropriate time to separate the two – the weeds to be consigned to the fire, and the wheat brought into the kingdom. And when is that time? It may be the day we reject our life in the world, and give our life to Christ, but if we never do that, it will come to be when Christ returns, but that will be too late for us.

And the lessons?

First, we need to be aware that not only is the kingdom of God with us, but so is sin and evil. The problem, though, is that without a great deal of study and discernment and surrender to the truth of God, it is nearly impossible for us to tell the difference between the two, and we can easily be deceived. We need to be aware that both are calling for us to follow, and that only God’s way is true. Without Jesus in our lives, life becomes hopeless.

Second, we need to stay close to our Christian brothers and sisters, to trust their faith, to trust their vision, and to trust the word of God that they share with us. Without them, our blindness will prevail, and our vision may never be restored.

Third, since we normally have such a difficult time in committing to the Lord’s truth and way, and rejecting the evil of this world, we should never be too quick to condemn others for their lives. After all, we are just as guilty of sin as others are.

Fourth, we need to leave judgment up to the Eternal Judge who alone is able to know the truth of all things. We need to trust that the “Day of the Lord’s Harvest” is on its way, but since all have sinned, and have fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:22-26), who can possibly be found worthy? Our only hope is to believe in the Divine Judge, Jesus Christ, trusting in him as our Truth, our Redeemer, and our Savior. (Zechariah 3:1-10)

The point is that we are incapable of judging others fully, but we must strive to be discerning of who God would have us be and what he would have us do, and to follow him as faithfully as we can. And what is his way? To know that all that Jesus has taught, and all that he has done has been given for you and me and all who will just believe. And in that, we are called to follow as well as we can, for that is our only hope for eternal life.

We shouldn’t try to tear the “weeds” out of the lives of others, and instead, to simply introduce them to the way and life that only resides in Christ Jesus, and in those who believe in him. Jesus has already destroyed the power that evil can have over us, but we will be freed only if we trust in him. May it be so for each of us today.