Raised Beds, Weeds and God
Matthew 13:24 -30, 36-43
Jesus told them another parable: “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. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. 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. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’ “
Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where 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.
I love my raised bed gardens. After last years fiasco of a garden I decided to try raised beds this year. Jacob came and as a labor of love built them for me. Once they were built all the dirt had to be hauled in…that means several truck loads of dirt and lots of shoveling. I still get sore just thinking about it…. The kids came and helped with the final touches and in the rain several weeks ago we put every seed and plant in those beds. Then I watched and waited for them to grow. And grow they did! I now have beautiful plants growing and getting ready to bear lots of tomatoes, green beans, squash, cucumbers and other veggies.
But, in the raised beds…all mixed in with those big plants are…WEEDS. All different kinds of little, ugly, persistent…weeds. The weird thing about weeds is this…I didn’t plant them. I worked so hard at preparing the soil, buying the seeds and the plants to put in those raised beds. But, weeds…not one of those did I plant. But, somehow every day when I go out and check on my vegetables…there they are…weeds.
In this passage of Scripture in Matthew Jesus tells us a parable about wheat and weeds. Wheat is planted by God and is expected to grow, bear fruit and bring a harvest. Just like my raised beds. But, something happens after the wheat has been planted…weeds APPEAR. Sorry to say, just like in my raised beds. Jesus is actually telling a story here about us. Christians…Jesus followers. We are the wheat. Then…the weeds appear. Those that are planted in this world and instead of following Jesus, they follow the evil one. There is no middle ground here….we either belong to Jesus (wheat) or we belong to the enemy (weeds).
As I was kneeling beside my raised beds this afternoon and getting my hands muddy pulling weeds, this story came to my mind. Sometimes I have to be really careful pulling the weeds out. Just like the parable says. They asked, “do we need to pull the weeds out since they’re so close to the wheat?” Jesus says, “no”. Let them stay. The truth is when I’m pulling weeds, if they are really close to the vegetable plant and the weed has put down deep roots, if I pull that weed up, chances are the good plant will come with it. I think of myself when I think of this story. Weeds, wheat and vegetables. There have been and still are times in my life when I get a little too close to “weeds.” Those that would cause me to not follow hard after Jesus…lead me into a path of sin…surround me with gossip…lying…cheating…selfishness…envy…hatred. We must be so careful who we get close to. Who we plant ourselves next to. If they do not follow Jesus and we do, planting ourselves consistently close to them could cause their roots to grow deep…close to us…changing our hearts and putting us in danger. Putting us in danger of becoming choked out…losing our source of nourishment…and ultimately dying. Losing our relationship with the One who planted us in the first place…Jesus.
There will come a day when God will call all the army of Heaven together and give the order. The GREAT trumpet blast will sound…the heavens will split open…and Jesus Himself will lead the charge. Coming with the angels and the army of Heaven, He WILL take the wheat to spend eternity with Him. In a place that is so far beyond wonderful we simply can not imagine it. But…for the weeds. He promises that they will be separated from the wheat and taken and burned. Lost forever. I cannot even stand to think about that for very long.
In this world there will be both wheat and weeds. It is not judgmental on our part to recognize one from the other and to guard ourselves. And to also reach out in love to those that don’t know Him. Jesus uses terms that even today, over 2,000 years since He walked this earth still makes sense to us. Wheat and weeds. We still have them both today. I’m learning a lot from my raised beds. We are planted in this world, wheat among weeds. Does the world know which one you are? Do they know which one I am? Wheat…or…weeds?
Sending much love,
Debbie
