I will occasionally read a mystery novel and one of the first questions the detectives ask when they interview the family of the victim is this, “Did he have any known enemies?” I do not know if this happens in real life or simply in fiction, but the implication is clear, enemies can be dangerous.
Jesus recognizes this fact and gives us a warning in a parable found in Matthew 13. He will identify this enemy as the Devil and reveal some of the tactics he uses to cause harm to the Kingdom of God. Before we unpack this story and reveal the meaning that Jesus explained to his disciples, we need to understand a couple of realities. We know that Satan is powerful. Peter encourages us to recognize this in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” This is a fearful picture. To be attacked by an angry lion would not end well. Satan’s one priority is to hurt our Lord. Since he does not have enough power or authority to attack God directly, he goes after us. He knows that if he hurts God’s children, he hurts God.
However, the second truth gives us hope. We have this promise in 1 John 4:4, You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. God is more powerful than Satan and will defend us against his attacks. But it is up to us to accept and appropriate this power and not let the Devil’s schemes get us distracted or confused. This is the point of the parable in Matthew 13.
Jesus tells of a farmer who planted wheat and as the crop was taking root, an enemy came in the night and covered the field in seeds that would grow weeds. When the plants began to grow, the wheat and the weeds were growing together. Although the man’s servants offered to pull the weeds, the farmer refused in fear the good crop would be pulled up with the weeds.
Later, the disciples asked Jesus to explain the meaning of the parable and he said this, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”
In this parable, Jesus is teaching us that being a part of God’s Kingdom will conclude in our eternal peace in heaven. But as we wait for that day, we must recognize the tactics of the enemy and avoid them. His instruction is that as a citizen of the Kingdon of heaven on this earth, we must be perceptive. We all know the damage weeds can cause to a crop. However, there is more going on here than just weeds competing for sun and nutrients. The weeds that the enemy sows are extremely dangerous. In some translations of the Scripture, the word “tares” is used for the product of Satan. That is a weed known as darnel. The similarity between this weed and wheat is so great that in some regions, darnel is referred to as “false wheat”. It holds a close resemblance to wheat until the grain appears. This weed is susceptible to a fungus which if eaten, can cause drunken nausea which can be fatal. In the first century, this was a very real, life-threatening problem. Satan’s attacks are not to be taken lightly. The enemy’s strategy is to infiltrate the Church with those who would cause division and dissention. They may go unnoticed until their poison is ready to be unleashed. By being aware of this plan of Satan, we can be on our guard. This challenges us to be consistently pursuing truth, so the weeds do not have a chance of causing us harm. As men of God, we must stand firm in the truth of the Word, even if the world attacks us and tries to convince us we are intolerant and wrong. God will vindicate us and honor us for all eternity.