He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while people were sleeping, his enemy came, sowed weeds among the wheat, and left. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, then the weeds also appeared. The landowner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Master, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he told them.
“‘So, do you want us to go and pull them up?’ the servants asked him.
“‘No,’ he said. ‘When you pull up the weeds, you might also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I’ll tell the reapers: Gather the weeds first and tie them in bundles to burn them, but collect the wheat in my barn.’”
Matthew 13:24-30 (CSB)
There is something in this parable that I have wondered about for a quite a while. I don’t know the actual numbers but I know that quite a few Christians (especially those in America) believe in the “Left Behind” view of the end times. Dispensational Pre-Millenialism is a commonly held belief among many. I do want to acknowledge that it isn’t held by all. I (for one) do not feel it is the best explanation for what is going to happen. It did exist before those books became wildly popular. I remember being taught it when I was a kid in the 1970s. Hal Lindsey published The Late, Great Planet Earth in 1970 and followed it up with several books over the next decade. Space prohibits me from discussing the ins and outs of this view (perhaps I will at a later date) but I do want to briefly discuss the “Rapture” and how this passage may or may not relate.
In simple terms, the “Rapture” teaches that at some point in the future all Christians will vanish and non-believers with be “left behind” to deal with all sorts of nasty things during a period called the “Tribulation” until Jesus comes back and establishes a kingdom here on earth. That is just one particular view (there are several) on what will happen at the end of time. Most of them share the belief that all Christians will be mysteriously taken away. This is what I was taught most of my life. There are Bible verses (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18) quoted to support this view. However, I rarely hear people bring up this passage from Matthew when discussing the return of Christ.
Jesus says that the farmer sows good seed in the field but his enemy comes at night and sows weeds alongside the wheat. Both begin to grow and the farmer’s workers notice the weeds. Understandably, they are concerned. They offer to go and pull up the weeds but the farmer doesn’t allow them to. He tells them that in their efforts to rid the field of the weeds they may inadvertently pull up some of the wheat. They are to let both grow until the time of harvert and then the appointed reapers will pull up the weeds first and then collect the harvest.
Before I share my thoughts I think we should look at how Jesus explained this parable to his disciples. It may be surprising to us today but they didn’t always get what Jesus was trying to say to them.
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He replied, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world; and the good seed—these are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Therefore, just as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom all who cause sin and those guilty of lawlessness. They will throw them into the blazing furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. Let anyone who has ears listen.
Matthew 13:36-43 (CSB)
Jesus identfies the sower as himself. That much is obvious. The good seed are those who hear and accept his message. The weeds are sown by Satan and are those who reject Jesus as the Messiah. Notice that both of them are found in the kingdom. I think it is safe to assume (it doesn’t actually say) that the workers represent the disciples. The reapers (according to Jesus) are angels who somehow play a role in the final harvest. If the Church is the present day manifestation of the kingdom then one of the messages to us is that it is not our place to judge a person’s eternal destination. We can’t see someone’s heart. In our zealousness we may harm authentic believers. That doesn’t mean we allow sin to run rampant (that’s another post) but we are not the final judge.
The second thing I want to bring up (and thus the reason for this post) is that the weeds are taken out first. This is true in both the parable and the explanation. Jesus says that the harvest is the end of the age and I believe it is safe to assume he is talking about his second coming. If this is true then (according to Jesus) the wicked will be taken away before the righteous. I confess that I have not done an exhaustive search of every “Left Behind” teaching but that does not seem to fit a secret rapture of Christians. To my eyes it reads the exact opposite.
I am not one to get bent out of shape over one’s eschatological (end times) views because truthfully, there are just some things we cannot know. I do have my own personal views and I find that they continually evolve the more I read and and seriously study Scripture. One of my goals for this blog is to share some of the things I come across in my daily reading this year. Sometimes I will confirm things I already believe but it is possible that I will be challenged as well. I hope to use this place to deal with both. If you are taking the time to read this I gladly invite you to join the conversation.
Grace and peace.
That 80s Pastor Dude 