MATTHEW 13:24-29;38-40

To harvest the highest quality wheat, there are a few things that need to be done. You need to water the seeds immediately after planting. Next, put out flags or streamers to act as noisemakers to deter birds and other animals that might eat your crop of wheat. You need to fertilize the wheat twice during its growth period so that it grows stronger than the weeds as they are one of the greatest threats to the wheat.

We are called to be Christian realists. We are put here to work according to His will on earth and demonstrate our faith to others. This has to be done in the face of constant pressure between good and evil. We must recognize that the world is a challenging place full of weeds. How do we deal with the weeds in the fields of life? Some people are very difficult to deal with as they always want things to be done their way or not at all.  Some people don’t seem to understand the difference between right and wrong.

Jesus’ remarkable advice when discussing how to deal with the weeds in the field is to let them be! God will take care of them. Jesus said the “wheat” are the children of God. The “weeds” are the Pretenders. in Matthew 13:38-39, Jesus said, ” The field is the world, and the good seeds are God’s children who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those people who belong to the Evil One. And the enemy who planted the bad seeds is the devil. The harvest time is the end of the world, and the workers who gather are God’s angels. Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.”

The “children of evil” exist everywhere. In this time of muddled morals in a world that seems to be so full of evil, we as Christians need to stand tall like the wheat and spread the wonderful, hopeful word of God. We need to act as agents for positive change in our society. Sometimes life becomes discouraging as it seems that there are more weeds than wheat. In Romans 12:22, Paul reminds us, “Do not let evil conquer you, but use good to defeat evil.”

Christ suffered and died to block the road to evil. He is the impressive Christian symbol of the confident belief in the power of good, its growth, and victory over evil. Optimism, which is found in the gospel, has been confirmed throughout the history of the church.  It allows Christians to sow the seeds of good amongst the unwanted weeds in life. We will have a good life and a good harvest if we follow Him.