Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 on biblegateway.com
Verse 24He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; Verse 25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. Verse 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. Verse 27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' Verse 28He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' Verse 29But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Verse 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" Verse 36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." Verse 37He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; Verse 38the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, Verse 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Verse 40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Verse 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, Verse 42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Verse 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Devotion
Every day we are reminded in so many different ways that the world is not the way God wants it to be. Jesus understood that very well, so he gave us this parable to remind us that although there are evil forces at work in our world which we would try to overcome on our own, we need to be wise and patient. The enemies of the gospel are real and can never be ignored. It is important for us to continue to work to change the world because God has not abandoned us to their power. God remains faithful, but in the end, it doesn’t depend completely on what we do to overcome evil. God is the sower and the seed God has sown is good. God will show us the way, and if we rely on God’s guidance and strength, we will see God’s victory in our lives.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the sower of the good seed and the Lord of the harvest. When we are troubled by the evil around us and the sin within us, keep us from despair. Grant us repentance, faith, and patience. Preserve us by your grace and fix our hope on the day when you will gather your people into your eternal kingdom; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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