LEARNING DAILY

 

Matthew 13:37-39a, He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, …”

 

In Matthew 13;24-30, Jesus tells a parable about a field that had been sown with wheat but one went into the field and also sowed tares over the original crop. These tares looked identical to the wheat, but actually had no market value. It was only at the time of the harvest that the farmer could distinguish between the wheat and the tares. The teaching was at the harvest – and it is coming – the wheat and tares would be separated; the tares will be burned and the wheat will be gathered into the barn (heaven) (from the notes of the David Jeremiah Study Bible).

 

The message today at Community Bible Church is the beginning of series of messages concerning “Trends” being faced in our world today. You might want to check out the message at OnlineChurch.com. Be sure it is from Community Bible Church with Dr. Ed Newton. I could not help but think about the evil that is in the world as I listened today; it was too difficult not to consider evil. Evil has been around since Adam and Eve were deceived into biting into the fruit from the tree forbidden them to eat by God. So, evil entered into the world because of disobedience and continues today because people are evil. Evil is sown into the world by the devil, according to the parable Jesus told.

 

The “sons of the kingdom” seem to mean all people described as God’s people, those who have asked Jesus Christ to save them, change them, and are walking on the narrow way into eternal life in the kingdom of God. The “sons of the wicked one” are those who have rejected Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, belong to the devil and are walking on a broad way that leads to destruction. Do you notice the narrow way and the broad way are the only options; there is no middle way The parable is clear that the One who sows good seeds is God alone.

 

The devil is the one who plants the bad seed along the side of the good seed. He is the enemy and the reason there is evil in the world. Far too many people desire the things of the world – wealth, things, position, pride – that cause them to reject the Lord Jesus Christ. People who desire worldly praise and things gravitate away from Jesus Christ and a biblical way of living because they misunderstand the teaching of God’s Word; they believe His way is a way of poverty and meekness (what they define as weakness.).  They have allowed “culture to define the Bible instead of the Bible defining what culture is” (Dr. Ed Newton).

 

Jeremiah 17:9 states, “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” Evil is continually growing darker. Free will, the ability to choose to do good or do evil is always at the center of what a person does. I believe the only hope is for each one of us to choose to do good; the only way that can happen is to choose to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and to allow Him to change us as we walk a narrow way, a biblical way.  He changes us by changing our heart, so we diligently seek Him, His truth and His way each day for our lives.

 

The rest of verse 39 tells us, “the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.” Verse 40 continues, “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age.” Know that evil will be destroyed at the end of the age. Is that time near? I would suggest that it is. The only way to live as true children of God is to live life on the narrow way. Those on this narrow way are being forgiven and cleansed of all unrighteousness and being prepared for the harvest to come when the Lord Jesus Christ will be their righteousness.