Wheat, Weeds, and a Mustard Seed
Scripture Reading — Matthew 13:24-32
The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’
We know that the world we live in has many good things and amazing blessings, but there is also hardship and brokenness. Ever since our first parents fell into sin (Genesis 3), there has been toil and trouble amid all the good things God provides us in life.
We can find and cultivate all kinds of good food, but we have to work hard for it. We can enjoy good health, but we can also get sick—and even die. Nature can be breathtakingly beautiful, but it can also be viciously cruel.
In his parable about the wheat and the weeds, Jesus points out the corruption and brokenness of life in this world. And because there is still much good amid the damaging effects of sin and evil, he is willing to wait for the time of harvest. At that time the judgment will come, and the weeds, representing wicked people and all their evil works and systems, will be cast out (see Matthew 13:36-43).
In the meantime, though, the kingdom of God will grow in surprising ways, like the huge plant that grows from a tiny mustard seed. At first it may not even be noticeable. But as it takes root and grows, the good seed of the kingdom spreads far and high and deep and wide, providing comfort and support and rest and peace, even amid the troubles of everyday life.
Have you found the peace and rest of the kingdom of God, and will you help others find it too?
Lord, grant us your peace and grace in this troubled world, and help us to share it for your sake. Amen.
About the author — George Young
George Young, a native New Yorker, worked as a taxi driver in New York City before studying to become a pastor. Then he, his wife Ruth, and their children were missionaries for many years in northeastern Japan. They worked with ministers and believers from the Reformed Church in Japan to spread the good news of salvation in Christ and establish new churches. Now George and Ruth are retired and live in the northeastern United States, nearer to their children and grandchildren.
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