293. What Do You Do with Bad People? Exposition of Matthew 13:24-43

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Have you ever felt the discouragement of a friend or family member walking away from Christ?  Have you ever been frustrated by the apparent slowness of God’s Kingdom?  Have you ever thought that the forces of evil seem to be gaining ground in this world and God doesn’t seem to be doing anything.  These are the very questions and situations that Jesus addresses in this section of Matthew 13:24-43.  Listen today as I continue my series on the book of Matthew.

Transcript:  Matthew Series

Matthew 13:24-43

Introduction

Recently there has been an uproar about the Olympic opening ceremonies.  They were sacrilegious and worldly.  Crossdressers reenacted the Lord’s Supper.  Is that good?  No!  What should we do?  Kill them? 

What do you do when there is obvious evil in the world, evil in the church, evil that mocks Jesus? 

Jesus addresses these things starting in verse 10 about the nature of Kingdom Growth in the parables of the weeds, the mustard seed and the yeast.  Jesus describes

·       The reality of evil and good in the world 

·       How great things start from insignificant beginnings and,  

·       The patience needed in seeing God’s purposes fulfilled.

 

1.    The Parable of the Weeds

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.’”

 

³⁶ Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

³⁷ He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, ³⁹ and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

⁴⁰ “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. ⁴² They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

·       24  Jesus told them or “set before them” a parable.  The phrase is used of serving a meal before guests.  Jesus won’t spoon feed people, he let’s them feed themselves.  This is often explained as describing the church and there being good and bad people in the church, but it’s broader than that.  Jesus says that the field is the “world” not just the church.  He compares the parable not to the man who is sowing seed but the situation resulting from his scattering seed. 

·       Jesus is warning against having naïve expectations that this world and the church should be perfect like what heaven will be like.  We expect the church to be perfect and every person to be a saint.  Satan is at work in planting bad seed.  Where does evil come from?  Why do bad things happen?  Why does God allow evil in the world?  Jesus doesn’t answer why, he simply states that there is a spiritual force of evil at work in this world. 

·       Darnel is a weed that looks like wheat but has a poisonous head.  Roman law prohibited people from scattering these weeds in a wheat field as acts of revenge. 

·       The church has done the most damage when it has ignored this teaching.  When we take the sword of judgment into our own hands, we make massive mistakes. 

o  Think about the inquisition.  Religious people tried to pull out the roots of those who differed from themselves.  It stained Christianity.  Jesus’ teaching is the exact opposite.  Let God separate out true believers from false.  Be patient.  Focus on growing yourself and making it to heaven. 

o  The Bible does say that we need to judge those inside the church.  There is church discipline for those who are living in sin inside the church.  They are put out of the fellowship, but not killed.  The hope is that they will repent and come back to Christ.

o  Jesus finishes it by saying that people will either shine or burn.  There will be a reward and punishment for every person.  No one is going to “get away” with anything. 

2.   The Parables of the Mustard Seed

³¹ He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. ³² Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

·       It’s important to remember the context that Jesus is speaking these parables in.  The disciples and others were hoping for the messiah to make a bigger splash a more sudden change.  However, Jesus’ ministry is not really taking off like many had hoped.  There are a few followers and many opponents.  The disciples were looking for a massive and sudden revival that would change everything quickly.  Jesus is managing expectations (Tom Cruise) so that they understand that his Kingdom will start tiny and get huge. 

·       Jesus is encouraging his disciples.  What can we learn?

o  The Kingdom always starts small

o  The Kingdom has the power of life in it to make it grow

o  It becomes huge in time

o  It’s growth is beneficial to the entire world

·       We want amazing things to happen quickly.  Jesus says that it takes time and it starts small.  Technically, there are smaller seeds than the mustard, but it’s best not to get hung up on that.  Jesus used hyperbole and exaggeration to teach.  “Great oaks from little acorns grow.”  In Zechariah 4:10 it says, “
“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?”

·       This small seed becomes a bush so big the birds of the air can sit in its branches.  This is similar to Nebuchadnezzars vision in Daniel 4:12, 21.  The birds are the subject nations.  Jesus was making a passing reference to all nations being brought into his kingdom. All nations will benefit from the tree.

o  ¹¹ The tree grew large and strong and its top touched the sky; it was visible to the ends of the earth. ¹² Its leaves were beautiful, its fruit abundant, and on it was food for all. Under it the wild animals found shelter, and the birds lived in its branches; from it every creature was fed… ²¹ with beautiful leaves and abundant fruit, providing food for all, giving shelter to the wild animals, and having nesting places in its branches for the birds— ²² Your Majesty, you are that tree! You have become great and strong; your greatness has grown until it reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to distant parts of the earth.

·       Acts 16:14-15 illustrates this concept.  A woman named Lydia was the first known convert in present day Europe.  The entire continent was changed starting with her conversion. 

o  “¹⁴ One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. ¹⁵ When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.”

·       That’s why I love church plantings.  God works through a few people to build something amazing.  Show picture of mission team

 

3.   The Parable of the Yeast

³³ He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

³⁴ Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵ So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
    I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”

·       Jesus builds on his theme of a tiny beginning having a huge impact.  Here he is explaining how a woman takes a small amount of dough with sourdough starter or active yeast in it and puts it into 60 pounds of flour.  That’s enough flour to feed a small town of 100 people.  The term mixed is also the word, “hid” which goes along with the theme of secrets, of the message being hidden from the wise and revealed to the simple.

·       Jesus reveals the means by which his kingdom would grow and spread.  He wouldn’t be doing it by force but by stealth.  Individuals would mix among the masses and slowly transform the entire world.  The kingdom won’t tear down governments but will build up men and women who change the culture.  Not with weapons or armies, but with lives that are transformed.

·       The kingdom of heaven may start insignificantly but it will pervade and transform the entire world.  Yeast by it’s very nature will grow, multiply and spread by being in close connection with it’s host.  We have to be connected and working with the people around us if we want to see change.

·       34-35  These lines echo Jesus’ earlier teaching that parables reveal hidden truth and he typically taught in parables to the crowds.  From these parables we learn that over time, enough people understand the meaning of his teaching Maand their change transforms the world around them.  Jesus’ intention is that his teaching will ultimately change the world.  We know from the benefit of hindsight that what he predicted is exactly what happened.  The known world of that time was changed over the next three or four centuries.

 

Next Steps

·       Accept the world as it is, fallen and filled with sin

·       Work on preparing yourself to face God, don’t worry about others

·       Have faith and mix with those who don’t know God.  Be the yeast that transforms the flour.