Weeds In The Wheat Field
Wednesday, September 4
Matthew 13:26-30 (ESV)
“So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Devoción
In this parable, Jesus told us that faith communities (churches, schools, organizations) will have a mixture of those who are following Jesus and those who are not. Jesus gave us an insight, which is that if God pulled up and destroyed all the “weeds” right away, it would be overwhelming for some bystanders, and they would be uprooted too. God doesn’t want that. Also, God is patient and gives people time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). So what is our response?
We should be diligent but not militant. It is the responsibility of leaders to rebuke and discipline for known sin such as sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5:13). It is the responsibility of leaders to help resolve grievances between believers when sin remains after attempts at private reconciliation (Matthew 18:16-17). However, this parable should be a source of peace for us. The community is God’s field, not ours. As we encourage one another in the faith, we do not need to be suspicious of each other to root out anything and everything that we think might not be pleasing to God. God knows.
We should be aware but not despair. As we trust and surrender to Jesus, we are never to follow another person blindly, especially not into sin. We should never be fooled into knowingly covering up sin for the so-called greater good or to protect an institution. That is not the way of God! We are encouraged to know God’s ways and the Bible for ourselves; that is the truth to which we compare teaching we receive and examples we see. (Acts 17:11)
Finally, you may one day feel uprooted because sin or betrayal by a trusted person is exposed. God has seen this before, and it is written, “What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all!” (Romans 3:3) Even if every person on earth were a liar, God is true. God has mercy for you in this situation, and a path forward if you will seek Him.
Oración de hoy
Querido Padre Celestial,
I thank You for the gift of Your church and the leaders who faithfully serve You. I ask that You lead, guide, and direct their paths every day because satan, in his evil scheme, fights them just as he does the rest of us. If there are sins in their lives, help them to rise above them in Your wisdom, repent of their sins, and walk faithfully with You so they will not be a hindrance to those they lead. When leaders do fall, I ask that You give those under their leadership the ability to separate the man or woman from You, and continue walking in Your path. I thank You, in the Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Aplíquelo hoy mismo
Take time today to pray for your spiritual leaders and mentors. Ask God to help them rise above the temptations of this world and to faithfully follow Him so they may faithfully guide others to Him and not be a hindrance to those they lead.
Recursos
- Watch Episode 9 of Mentoring Moments, “Pastors’ Roundtable Part 1”, and glean from the wisdom shared.
- As you pray for your leaders, read 1 Timothy 2:1-15 and pray for them in alignment with God’s will.