Jesus often compares the kingdom of heaven to seeds. Of course the most famous parable is the one about the sower sowing seeds. Some fall on good soil while most fall on rocky ground and are eaten by birds. This morning I was reading Matthew 13. Here Jesus is telling multiple parables regarding the kingdom of heaven being like seeds. I want to focus on the second parable today.
Parable Of The Wheat and Tares
“He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’ Matthew 13:24-30 ESV
What Are The Seeds
Seeing that Jesus had just finished telling the parable of the sower, and then proceeded to tell this parable, I think we can assume that the good seeds the farmer planted in this parable is also the word of God. God’s word has been planted in many hearts over the years. There has never been a time in history where truth can be discovered no matter who you are. I personally have several different Bible apps on my phone. I have access to multiple versions of the Bible on each app. One app has the ability to show me what words mean in the original language. We no longer have to buy expensive books and spend hours searching for what words mean, or how this same verse is worded in another version. Now all of that is literally at our fingertips.
With all the easy access to truth, we still have a real enemy who tries his best to kill any and all truth that is planted in our hearts. Remember, it is with our hearts we believe. (Romans 10:9). This is where the weeds that were planted come into play. Anytime truth is proclaimed there is always a concerted effort to drown out the truth with lies. We must choose who we are going to listen to.
Truth And Lies Look Similar
The thing about truth and lies is they sometimes look very similar. Sometimes it is extremely difficult to discern what is truth and what is a lie. This is where knowing what the Bible says and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit become not just essential but of utmost importance. We cannot afford to be lazy Christians. The days of going to a church building on Sundays, getting filled with the word, and then going about our week without spending any time with God until the next Sunday is long gone. Personally, I think there has never been a time when living a Christian life like that was ok. However, we are bombarded with lies all around us each and every day. We must be diligent to know what to believe.
Lies We Are Fed
What are some lies we are all bombarded with every day? There are many, but since I have recently discussed our illegitimate president, I’ll start with that. When we choose to listen to the world we hear, “This was the most secure election in history.” “It has been proven there was absolutely no fraud in this election.” Is that the truth though? The mere fact they feel the need to declare those statements over and over and over tells me something is smelly.
Truth doesn’t need to be defended. Lies do, though. I even saw an interview late last year where the host was demanding that the guy he was interviewing declare there was no fraud and that this past election was the most secure election in history. I was proud of the guy being interviewed for not bowing down to the intimidation. He simply stated we need to examine all the evidence to make sure those statements are true.
The thing is, the same people declaring no fraud seem to be the same people who don’t want to look at any evidence. If what they say is true, why are they afraid of looking at the evidence to ensure what they believe is true? Truth doesn’t need to be hidden. Truth is always truth no matter what.
As of this writing we are still waiting for the official results in the Arizona audit. We don’t yet know the extent of the fraud and deception that occurred in just that one county. We do know there are discrepancies in the number of ballots cast and the number of ballots they actually have. No fraud, huh!
What Happens To The Lies and Truth
Let’s get back to the wheat and tares parable. Here’s the thing, both the wheat and tares are allowed to grow together. To an untrained eye both the wheat and weeds may look alike at first. However, when they are full grown it is obvious which plants are wheat and which are weeds. What happens when harvest comes? God tells the reapers to gather the weeds (lies) first and throw them into the fire. Then they are to gather the wheat (truth) and store them in his barn. Lies can never stand up against the truth. Truth will always win. Lies die when the light of truth shines upon them.
Our Job
How can we discern what is truth and what are lies? Like I said earlier, this is where the Bible and the Holy Spirit come into play. We need to know what the Bible says so we can easily say, “No, that’s not true. The Bible clearly states ____.” Likewise we need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13 ESV
We can ask Holy Spirit what the truth is and he will show us. We must choose who we are going to listen to. Are we going to listen to the media, whom Brett and I have nicknamed the prophets of Baal, or are we going to listen to the voice of God? We have a choice.
Now more than ever we need to tune our ears to the voice of Holy Spirit. He will direct us to the truth about everything going on in our world. He loves truth. Truth is who he is. Will you pray with me to receive and hear the truth that Holy Spirit wants us to know?
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we need you. We desperately need your truth. You see everything; you hear everything; you know everything. Your truth is the truest truth there can ever be. We need your perspective. Thank you for revealing yourself to us and for revealing truth to us. Thank you, Jesus, for being the way, the life, and the truth. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for guiding us into all truth. We surrender to your leading and listen to your voice. What lies have we believed about you, about ourselves, or about someone or something around us? What is the truth about you, about me, and about the people around me? We pause right now to listen to your voice. Thank you for speaking. Thank you that you’ve given us ears to hear your voice, just as Jesus says that his sheep know his voice. In Jesus’s name, amen!
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