Pastor Michael Harman
St. Peter Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
Newell, Iowa 50568-0393
vacancies at
First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Fonda
Immanuel Lutheran Church, Pomeroy
This sermon is mostly Law. I will likely start over tomorrow, but I thought a
few readers might get some ideas from this. If I finish with a good sermon, I
will post it.
People often ponder the question: why is there evil in the world? Even
within God’s House, it is often asked, why are there hypocrites? People
pretending to be Christian, but secretly being hateful and hurtful? Sometimes,
their reasoning goes, that IF there is a God AND He is good, that evil should
not be here. This line of reasoning assumes God is no smarter than us, and He
thinks like us. It also assumes that WE are good. :) But God’s ways are NOT
our ways, and His thoughts are NOT like our thoughts, as Isaiah 55 records.
That sort of reasoning tries to remake God in our own image; rather than His
Word shaping us to His image.
Today’s parable declares God knows there are problems: sinners in the
world, AND in the church. Christ tells us NOT to do His job, then He comforts
us with His assurance of grace, saying: God Knows About the Weeds in the Wheat.
Jesus points to the source of the weeds: Satan. God is not the author of
evil. James 1:17 says “every GOOD and PERFECT gift comes down from above.”
God didn’t cause the evil in this world. In Genesis 1, God declares He made
ALL things GOOD.
“While men slept” ... while men were not vigilant in faith, or perhaps
during the normal course of life’s rest, the enemy sowed weeds in secret to go
against the Master. The word for weed here is zizanium. It’s a type of grass
that looks like wheat until the heads form, then it has black seeds. The bad
part about the seeds is that they fall out when you harvest the wheat, and they
carry a fungus or rust that is very poisonous. Like most weeds, it’s hardy and
very hard to get rid of.
Jesus says the servants were astounded! THEY didn’t plant the weeds; they
just suddenly noticed them.
We as believers can be astounded when evil grows up in our midst. How
often do we read in the paper or hear on the radio or see on TV that there is
some person whom “everyone thought he (or she) was SUCH a nice person” and we
find they have done horrible things. We have even had members of various
Christian churches, even clergy, who seemed quite nice - but have done weedy
things: embezzling money, affairs with other members, gossip, abuse, and even
murder. They SEEMED so nice, like the wheat around them. It is hard to tell
wheat from weeds.
Jesus says, “an enemy did this.” Satan is the source of all evil and the
father of all lies. Satan is the reason for strokes, and seizures, and cancer
in all parts of the body. We can thank the devil for false religions like
Islam, Socialism, Mormons, and materialism. Lucifer is the source of wars
around the world; rebellious kids, bad weather, and of course - weeds.
Jesus tells the servants (us) to not worry about the weed’s existence.
There are two errors we can fall into in Christian faith. One is to never
point to sin; or pretend the weeds are not there. The other is rip out every
evil.
Some are hypocrites, even with the name Christian. They pretend to be who
they are not. They embrace homosexuality, abortion, or gossip, and the like -
saying that God’s Word is in error and these are not sins even though God says
they are sins. They act Christian in some ways, but are discovered in the end.
BUT to restart the Spanish Inquisitions by taking the law into your own
hands and harming or killing them is equally evil. Why? Listen to the parable!
The servants did the right thing by first going to the Master before
acting. We would do well to go to God’s Word and pray before our actions, too.
Jesus says, “NO - don’t uproot the evil yourself.” A strong faith next to a
weed could die while you are uprooting the evil; much less a weak faith! And
the weeds in the wheat look so much like the good plant, that you might remove
the good wheat and leave the weed. What a terrible thing it would be if
someone you were sure was a weed was wheat in the end!
Think back this past week. You have not always looked like wheat. In
fact, you have looked like a weed quite often. The eyes of God’s servants
can’t always tell who is which. How many times have God’s servants been
tempted to quit attending church because of something that happened to a family
member or friend? Even though the family member was sinning (weeding?),
hastily uprooting them injured the faith of believers and they began not only
questioning membership in the church, but their faith in Christ.
To excuse any sin is to agree with it, and you will bring God’s
condemnation on yourself. But to take God’s place and quickly condemn them to
hell is also wrong. The servants in the parable give us a model to follow. Is
there obvious evil? Take notice! Point it out! Avoid it! But leave
damnation to God. It is important for us to remember is that Jesus told this
parable about a year and a half before Judas’ betrayal!
Jesus says, “Wait until the harvesters come.” The seed of the Gospel must
continue to grow among the weeds for now; until the End of the world. Tell
others about the Cross! You give Christ’s forgiveness to others, and apply His
compassion! God wants us to plant the Seed of the Word, not try to remove
theological weeds.
He assures us of the weed’s destiny. Jesus says, “Trust Me. I will take
care of it in MY time. All will work to good.” Romans 8:28 God, Who NEVER
breaks a promise, guarantees that ALL evil people and the things that cause sin
will be gathered and thrown to hell. Once those who refused to believe in the
Cross of Christ are in hell, they will remain there always in torment. All
authentic Christians will be taken to heaven.
God even promises to use evil to work ultimate good! Jesus says, “Trust
Me.” “Do not tremble, do not be afraid” - Isaiah 44. He knows every detail of
your life, your ups and downs, and He is your Rock. Your every prayer is heard
and interceded by the Holy Spirit. By faith in the Cross, eternal life is
yours. Through God’s protection and security, you can rest firmly in His care.
When the time comes, God will bring you unharmed, safe and sound, to His home
in heaven. Christ’s death on the cross for you covers every time you have
acted weedy.
Is there evil around us? Yes. Are there hypocrites in the world? Yes.
Even in the church? Yes. Are there weeds in the wheat? Yes. God knows about
them, too. He promises you His protection on earth, and the certainty of
heaven to all who put their confidence in the cross of Christ. Let him who has
ears, listen!
