“…The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away… Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds…” Matthew 13:24-29 (NLT)
Reading about weeds, apparently, they can be harmful to humans if consumed. It is said to have a bitter taste which when eaten causes dizziness, and often acts as an aggressive nauseant. In short, it is poisonous!
Weeds in their growth and form have a strong resemblance to genuine wheat. It is extremely difficult to separate from the genuine wheat, because of its similarity.
It is understood that farmers who generally “weed” their fields, do not attempt to separate one from the other. The roots of the two are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate them without plucking up both. Therefore, they must be left to grow together until the time of harvest.
The field represents the world, not just the church.
There are many religious organisations in the world where their belief, teachings and practices are contrary to the teachings of Jesus. We have in the past seen false prophets and teachers emerge from some of these organisations leading many people astray. That is why it is important not to just accept what comes from the pulpit just because a popular “man of God” is the mouthpiece.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to hear and understand what’s being said and what’s not being said. We need to be like the Berean people who after hearing Paul and Silas preach, went back and searched the scriptures to confirm what they’ve heard is true. “And the people of Berea were more open-minded…and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” Acts 17:11 (NLT)
“Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.” Matthew 13:40-41 (NLT)
Weeds are indistinguishable from wheat until the fruit appears just before harvest. Until Christ returns, both genuine and counterfeits will be allowed to remain, live and work together.
The job of uprooting the weeds is reserved for the angels. I believe that any attempt of man to undertake this task before harvest day will only damage the true or genuine believers.
Interestingly, the weeds and the wheat were left to grow together considering the “toxic” nature of weeds. We need to guard against the toxic and poisonous nature of those who pretend to speak for God but really are agents of the devil.
To guard against these, we need to first surrender to Christ, abide in Him and let His word abide in us. It is only by this we can spot when someone is fake and when they preach a different gospel.
Stay blessed,
LaraLex
Hills and Valleys 