I love to garden. I love to plant new seeds and watch them grow. I love to water and nurture the new plants that grow and bear beautiful blooms or even fruit or vegetables. But, I don’t love the weeds.
Matthew 13
The Story of the Sower – SEEDS
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:
“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.
14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
AT THIS POINT…
Jesus turns to His disciples who have been called from their old life to a new relationship with Him to explain the meaning of the story. They have given up everything to walk and talk with Him. They lean in on every word, seeking what they know has been missing from their lives. They want to hear to understand. They want to see to perceive clearly. They love Jesus. Jesus knows their hearts and knows of their longing. He knows they are ready to hear and understand.Jesus knows the crowds have mixed emotions and motivations. They come to Jesus to see what He will do or what He will say. He is the new novelty in town. At this point in Jesus ministry, he knows the people that gather are merely impressed with Him. He is becoming popular for healing, telling stories and teaching like no one has ever heard quite like this. But do they really believe? Are they ready to understand his true mission to save them?
Those who believe and follow Jesus, see and hear what He is really saying with a new understanding and thinking that regenerates their hearts, minds and souls.
THE SOWER
16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
AT THIS POINT…
We begin to understand the point of the parable. Not everyone who hears and repents (turns to God and away from the worldview thinking and behaving) will work to deepen their faith. The sower throws out the seed, but not all of it will grow well. The seed that goes into good soil and gets all the nourishment needed will grow healthy and strong. Good Soil Seed will multiply with more seed to be thrown!
Jesus built His church to be SEEDS of faith who live out His Word. We are to be a people in unity who not only live as seeds of faith, but do our part to provide the good soil, an environment, in which new believers (more seeds) can grow and thrive.
WEEDS…
24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.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?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 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.’”
THINK ABOUT IT…
When we come together to live life on this earth as God’s church, it is not our work to judge who will be fit for heaven and who will not. We must realize we will also live among the weeds of worldview thinking and behaving. But God will take care of the evil’s weeds growing among the believers in His time and in His way. Our work is to avoid the weeds of the devil at all costs. As believers we must dig in and stand firm, allowing our own roots to go deep into the good soil of faith. Choke out the weeds, not the seeds! We don’t want to give into the shallow growing weeds of evil that try to overcome us. Within ourselves we are created to produce more seeds to be thrown so others can can know and grow in Jesus, too.
WHAT ONE TINY SEED OF FAITH CAN DO…
The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”
34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
JESUS EXPLAINS THE WEEDS
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.”37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 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. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.
NO MORE EXPLANATION NEEDED, RIGHT?
Jesus is the Seed Sower. We are the Seeds who believe, grow, love, walk with Him in His ways, and bear more seeds to be thrown until all come to know, believe, accept and follow Jesus.
Satan is the Weed Thrower. Weeds of evil and thrown out among the Seeds of Truth to sprout and grow quickly with the sole purpose to choke out all believers who dig deeper into the Good Soil of God’s Ways. Beware and alert to the Weeds.
The angels of God will do the weeding when the Time comes.Lord,
Thank you for being the sower that produced seeds of believers who led me to You. Thank you for saving my soul. Thank you for Your Word that explains Life in You. Thank you for helping us to stand strong even among the weeds that are thrown to hamper our growing love for you. May our roots go deeper still because of our reading, hearing and seeing with understanding for Your Word today. You are Sower, I am the Seed. Help me avoid the Weeds.
In Jesus Name, Amen
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 