24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.
30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
Matthew 13:24-30
Questions for Reflection:
How helpful is it when processing life in this world to hear Jesus say that He has an enemy at work wreaking havoc in God's field? Does it explain a lot?
Does it feel like a relief or a restriction to hear Jesus say that separating out the weeds is His job for later not the servants job now?
Having weeds and wheat growing together makes for a messy field. How reflective is this of the real life you live and the real world you live in?
Prayer of the Week:
Lord Jesus, I come to You now to be restored in You, to be renewed in You and to receive all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor You as my Lord and God and surrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to You. Thank You for loving me so very much and I now intentionally enter that love relationship with You as I pray.
Jesus, I admit that there are times I don’t “get” You. I don’t understand how You and the Father and the Spirit are working at this moment in my life and in my world. (Take a couple of moments and candidly admit frustrations with Jesus and situations where you find it difficult and frustrating to trust and obey Him.)
Even as I admit these frustrations I am, in some way, surrendering them to You. You are God and I am not. You see a much bigger picture than I do. I surrender to You – not in a sense cynical defeat but in life giving faith. Jesus, I believe in You. Help my unbelief.
Holy Spirit, I need Your counsel, comfort, strength and guidance. I ask You to fill me afresh with Your presence and life so that I might see the many little ways Your kingdom is breaking in to this broken world. I want to see and seize the opportunities You are giving me to share love and forgiveness, grace and kindness, truth and justice, sacrifice and service, joy and compassion, words and actions all done in Your name as small but vital parts of Your kingdom breaking into our broken world.
I thank You so much for calling me to be Your child, to be Your witness in this world and contend for Your kingdom even in small and seemingly insignificant ways. It is refreshing to know that little things done in Your name do matter and matter greatly. Thank You for being the kind of God where someone as insignificant as me can matter so very much to You. I love You,
Amen
