“Weeds, Wheat, Seeds, and Dough”

(Matthew 13:24-43)

Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

September 15, 2019

The Passage

Matthew 13:24-43

24 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. 26 When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27 The landowner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he told them. “‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him. 29 “‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’”

31 He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.” 33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and mixed into fifty pounds of flour until all of it was leavened.”

34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables, and he did not tell them anything without a parable, 35 so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: I will open my mouth in parables; I will declare things kept secret from the foundation of the world.

36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He replied: “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. 40 Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered 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 gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness. 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 their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.

Introductory Comments:

We’re back in the book of Matthew after a short break.  

We’re right in the middle of a section where Jesus is teaching in parables. He has gained a lot of followers, made some enemies, and is continuing to teach through parables and bless others through miracles. 

Today, Jesus is going to teach us more about the kingdom of heaven. 

Before we dive into these parables, let’s go to God in prayer.

(prayer)

Have you ever had some things mixed together that all of a sudden became a pain to sort? In our house, it’s Legos. We get Legos mixed up with things all the time. I firmly believe that at this point we don’t have any container of Legos in our house that doesn’t have something else mixed in. 

Well, today Jesus shares a parable about some things being mixed together. Through this parable, and others, Jesus is teaching us about the kingdom of heaven. 

Remember, Jesus has already been sharing through parables. Last time we were in Matthew we heard about the message of the kingdom being received in four different ways. We learned that the good seed that takes root will eventually lead to someone who produces good fruit in the kingdom of God. 

Today, Jesus will talk about the kingdom of heaven. There were a lot of ideas about what the kingdom was like, so Jesus sought to bring clarity about what it’s really like, and