Do you use weed killer on your lawn? A lot of people do because most of us don’t like weeds. We have always used weed killer because we want our yard to look good. But my wife and I are trying to come up with viable alternatives to the harsh chemicals that are typically used around our house.
Jesus told a parable about the Wheat and the Weeds (Tares in the King James Version) in Matthew 13:24-30. In this story, Jesus tells us that a man sowed good seed in his field but when he slept and enemy came and sowed weeds in the field. When the wheat started growing the workers saw the weeds growing too. So they asked the man if he used good seed and he said that he did. They wanted to know if they should root up the weeds, but the man said no, let both of them grow together and then gather the weeds first and burn them and after that gather the wheat and put it into the barn.
In Matthew 13:36-43, Jesus explains the parable to his disciples. He said that the sower is Jesus himself and the field is the world. The good seed is representative of children of the kingdom (believers) and the weeds represent the children of the wicked one (unbelievers who are deceived by Satan). The devil sows the weeds in with the wheat. The reapers represent the angels.
At the end of the age, Jesus will send forth His angels and they will gather the wicked and they will be cast into a furnace of fire where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. The righteous will shine in the kingdom of God.
What a stark contrast. Please notice that in verse 41 Jesus describes the wicked as those who offend; those who do iniquity (sin) and they will be thrown into Hell. Please notice that Jesus describes it as a place where there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Let that sink in for a moment. Have you ever suffered so much pain that you literally cried out in anguish? Have you ever been in so much pain that you gnashed your teeth together?
This is very serious. We are all sinners, but some of us are repentant sinners. We recognize that we have sinned against our Holy God; against the One who gave us life and every breath we take. We understand that we can never undo our sins. We can never be good enough to save ourselves. We can never do enough good to wipe out the bad things we’ve done. We understand our utter and sheer depravity.
Because we’ve reached that state, we’ve cried out to God to be merciful to us. We’ve asked God to save us from the damnation we deserve. We’ve turned away from our sins and surrendered our lives to the only true Savior – Jesus Christ. And now God sees us through the righteousness of His Son (Romans 3:22). God no longer sees us as guilty sinners. We’ve been washed clean. Jesus bore our sins upon Himself while He hung on the cross.
Are you wheat ( a believer) or a weed (an unbeliever, an unrepentant sinner)? There are only two choices and you only have this life time to get it right. If you have never turned your life over to Jesus, what’s stopping you from doing it right now? What sin do you love so much that you are willing to suffer for all of eternity for? Please, I beg you, don’t die in your sins and be cast into Hell forever. Don’t let your sin separate you from our Loving God forever. Turn from your sins. Repent! Put your faith in Jesus and in Him alone. Do this today and receive everlasting life.