Matthew 13:24 Yeshua put before them another parable. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while people were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, then went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads of grain, 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 have the weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants asked him, ‘Then do you want us to go and pull them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, because if you pull up the weeds, you might uproot some of the wheat at the same time. 30 Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest-time I will tell the reapers to collect the weeds first and tie them in bundles to be burned, but to gather the wheat into my barn.’”
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His talmidim approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world. As for the good seed, these are the people who belong to the Kingdom; and the weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. 39 The enemy who sows them is the Adversary, the harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send forth his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all the things that cause people to sin and all the people who are far from Torah; 42 and they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where people will wail and grind their teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear!
The nice thing about this parable is that Yeshua gave us the interpretation so we don’t need to spend much time unpacking its meaning. But there is one aspect I’d like to focus on:
When a new believer sprouts up, it’s hard to distinguish them between the wheat and the weed. It takes time to determine this but once it’s large enough, you’ll know. But that does not ensure there are no challenges throughout their growth.
By the time the seed has sprouted into its stalk, the weeds have had enough time to grow a root system that was intertwined with the roots of the wheat. Removing the weed from the life of the wheat would cause them both to get uprooted and die. So it is allowed to stay.
Interestingly enough, it is because of the wheat that the weed gets to live. We sometimes wonder how it’s possible for wicked people to exist in the world but I think we have the answer right here. It’s because of us.
If there were no righteous, the entire field could be burned -- or flooded. (see: the Flood and Sodom/Gomorrah)
The fact that they are here is proof that there are righteous people on the earth. The remnant may be small but there are at least enough to prevent the field from being destroyed.
But a time is coming when the stalks have become fully mature and the harvest is ready. At that time, the weeds will be bundled and thrown into the fire. Welcome to the Book of Revelation.
Above ground it looked as though these two plants were close but disconnected. They may have cast shadows on one another possibly causing a decline in its full production, but below ground we find the roots were woven and locked together. They fought for the same water and the same nutrients in the same soil.
The growth of the wheat may have been less than it could have been if nothing had been there taking what it needed to grow tall and mighty. Even though it was clear which were wheat and which were weeds, the fact that they fought for the same ground created stunted growth.
Want to know why you aren’t living a fully abandoned life? It’s because you’re competing with the weeds.
Your enemies will not be magically removed from your life. They aren't supposed to be.
Weeds tend to have roots that are shallow so you must drive your own roots down deep in order to reach nutrients and water the weeds can never find.
Yes, these people are frustrating and trying to take your life from you. And if you live at the surface of your beliefs, you will die. Or at minimum, your growth will be severely stunted. There is no way to grow and yield more seed when you share the surface of the ground with the weeds.
How many weeds do you have around you right now that are robbing you of what you need to grow into the fullest stalk of wheat you can be?
We can all tell who the “bad” people are in our lives. But what if these weeds aren’t your direct enemy? What if they are your friend?
How many people have you brought close that may not be overtly evil and mean, but are weeds nonetheless?
Whether you acknowledge their role in your life or not does not prevent them from taking nutrients and water from your growth. You’ll join in on the judgments, jokes, and gossip as if you are a weed yourself. No one will be able to distinguish you from those things that will be gathered and burned at the End of the Age.
But you can’t climb into a hole and avoid these people altogether. You can’t and you shouldn't.
So instead of trying to get them removed, use them to push your roots even deeper.
If you are the one with the thicker stalk and growing high above them all, the weeds will wonder how on earth you’ve done it. They may see that there is something deeper that brings life and life to its fullest.
They may even come to realize that the Harvesters are seeking grain and not thorns when they come to collect everyone either into the barn or into the fire.
They will abandon life along the surface and die on their own. The Sower can then put that new seed into the ground and have them grow into the wheat they are called to be.
But all of this is up to you.
Either the weed will choke the wheat or the wheat will choke the weed.
Not sure which you are? Ask the Sower what the Harvesters plan to do with you.
Dig deep and live, or stay shallow and die. Be wise and choose life.
Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let him hear!