City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

³⁶ Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. ³⁹ The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

⁴⁰ “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

Matthew 13:36-43 (NLT)

Aisha’s Analysis

There are a few things that can be deduced from today’s scriptures: (1) the people of God’s Kingdom and those who belong to the evil one are currently co-mingled, (2) we’re in a holding pattern until harvest-time, and (3) God will ultimately sort it all out in the end. 

These scriptures teach us to trust God’s wisdom, discernment, and sovereignty. In an ideal world there wouldn’t be any weeds, only wheat right? But right now, that’s not the case, and maybe there’s a reason for it. As it stands, the wheat and the weeds need each other. The roots of the wheat and the weeds are intertwined. This implies there’s an intended purpose for believers and not-yet-believers. 

In John 17, Jesus specifically prayed: I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth (John 17:15-19 NLT).

The above scriptures show us that Jesus sends us into the world just as God, the Father, sent Jesus into the world: to save it. Who is to say the weeds around us cannot be transformed by God’s grace just as all believers are? If we’re honest, weren’t we all weeds at one point? 

It’s also interesting to note that wheat and weeds (or tares) are nearly indistinguishable. It’s not for us to determine who God considers to be wheat and who’s a weed. We should let God do that. All we have to do as believers is focus on growing in Christ and being faithful right where we’re at. We can trust God to sort it all out in the end. 

Application

As mentioned above, God is allowing believers to be planted with not-yet-believers for a purpose. One, we (believers) have not yet reached full maturity. God is using the situations that arise from being co-mingled with not-yet-believers to help us grow and refine our character. 

Additionally, the people around us who have not yet placed their faith in Christ can be positively impacted and wonderfully blessed by being around believers. Experiencing the grace and truth that Christ brings can have a transformative effect. 

That being said, today’s application is not to fret about the “weeds” in your life. Trust that there’s a purpose for it now, and let God sort it out when the time comes. 

Prayer

Father God, thank You for placing me exactly where I am. It isn’t always easy, but I pray in the end it’ll be worth it. Give me the grace to endure until harvest time. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.