Matthew 13:24-25 “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.”

This is one of the few parables Jesus told for which he later gave the interpretation. A little later he told the disciples, “The field is the world” (vs. 38). Even though the parable is about how things work “in the kingdom of heaven,” Jesus is not talking about heaven above, or even the church on earth. The field in this case includes the whole planet on which we live.

“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man (that’s Jesus). The field is the world, and the good seed stand for the sons of the kingdom” (vs. 37-38). If you are a believer, you are a “son of the kingdom.” You have been planted here by Jesus himself. He prepared for this planting by fulfilling God’s law for us, taking our sins on his shoulders, and dying on the cross in our place. When he planted that good news in our hearts, at our baptisms and in the preaching of his word, he made us his sons and daughters by faith. Then we became his good seed, planted in this world.

And he left us here for good reason. You plant wheat because you want to harvest a crop. That crop is more wheat. With Christians, Jesus wants more believers just like the ones he planted. We are here to reproduce ourselves, so to speak.

That’s why the weeds are a problem. “But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared” (vs. 25-26). The enemy, Jesus later tells us, is the devil. The weeds are the “sons of the evil one.” They are the unbelieving. The picture Jesus chooses is an interesting one. It appears that the kind of weed to which he is referring is darnel. It is a plant that looks very much like wheat. It even produces a seed head when mature. But darnel kernels are mildly poisonous. Eating them will make you sick. Just a few mixed with your wheat can ruin a harvest.

So we come to the tension. “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?” “An enemy did this,” he replied. The servants asked him, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” “No,” he answered, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest” (vs. 27-30). Any time you leave weeds in a garden or a field, you endanger the good plants. The weeds compete for water and sunshine and space and nutrients. The plants you want may become weak and even die.

That’s the way it is for us Christians in this world. Our faith and life is endangered by the “weeds.” World-wide, no one dies for their faith more often than Christians do, whether at the hands of those who follow other religions or hostile governments.

Then there is spiritual sickness and death by temptation. Christians are surrounded by people inviting them to throw off their faith. Give up your marriage if you don’t find it fulfilling anymore. Give in to the lure of pornography, drugs or same sex attraction. Make money, or career, or sports, or travel the center of your life. We are surrounded by vast crowds cheering us on as we move farther and farther from the faith. It’s not hard to understand why the owner’s servants ask about the weeds, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”

But the Lord’s answer is, “No.” At the present time they must be tolerated, “because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.” Wheat and darnel look very much alike for much of their growing life. So do many believers and unbelievers. Even though someone may leave us no doubt that he is not a Christian today, do we know what God’s plan is for him in the future?

Nabeel Qureshi came to the United States from Pakistan to go to college and to spread Islam. Once here, he became a Christian evangelist and author leading many more Muslims to Christ. Rosaria Champagne-Butterfield was an atheist, lesbian activist who despised Jesus and those who follow him. Today she is the wife of a man who pastors a Christian congregation and has raised a family with him.

Wheat or weeds: how would you have guessed? We Christians may long for the security of living in a world where we will not be attacked for our faith. Our Lord has different priorities. Now he tolerates the unbelieving in his world. It is their time of grace, their time to repent and believe the good news. Now his people live with danger to their souls. Weeding God’s field, removing the unbeliever by force, is not our job.