Weeds among the wheat

Yesterday, while I was driving in my car to work I was listening to the ESV version of The Listener's Bible read by Max Mclean. I was listening to the book of Matthew at the time when it came to chapter 13.

 

It was verses 24-30 that spoke to me:

 

(24) He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,  (25)  but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.  (26)  So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.  (27)  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?'  (28)  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?'  (29)  But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.  (30)  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.'"

Mat 13:24-30 ESV

 

The man sowed his good seed in order to produce wheat. However, the enemy came in secret and sowed weeds among the wheat. There is a particular weed that looks very much like wheat. It is called bearded darnel. Before the wheat starts bearing grain they look very similar. Yet, when the grain shows, then you can discern between the wheat and the weed. This is what happened in our parable.

 

It still amazes me that the church can be so gullible to believe that every person or preacher that names the name of Christ is a genuine Christian. From this story we learn that this is not true.

 

For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Jud 1:4 ESV

 

The old saying that if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and sounds like a duck then it must be a duck is decidedly false when we take this parable into account. However, this has been the way many in the church have looked at it. It is because of this attitude that people like T.D. Jakes, Tommy Tenney and the Word-of-Faith preachers (Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyer, et al) have been accepted as the real deal into the charismatic church especially. Please note that not all charismatics accept these people.

I am not suggesting a doctrinal witch hunt; however, we do need doctrinal discernment. The idea is not to be suspicious of everyone, but rather to give people the benefit of the doubt until they reveal themselves to be "weeds."

 

Yet, many in the church will do absolutely nothing even when the "weeds" are revealed! We cannot allow the "weeds" to continue choking our people while remaining quiet about them. We have to alert the church when "weeds" have infiltrated us.

 

I know, it is not our job to remove the "weeds" from the harvest field. That is God's job. However, that does not mean that we should just sit still and hope for the best. "Que sera, sera!"

 

It is up to every Christian to remain vigilant and "to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints." (Jd 3)

 

Just thinking...