Wheat in the Midst
of Weeds
As I came to conclusions for the Parable of the Weeds, I
had jotted down a few sentences which I did not share publicly. I would like to
take this brief article to share those thoughts. When studying this particular
parable, one quickly begins to understand that Jesus is calling on us to be
faithful even in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. The Bible
teaches this in multiple places, and the Parable of the Weeds adds another
dimension to this teaching.
For example, we are to be wheat in the midst of weeds
(Matt 13:24-30, 36-43); salt in a flavorless society and light in a dark world
(Matt 5:13-16); stars in the night sky (Phil 2:15); in the world but not of the
world (John 17:15-16). In more straightforward language, the king says, “Do not
walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path” (Prov 1:15); and the
apostle says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2).
We are to be different. We are to be set apart to serve
the Lord in the midst of those who are hostile to His reign. That is why
endurance is needed. We must be prepared and alert to fight off the pollution
of this present, wicked age and the deceptions of the devil and his demons.
It is time that we awake from our slumber and carry out
in our lives what we confess with our mouths. There is no excuse for spiritual
weakness and faithlessness due to laziness, apathy, unpreparedness, or any of
the like. We must unleash our faith. The same old drudgery is not getting us
anywhere. We are not living in the kind of freedom that the Spirit is offering
us in the Gospel. Therefore, let us wake up; live by faith; experience the
fullness of life in Christ; be prepared, alert, and all the more fruitful as wheat
in the midst of weeds!