Weeds n Seeds
Weeds…I hate them. I actually enjoy landscaping, but after a while weeds get in and become a problem. You have to work at getting them out, and sometimes they are almost impossible to get out when they are young and growing - mainly because if you do so you will rip out the plants/seedlings you have in that part of the garden. There are even times when immature weeds will look like the seedlings you planted. It’s only when they are more developed and established that it can be easier to identify and pull them out, that way you aren’t pulling up the plants you are actually trying to grow. Weeds grow in disturbed ground, barren ground and ground that is not healthy. They are plants that exist in places where they are not meant to be. No matter how beautiful and pleasant it might look, a plant out of place is still a weed.
Consider a beautiful rose in a garden. Its blossoms are beautiful and greatly admired and cherished by all who see them. Yet if I dig up a rose bush, and plant it in the middle of a forest, then it is a weed which doesn’t belong there - even though it may be beautiful.
In the Bible weeds represent the following:
Part of a Curse: Genesis 3:17b-18 - where the ground is cursed after Adam and Eve are banish from the Garden of Eden. Thistles and thorns will grow and they have to toil for their food.
Represent Evil or Evil People: Psalm 92:7 - where the writer of the psalm is clearly comparing evil people to weeds who are sprouting up everywhere.
Evidence of Laziness: Proverbs 24:30-31 - where Solomon is talking about how one day he was walking past the fields of a lazy farmer, where the fences were in ruins and weeds grew better than the vineyard.
Evidence of Corruption/Contamination: Matthew 13: 24-29 - Jesus about how weeds behave, and how they are represented in the Word of God - so he applies that knowledge and understanding to this situation and used it as an illustration for one of his parables. It is this example that we will have a closer look.
Matthew 13:24-29 tells us a story about a farmer who planted a field of wheat, and an enemy came along and sowed weeds into the field. It says…”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 uproot 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.’”
The context of this parable is the Kingdom of God, which includes those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ as the saviour of the world. The good seed represents the World of God which is planted in the hearts, minds and souls of people. That said, there are several key points to this parable and each has a powerful application and warning in our own lives today. So let’s look at a few shall we…?
A) “While everyone was sleeping…” - It’s easy to skip right past this part of the parable, but it is key to everything that happens within it. What it shows is that people were not being as attentive to their faith, or to their lives as they should have been. They were asleep on their watch - so to speak - and the enemy crept in and caused problems.
Consider this analogy - a robber is staking out a neighbourhood. They see people coming and going, they see those houses with security systems, guard dogs and alert. They also see people who are careless, don’t lock their doors at night. Which homes do you think the robber will target?
That is exactly what this part of the parable is talking about. The enemy only struck at those that were ‘asleep’.
B) “Enemy came sowing weeds” - The previous point serves as a warning to us. It says to us that we need to be watchful over our lives and our relationship with God, otherwise our enemy - our adversary, the devil will seek to plant things in our lives that will choke out the good things that God has placed there. The enemy will always try to destroy the work of God in your life - like ALWAYS!!! The enemy is intentional about sowing destructive and compromising things into our lives - he will always be on the offensive against us and our lives, and the lives of your friends/family. We need to remain vigilant in what we allow into our lives, and how we engage in our faith.
C) “An enemy did this…” - Recognising that the ‘weeds’ in our lives are from the devil - our enemy - is imperative to maintaining our spiritual and emotional health. By recognising the source of things that are attacking you, or bringing you down, or are diminishing your relationship with God - then you can fight it with the proper spiritual weaponry that you have.
Ephesians 6:12 is a well recognised scripture which says “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.”
This scripture should help us in recognise what we are truly struggling with. Wether it be issues with people at work, discouragement over peoples perceptions of you, lustful thoughts, greed, anger, coveting what others have etc etc etc…these things are weeds that Satan has sown into your heart, mind and spirit to bring you to a place of spiritual stagnation.
D) “Do not pull up the weeds until the harvest is ready” - Know when to address your issues. If you do it when you aren’t ready to, or mature enough to do it properly - then the weeds will come right back up. Pulling weeds up by the roots is a real thing when weeding. If you just pull it by the stem or the leaves, then it might just snap off - it looks like you have removed the weed - but its roots remain, and from those roots comes new growth.
Let’s say you have just planted a bunch of vegetable seedlings, and a few days later weeds start to sprout alongside your seedlings. If you try to pull up the weeds, then you will certainly pull up your seedlings (which can damage them, and cause them to die). The reason the seedlings come up as well, is that their roots have not had time to set and grow deeper into the ground. So it is important to let them grow so that you can identify them properly, and you can pull them out by the roots. In your life, the issues you face and their impact on your physical and emotional health, and your spiritual health all have roots - be they negative events that you have experienced (particularly when you were younger), things you have witnessed, things that you have done that you are not proud of, and poor decisions that have hurt others (and yourself). Everything has a root in your life - both the good and the bad. You need to learn how to pull up the roots of the weeds, and not tear up the fruitful things in your life.
E) “Separate the harvest from the weeds, and destroy the weeds” - people (or animals for that matter) can’t consume a harvest if there are weeds in it, as most weeds are inedible and may be toxic. So we need to take the time to separate them from the things that is bearing fruit in our lives. Once they are separated from the harvest, then the harvest is useful. But with the weeds still in it, then the harvest will be unusable.
The other thing about weeds is that they are often prolific producers of seeds. Those seeds will produce offspring for years to come. The same is in our lives. Sometimes we think we have removed the weeds, but the offspring of those things remain in our lives. In order to stop the seeds from reaching maturity - you need to pull up the weed before they form.
Jesus knew what he was talking about, and he knew that there would be times in our lives when we are not paying attention, and the enemy creeps in to lay seeds that will harm us. The key is to be alert, know who your enemy is, be able to identify the weeds in your life and be mature enough to know when to get rid of them before they take seed and infect your life for years to come.
May the Lord our God be with you in these days. May he strengthen your faith, give you courage and bless you with the discernment to be able to fight your enemy. May he give you the ability to see what the enemy is trying to do in your life, and the encouragement to fight against it. If there are weeds in your life, that you are struggling to identify and remove I pray that the Holy Spirit helps convict you of those things, and illuminates the weeds that have been planted by the enemy to derail your life.