Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - A Reverse Revelation of Reality - August 2, 2020

If you are interested or invested in the stock market – you are probably aware that publicly traded companies are required by law to offer quarterly earnings reports. This is to give investors a glimpse into the financial reality of the companies. However, while they are compelled by law to not mislead the public in these quarterly forecasts, everyone knows that the true reality isn’t discussed publicly, but in the company boardroom. What they offer to the public is generally a rosy, optimistic picture while often more difficult reality is discussed only in private. I think that modern picture is helpful as we seek to understand the parable before us today: the parable of the Weeds. Jesus offers one description of the kingdom of heaven to the public – many of whom were stubborn unbelievers; and another privately to his disciples. But unlike a modern day CEO, he doesn’t project a rosy picture to the public; and he saves the good news for the ears of his disciples. That’s why today’s parable is a reverse revelation of reality.

In speaking to the largely unbelieving crowds, Jesus presents the reality of the kingdom to them in the form of a parable. The reality that he reveals is that what they see is what they get. What they are seeing happening in and around Jesus’ ministry is the reign of heaven on earth. But it’s not a pretty picture; it doesn’t seem like the way any King would rule. Who plants a field with good seed and then when his enemy sows weeds on top of it does nothing? And not only that, he specifically forbids his servants from doing anything to end the infestation. Strange, to say the least. No self-respecting farmer would allow weeds to freely grow in their field. It would mean letting all of their hard work to be wasted, to run the risk that their precious crops could be destroyed. No, everyone knows that if you have a weed problem, you’ve got to get rid of them. But that’s not the way it works in the kingdom of heaven. Why not? What is this parable all about?

This is Jesus’ description of the visible Christian church to unbelieving outsiders. And you know what the kingdom of heaven, what the visible Christian church looks like to outsiders today, don’t you? They see countless different churches and denominations – all claiming to possess the truth – and conclude that if God really existed there’s no way he would tolerate this mess. They may stumble across preachers on TV or radio or YouTube – all teaching something different, all claiming to be right – and conclude that Christianity is no different than fast-food – that you can have it your way – that you can believe whatever you want, because it doesn’t seem to matter. They hear about priests molesting children, about pastors who abuse and fleece their members and who live in mansions and fly around the world in private jets – and they conclude that the church is no different than any other institution in this world where the rich get richer and the powerful get away with their sins at the expense of the people under their control. To the unbelieving world, the church is an ugly, weed-infested mess.

And it grates on any faithful Christian. Looking at the state of the church today, we readily understand the attitude of the servants in the parable, who say “You know what, we need to fix this problem, we need to rid the field of the weeds, the heretics and hypocrites – by force, if necessary.” But the King says “No, don’t do that.” Because when you gather up the weeds, you might pull up the wheat along with them. So the Lord of the Church does what no self-respecting farmer would do – he allows unfaithful, untruthful, even immoral people to grow in his field, to call themselves Christians, and he does nothing to stop it.

That’s the reality the Lord shows to those crowds. He tells them in no uncertain terms: “Yep, what you see is what you get. If the church looks like a mess to you, that’s because it is!” Rather than present a fanciful and unrealistic portrait of the church to the unbelieving crowds, Jesus doubles down on their rather negative opinion. Why would Jesus do this? Well, we get a hint as to his motives in the verses we skipped over, where Jesus described the kingdom in terms of a mustard seed and yeast – things that are small and insignificant but very effective nonetheless (Matthew 13:31-32). To those who were always asking for and expecting big, impressive signs and wonders – Jesus says that the Kingdom of heaven on earth is not big and impressive, but, more often, small and rather uninspiring. And the reality is that is still true today.

The hymn Onward, Christians Soldiers (CW 537) is beloved by many Christians, describing us like a “mighty army” (537:2). But it’s hardly accurate. The Church doesn’t look at all like a mighty army. 2000 years after Jesus, we still don’t see the great big, full-grown mustard tree in which birds can easily find shelter. Nor do we see Jesus reaching down like the Green Giant to pull the weeds out of the church. Some of the most famous and influential church leaders state publicly that they support homosexuality and transgenderism and a woman’s right to kill her unborn child and the myth of evolution. Whole church bodies deny the virgin birth, the resurrection of the dead and the existence of heaven and hell. And we know that the King of heaven could weed them all out in one fell swoop. And yet he does nothing. And it’s frustrating and maddening.

That is the only reality those outside the Church get to see. Jesus doesn’t explain this parable to them. He doesn’t tell them how a field full of wheat and weeds relates to the visible church. But there is more here than the rather obvious lessons that the weeds are left for the sake of the wheat; or that at the final harvest everything will be sorted out and made right. There are three lessons for us based on the future reality that Jesus shares only with his disciples. A gospel truth, a law truth and an assuring, steadying truth.

First, anyone can see that contemporary churches built on an explicit “consumer-oriented” approach – where it’s all about you – seem to be the model for success today. You will find emerging churches that emphasize personal holiness, an intentional decision for Christ, the promotion of personal faith rather than the historical, Christian faith. They take some parts of the Bible, such as personal behavior and commitment – the law – very seriously, while quickly dismissing the key doctrines of justification by faith and free forgiveness delivered through Word and Sacrament. And these types of movements seem to be thriving at a time when Christianity as a whole seems to be on the decline.

And yet, the hidden reality is that a consumer-oriented, law centered ministry often devolves into pulling up the wheat with the weeds. You can understand that if you’ve ever been subjected to that kind of messaging. When your holy living, your commitment to Christ, the strength of your faith, what you are doing for God is the constant emphasis – sincere Christians can be driven to the point where they throw up their hands and say: “I don’t think I qualify! That’s not me! I can’t do it!” If you recognize with Isaiah that all of your good works are no better than filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6); if you know with Paul that no matter how many times you repent, you continue to do evil things you don’t want to do (Romans 7:19); if your faith feels smaller than a mustard seed and all you can do is say I do believe, help me with my unbelief (Mark 9:24); and you’re still being told that it’s all about your strength, your effort, your faith – then what else can you conclude but that you’re really a weed and not wheat? You’d be given to despair, to depression, to leaving the church for good. And, intentionally or not, the servants end up damaging the wheat in their desire to rip out the weeds.

Here’s the reverse gospel reality: the wheat, the Church, isn’t built on individual holiness, repentance or faith but on the historical life, death, and resurrection of Christ which is delivered to sinners through the stubbornly objective means of grace: the gospel in Word and Sacrament. Jesus calls believers the sons of the kingdom. You don’t become a son by striving but by birth. It’s a gift that’s given, not earned. Our personal holiness is truly no better than filthy rags – but God clothed his only Son in our rags and drapes the robe of his righteousness over us in Baptism. Our repentance is never full enough, never sincere enough to pay for even one sin – but Jesus, having lived a life with absolutely nothing to repent of, died to take away every last one of your sins, even the ones you aren’t aware of and haven’t repented of (Psalm 19:12). Our faith will always be fickle, so it’s a good thing that it’s Jesus’ faith that really matters. He believed in his Father’s plan to send him to earth to live and die for you; he believes that he paid for every last one of your sins on the cross; he believes that because he lives, you too shall live (John 14:19); he believes that there is no condemnation for those who believe in him (Romans 8:1). And he’s the Son of Man – he will be our judge. So whose opinion do you want to believe – his or yours? As Martin Luther said so often, when it comes to salvation, don’t look inside yourself at that fickle frail thing we call faith – look instead to the object of your faith – to Jesus – whose work of redemption is finished once and for all and delivers it to you through the firm, objective, unchanging means of grace. [1]

That’s the Gospel reality Jesus hides from the world. But there’s a hidden element of Law here, too. This text has been used to defend the failure to exercise church discipline – that we shouldn’t try to rebuke, correct, or excommunicate those who are openly heretical or impenitent, but simply let them live however they want to because “you don’t want to pull out the wheat with the weeds.” Jesus reverses that unbiblical use of this parable. He teaches that being left alone is not the same as being forgiven. Both weeds and wheat are left alone to grow for now, but their outcomes are very different. Just because his mighty hand hasn’t reached down and pulled you out of his field doesn’t mean that he’s okay with you defending, excusing, or remaining in your sins. Just because you are growing and even flourishing in God’s field doesn’t mean that you won’t be weeded out at the end of the age and thrown into hell’s fiery furnace. Jesus says that only the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who are the righteous? They aren’t the ones who say, “I am living with my boyfriend or girlfriend, but I’m still a Christian.” They’re not the ones who argue, “I don’t make any effort to attend worship or receive the Sacrament, but I’m still a Christian.” They don’t say, “I don’t really believe everything the Bible says, but I’m still a Christian.” But neither do they claim that their holiness, repentance or faith is enough to earn them entrance into heaven. No, the righteous are those who regularly and faithfully confess their sins and believe that only the holy life and innocent death of Jesus – which they receive through Word and Sacrament – is sufficient to save them at the end of the world.

Finally, Jesus offers us a steadying truth. One which boils down to “No, we’re not going crazy.” We’re not losing our minds. It’s not just your imagination that this world is growing more and more evil – it is, just like the Bible said it would (2 Timothy 3:12-13; Luke 24:1-35). Not only does he tell us not to expect life as Christians to be a bed of roses, but he tells us that there must be divisions in the visible church to separate the (orthodox) right-teaching from the (heterodox) wrong-teaching (1 Corinthians 11:19) and that even in orthodox churches there will always be hypocrites – weeds and wheat. Jesus tells us this so that we won’t despair when we see it happening; so that we won’t be surprised. But then he steadies us with the assurance that he will send his reapers to remove the sons of the Evil One as easily as you pull weeds after a soaking rain. And when they come, everything will be made right – the weeds will be pulled out and burned and the righteous will shine with the glory of Jesus’ righteousness in the Father’s kingdom forever.

This is the future reversal that gives us comfort right now. So the reality that we see today – a church that seems to be a mess – shouldn’t lead us to despair but to believe. You’re not crazy – the visible church is a messy mixture of wheat and weeds – just like Jesus said it would be. But one day the Lord will make all things right – and that’s our sure and certain hope. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear and believe this reverse revelation of reality. Amen.

[1] What Luther Says, p. 1262