Sermon Text - Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost 

Isaiah 44:6-8 
Romans 8:18-27 
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. 

One way of looking at the parables of Jesus is that they are short stories. Some of the parables are explained, some are not. But just as a short story that is written by a gifted writer leads us into new insights and questions, so do Jesus’ parables. He uses familiar settings and scenes, but by the end of either the parable or His explanation, we may find ourselves feeling oddly uneasy. It’s as if Jesus is looking into our own crooked hearts and speaking right to us. He speaks the truth in love. Yet, his truth and his love are not always warm and fuzzy. 

Last week’s parable of the Sower and the Seed is about the challenges of the seed landing on the good soil so that it can grow and mature. This parable is a teaching about God’s abundant grace in broadcasting His Word all about. The parable also teaches the church about the importance of not taking church, the Word, and all that goes with it for granted. We are deliberate in responding to God’s grace and His call to mature into the good soil that receives and benefits from God’s Word.

Today’s parable is also a word to the Church. We must not be complacent. We are in a spiritual battle. Even though the war is won through the cross of Jesus, the devil intends to do as much damage to God’s kingdom as possible. His deviousness includes sowing discord into the church. Darnel is the seed that looks like wheat. “Darnel” is within the church. No one knows it until it is too late. What to do? Jesus says that the Church must be patient. Wait on, trust in, God, to separate the weeds from the wheat at the great harvest at the end of time. The Church, especially her more righteous and energetic participants, is called into humility and patience. 

As I reflected on the Parable of the Weeds, I thought about Biblical examples when we are caught off guard by the actions of those seduced by the devil’s ways. After Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, they had two sons: Cain and Abel. When the boys became men, they both made an offering to the Lord from the fruit of their respective work. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but rejected Cain’s. Cain’s reaction was over the top. Cain killed his brother. 

Two brothers. Same parents, same upbringing, same everything. Yet, instead of being moved to humility and amending his heart, he indulges the rejection into an insult and murderous rage. No one could see this coming. But the devil certainly planted the seed. 

Another example of brothers. Jacob’s sons turn on their Father’s favored son, their brother Joseph. The wicked seed was cast into their hearts. They were going to kill him. Instead, they decided to sell him into slavery. Then, they manufactured evidence of Joseph’s death and presented it to their father. They watched him weep, consoled him perhaps, and kept the secret for decades until the big surprise in Egypt. Then, they had to tell the truth. 

What explains the hardness of heart that those boys exhibited toward Joseph and their Father? Surely, the devil’s wicked seed was cast into them. They looked perfectly normal. They looked like Jacob’s hard-working boys. Yet, their actions said otherwise. 

Fast forward to the disciples around Jesus. Judas was called by Jesus and followed him. He looked like all the other disciples that were glad to know the Jesus that often befuddled them. But they all still followed him. Judas was one of them. But the wicked seed was cast into his heart and mind. He betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver with a kiss of greeting in the Garden of Gethsemane. Who, but Jesus, would have known this could happen? 

In Acts 8, Simon the Magician, along with others in Samaria, hear Philip preach the good news of Jesus Christ, who is crucified and risen for them. Simon the Magician joins the others in having faith in Jesus. He believes. He puts his magic away. He is baptized and joins the church. All is fine until the Apostles Peter and John arrive. Peter and John lay hands on the newly baptized and the Holy Spirit enters them. The devil’s wicked seed was cast into Simon’s heart. He saw power. He wanted it. He wanted to be front and center again. Acts 8:18 says, “Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands he offered them money, saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”   

Here Simon is. Newly baptized. He received instruction. He confessed Jesus as Christ, God, and Lord. Bam, he sees God’s power and wants it for himself. Who knows where that could have taken him? Thankfully, Peter rebuked him. He called Simon into repentance. 

My point is that Simon looked like all the other converts. No one, except God, would have known what was in Simon’s heart, except that he spoke up and made his heart plain, and Peter responded as he should have. But, if Simon had not spoken up, what damage could his pride and talents have caused in the church? 

The point of Jesus’ parable is that the church is the Lord’s. The Lord sees into our hearts. The energetic righteous are encouraged to be patient, wait upon the Lord, he will separate the weeds from the wheat. His justice will be carried out in due time. In the meantime, we remain faithful. We keep our eyes focused on the cross of Jesus. He has died on the cross and risen from the grave for you. We rejoice in the forgiveness and the promise of salvation that he graces us with. We pray for one another. We serve each other as we are able. We go forward trusting in God. We are His. We are His Church. 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.