September 4

Wheat And Tares

But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. — Matt 13:25 BSB

How clearly our Lord taught about the reality of Satan! In His explanation of this parable, He said plainly, “The enemy that sowed them is the devil.” He knew that in every heart—in the Church and the world—the great enemy of God’s Kingdom and of human happiness is constantly at work, sowing harmful seeds. The seeds may be small, but in just a night, they can cause irreparable damage.

Notice that we become like the seed we receive—those who receive the good seed become wheat, and those who receive the harmful seed become tares. “As a person thinks in their heart, so they are.” How careful we should be about the books we read, the friendships we form, and the activities we take part in. These are some of the ways in which our character is shaped. If we are careless, we open ourselves to harmful seeds that grow into weeds and clutter. Of course, if our duties take us into places where evil is rampant, we can claim the protective power of Christ and take refuge in Him. Just as a doctor or nurse uses disinfectant when entering a place of plague or fever, so too can the Holy Spirit act as a spiritual antiseptic, shielding us from the microbes of temptation (Gal 5:16-17).

In the early stages of growth, there isn’t much difference between wheat and tares; it’s only at the harvest that the distinction becomes clear. Likewise, in the Church and the world, many people seem good and genuine, but they aren’t what they appear to be. In the day of reckoning, they will be rooted out and discarded like rubbish. The two groups that will be rejected are “all who cause others to stumble, and those who practice iniquity” (Mat 13:41). You may not be among those who practice blatant wrongdoing, but are you causing others to stumble through inconsistent behavior or worldliness? Let us all examine ourselves carefully and open our hearts to receive the incorruptible seed that Jesus is ready to plant through His Word.

Prayer

Give us pure judgment and true understanding of Your Word, O Lord, so that we may not be deceived or led astray. Grant that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.