Matthew 13:24-30; Psalm 106

Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43
Jesus told them another parable. Remember that these parables are intended to teach spiritual truth. This is the parable of the weeds. The parable itself is found in vv. 24-30, and the interpretation is given in vv. 36-43.

In this parable the weeds represent unbelievers, and the wheat represents believers, v. 38 Believers and unbelievers live side by side in this world, and sometimes it's nearly impossible to tell them apart. Jesus is the one who sows the good seed, v. 37. The devil is the enemy who sows the weeds. At the end of the age, Jesus will send His angels to separate the believers from the unbelievers and the good from the evil. vv. 40-43

I realize this teaching is somewhat troubling. It's important to remember that we are not the ones who do the judging. This is God's job. We can judge ourselves to be sure that our own faith is sincere. We know that as God sows His good "seed," He does not try to trick us or hide the truth from us. Jesus came for one reason only, and that was the pay the price for the sins of every individual in the world. But as we know, not everyone will be saved. Some will refuse this eternal gift Jesus offers. But anyone who realizes his own sin and his inability to save himself, can repent and come to Jesus in faith trusting Him for salvation.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 10:9-13 "... if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, Anyone who trust in him will never be put to shame. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

Do not complicate this unnecessarily! Look at the account of the thief on the cross (Luke 23:32-43). The one who believed acknowledged his sin saying he was getting what he deserved and he asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom showing that he (the thief) believed that Jesus was who He said He was. And then you see Jesus' classic reply, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." v. 43

Psalm 106
You will remember that Psalm 105 reviews how God watched over Israel, keeping His promises--many times through miraculous means. It recalls Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, the years of slavery in Egypt, the plagues, Moses, Aaron, and eventually the coming into the Promised Land. You would think that they would have been eternally thankful and faithful! But Psalm 106 lets us know that they had a history of rebellion against God. But as we look at this, let's not be too hard on them. I'm afraid we often struggle with the same temptation. And so let us try to learn from their mistakes!

vv. 1-5 serve as an introduction praising and thanking the Lord and asking for His blessing. "Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." v. 1

vv. 6-43 is a long passage which essentially reminds us of Israel's rebellion and failure and how God disciplined them and corrected them. "Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion, and they wasted away in their sin." v. 43

vv. 44-48 remind us that God is merciful to repentant sinners! And we thank Him for that! He shows us grace and mercy even though we don't deserve it. "But he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive."

For our meditation: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the Lord." Psalm 106:48