A Parable for “Tarable” Times

“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….

“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.’” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 ESV)

In the End, the King Wins

Satan is the enemy in the story. Satan has tried to thwart God’s plan from the beginning.

In heaven
In the Garden of Eden
In the desert temptation
In the Garden of Gethsemane
On the cross
In the church

Despite the efforts of man, the efforts of Satan, and all the forces of evil of this world arrayed against him, God’s plan will be accomplished. He will redeem a people unto his own, and his kingdom will be established forever and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Why is this comforting? Because for now the world is mixed. Good and evil coexist. In fact, at times it’s hard to tell the difference between them. We live in this time of tension between how things appear today and what the Bible says it will be like some day. Let’s face it, there are many times we think, what is the deal? We cry out to God, “How long O Lord?”

What frustration do you have? What impossible circumstance do you find yourself in? What hopeless situation is your family facing? Fear not believer! Despite the onslaught of Satan himself, the kingdom of God will advance, it will overcome, and God will win. The gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Anyone have a DVR? Have you ever recorded a ball game only to have someone tell you who won? It totally changes the way you watch the game. The Cubs made the World Series. Your daughter happens to be getting married during Game 7. It’s the only way you would miss that game. At the reception someone says, “Cubs win! Cubs win!”

You get home and you decide to watch it anyway. They are down two in the first inning. They are down four in the second. They are down eight in the third. Are you sweating? Are you scared? They are down 10 in the fourth and 12 in the fifth. Are you worried yet? Are you terrorized yet? No. Why? You already know the final score.

In spite of wickedness all around us and corruption in government and immoral and violent behavior promoted and celebrated, and in spite of personal tragedies and struggles and trials of every kind, we know who wins in the end. The King wins and with him all those in his kingdom. “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV) Jesus will win and if he is your King, your future is victory with him.

“And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo! his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth:
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill:
God’s truth abideth still.
His Kingdom is forever.” (Martin Luther, A Mighty Fortress is Our God)

©2016 Steve DeWitt. You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that: (1) you credit the author, (2) any modifications are clearly marked, (3) you do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction, (4) you include Bethel’s website address (www.bethelweb.org) on the copied resource.

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