Faithful on Fridays Blog

Matt. 13:24-30, 36-44

The children’s book, Berenstain Bears and Too Much TV, is one of my favorite books possibly because, like them, I like a good story regardless of the media form. Jesus knew how powerful a story could be, consequently, He told many parables. They vary in content but always contain an upper story or spiritual meaning for us to grow in faith. This one takes the theme, once again, of planting seeds. Earlier the stories of the Sower and the Soil, targeting immature faith and the Growing Seed, explaining maturing faith, were given, but now, Jesus focuses on enduring faith.

Let’s combine the lower and upper stories of Kingdom Living together in order to understand His meaning as He explained it. A man (Himself) planted good seed (sons of the kingdom) or true believers in a field (the world). This was a global movement that began over 2,000 years ago as the gospel spread worldwide. His story goes on to describe how His servants fell asleep and gave the enemy (the devil), an opportune time to plant his own seeds: ‘sons of the evil one’. As time moved closer to the harvest (end times) the servants questioned how it happened: Where did the weeds come from?

In His grace, Jesus’ emphasized that you cannot separate believers from unbelievers, only He can. They’ll grow together in the world, even in the church, until That Day when He’ll send out the reapers (angels) to divide the two groups with two different eternity experiences: suffering in hell or sharing His glory.

While Jesus taught on the end times He stressed alertness:

“And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Mark 13:37

Weeds are devilish; they rob nutrients of healthy growth, crowd out good roots, and often look like the real thing: counterfeits. Jesus cautioned allowing them to grow together until the end not trying to pull them up; they’ll just return. With that said, what can we do to guard our families, churches, and nation against Satan’s strategies? We can be sure our hearts are ‘fertile soil’ like the Sower Parable, growing in faith like the Growing Seed parable, patiently and yet consistently reading and listening to His Word spending time with Him in an attitude of humility and thankfulness. When we put those stories together there’s a spiritual progression that unmistakeable! 

We let our lights shine personally and support those who globally who share the gospel:

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. Matthew 13:43

We also shine when we expose our enemy’s division and strife he brings whether it’s in our family or church. Walking in faith requires dying to self and the world’s temptations every day. It’s been said that ‘we’re planted in the world but endeavoring to keep the world out of us. Too much TV? I don’t think so.