The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.

The only thing that seems to be growing well in this heat are weeds, and oh boy, do we seem to have a bumper crop of them! If it isn’t dandelions, its bindweed, or crabgrass or a hundred other types that I can’t even name. It seems we can dig, pull, and spray and there they are - still there. Over at the parsonage we’ve got this grass looking weed, maybe its new and improved kind of crabgrass, but we can’t spray it with Roundup because we’ll kill too much other grass which it has intertwined itself with, and lawn safe weed killers don’t touch this stuff. If we dig it up we’ll lose big (6x6) areas of the lawn. I’ve stood out there wondering what to do. Ruth thinks we ought to leave it because at least it’s green. What’s a gardener to do?

Today’s Gospel lesson is about weeds in and amongst the wheat, and what’s a gardener to do. As I pondered our text I could I almost see Jesus sitting in the shade of tree, talking with those gathered to escape the heat. Overlooking a wheat field it is becoming apparent that despite lots of hard work, weeds are beginning to appear. He uses this opportunity to hold Bible class- the kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in the field? Where did the weeds come from?” Isn’t that just like us? When the weeds appear, it couldn’t be our fault. It must be those darn kids blowing the puffballs off the dandelions or maybe it was a bad batch of seed.

Jesus explains: it wasn’t the seed nor The Sower but an enemy, the devil, who came in at night an over-sowed the field. I like thinking that all the weeds in my life aren’t my fault. It is the devil. He did it, and that is true, but how many times have we because of our sinful nature helped out? How often do our sinful actions water and fertilize the weeds of our lives. The Holy Spirit has shown us the good we should do but we fail to do it. By and through God’s Word we know the temptations we should avoid but we toy with them thinking this time we can handle them, and we can’t. We know we shouldn’t harbor hurtful or unforgiving attitudes but we do. And others of us aren’t just tending to the weeds we are sowing the seeds of the thistles of unbelief when we put our reason ahead of the word of God. It is the bindweed of sin we sow when begin to massage and manipulate God’s Word so we can justify our misbehaviors. And some people even declare there is no devil and weeds are just a matter of your opinion- no devil, no weeds, no need for the fiery furnace - that is a most destructive weed.

Like it or not, believe it or not, the weeds of sin are real and they are in all of our lives. It is written: Out of the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander (Matt 15.19) And it isn’t just “them” – those other people who are sinners. No, all of us have a sinful nature. It is declared by God in Genesis that From childhood every inclination of man’s heart is evil. (Gen 8.21) St. John reveals that If we claim to be without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (1st John 1.8)

Because of sin the world is a mess- weeds growing up everywhere, and left to our own devices we’d all perish, but God, the Father, did not leave us nor abandon us. He sent God the Son. He came to rescue us from sin, our own sinful nature, and from death and the devil. Jesus came teaching of God’s justice- that all our sins must be paid for, and of God’s mercy- Jesus died to pay for each and every sin. He taught us of God’s Holiness and His grace to declare us righteous and weed free in His sight not by what we’ve done but because of what Jesus has done by His life, death and resurrection- He has triumphed over the weeds of this world, over the weeds of our sinful nature! The benefit of all this He freely and abundantly pours out on us. Then, as now, real and saving faith is created by the hearing of these Words of victory over the onslaught of the weeds of sin.

By and through these Word, His Words, we are drawn to Him. By the working of that Word we come to believe and confess with St. Matthew that Jesus is Christ the Son of the Living God. (Matt 16.16) He is the ultimate gardener. Yet a curious thing often happens to believers. In our self-righteousness many of us are able to overlook the weeds in our lives but oh are we able to spot the weeds in other people’s lives.

In the parable the workers were ready to go and pull up the weeds. How many times are we willing to do away with “those sinners”, especially the “really bad ones”: mass murderers, terrorists, those who hurt or exploit children, and those unbelievers who flaunt their unbelief- unbeliever’s who lead others astray by their false teachings. In our self-righteousness we are ready to uproot them right now! But Jesus says, No (leave them) because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

I pondered this direction and I have three observations to share with you. The first is this: if Jesus had all the weeds, all the unrighteous, all the sinners uprooted who would be left? I wouldn’t be, neither would you! Remember all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rms 3.23) Even those of us who believe in Christ, daily sin much and are in need of His forgiveness, which He pours out upon us abundantly and repeatedly. For it is written, If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1st John 1.9)

Second observation: This parable is often called the parable of the wheat and the tares. Tares are weeds that so resemble wheat that it is nearly impossible initially to tell them apart. Pull up what you believe to be tares and you may be pulling up wheat. It is easy to sort them at the harvest. What we see as tares now may be “late-blooming wheat.” How many people, how many of us, may be “late-blooming saints” but saints nonetheless?

Third observation: a weed is a weed and we cannot transform it into wheat, but remember who Jesus is. He is the eternal and all-powerful God. The weeds and wheat are people. Our Jesus, being fully God, can change a sinner bound for the fiery furnaces of hell into a saint on the joyful road to heaven. Leave what you think are the weeds, for by My Word and through the working of My Sacrament they can be transformed, changed, made new.

Yes, baptism transforms and so does the hearing of God’s Word- those who were sinners can be saints. And by and through the repeated and regular hearing of that Word the Spirit grows and nurtures those saints so that they might produce a bountiful harvest of belief in Jesus who is Lord of the harvest.

Now a last day will come, harvest time. Those who failed to believe, those relished in being a weed, and those who turned back from believing will sadly be gathered up, bound up and as Jesus declared: will be thrown into a fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For those of us who do believe in Jesus as the Son of God, we will, by God’s grace, be harvested for heaven - a place of unending joy fanned by the cool breezes of His peace and Holiness.

As you travel home today take note of the weeds that are flourishing on the roadsides, in the fields and in the lawns. Realize that apart from the working of the Holy Spirit we’d all be weeds, but by God’s grace, forgiveness, and mercy we’ve been transformed into abundant wheat, deep green grasses, fragrant and beautiful flowers.

We been given the opportunity and the responsibility to tell others the parable Jesus told of the wheat and the weeds. It is by that telling and the telling of the story of God’s great love for us, a love that sent the Son to live, die and rise to life for us that others can also be transformed. Let’s pray that we not remain silent.

Amen.