Sermon for Sunday, Apr 12th, 2026 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
Malachi 3:16-4:3
[Malachi 3:16-18 ESV] 16 Then those who feared the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the LORD and esteemed his name. 17 “They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
[Malachi 4:1-3 ESV] 1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble. The day that is coming shall set them ablaze, says the LORD of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall. 3 And you shall tread down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.
New Testament Reading:
[1 Corinthians 4:1-5 ESV] 1 This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. 3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Gospel Reading:
[Luke 3:15-17 ESV] 15 As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Sermon Text:
[Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 ESV] 24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”‘” … 36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Introduction
Here we have the Parable of the Weeds. Some call it “the Parable of the Wheats and Tares” which has perhaps more descriptive value. But, Jesus’s disciples themselves say “explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” So we should use that description that the Bible uses, or its shortened version: the parable of the weeds.
We are in a section of various parables in the Gospel of Matthew.
These are Jesus’s “Kingdom Parables.” Each one teaches us some additional aspect of the Kingdom of Heaven. In the last parable — that of the Sower – we learned that salvation and Good Fruit comes through faith.
Now, in the Parable of the Weeds we learn about God’s justice which he is patiently waiting to administer at the end of the world. The parable answers that question that we often ask in our struggles against evil and injustice where we ask “where’s is God’s justice?” Well, it is coming. Vengeance is mine declares the Lord. Evil will be punished, justice will served as the “weeds” are destroyed in the furnace.
The Parable of the Weeds is like a 10,000 ft overview; a broad outline of core teaching of God’s plan. He works in this world. But so does Satan. And God is patiently allowing that to be the case for a time; for the Children of God to live in this world along with the Sons of the Evil one. But there will come a day; a day of harvest, when the Wheat is brought into the Kingdom of God but the Tares are burned in the furnace of judgment.
The Parable uses these two types of seed; good seed (Wheat) and evil seed (Tares or Weeds). Wheat we all know; most of us eat it; unless we have celiac’s disease or some other intolerance to it. But the word “Tares” is not a common word in modern English. So our ESV Bible uses the word “weeds.” But the King James says “tares.” Many think this is a referring to a weed called darnel, a ryegrass that looks much like wheat in its early stages of growth.
And that is important – the Wheat and the Weeds are hard to tell apart at first. And it is hard at times to tell believers apart from unbelievers. A Christian might be having a bad day and be mean to you, but a Pagan might said “Good Morning.” It can take a long time getting to know someone to know their true character.
Well, in the way I commonly like to discuss parables, I want to identify as clearly as possible each of the elements. Jesus clarifies some of the elements. But other elements are just obvious so he doesn’t need to say anything about them.
So:
1. “man who sowed good seed” – Jesus (the Son of Man).
That is that messianic term Jesus uses for himself that was first used in the Old Testament. That’s what Jesus does – he comes not to condemn the world but to save the world. (John 3:17)
How does he do that? Well, by dying on the cross and rising again. But what is the means by which the people know of that truth: it is the preaching. That is what we have in the “good seed.”
2. “good seed” – (sons of the kingdom)
Now, Jesus says the “good seed” is the “sons of the kingdom” but the SOWING of that “good seed” must be the preaching of the word. Those who are “sons of the kingdom” (or “good seed”) will hear the word and believe; God has made them that way; giving them new life through the Holy Spirit.
3. “his field” – (the world)
Next in the parable we have “his field.” “His field” is the world. It is not just the nation of Israel, or the Jewish people, it is the whole world. In every tongue, tribe, and nation God plants his “good seed” and raises up “sons of the kingdom.” Sometimes we say “this is the devils world” (that Satan is “ruler of this world”) but that is only temporary and in part by the permission and ordination of God; ultimately this is God’s world. It is his field, and he plants “good seed” there.
4. “his enemy” – (the devil)
The next element in the parable is “his enemy.” The enemy of Christ is the devil. That’s pretty straightforward.
5. “weed seed” – (sons of the evil one)
Then, the evil seed, the weeds, the tares, are “the sons of the evil one,” the sons of the devil.
The sowing of Satan is the sowing of lies.
And look how he does it. AT NIGHT. Verse 25 says, “but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.” Error cannot stand with truth, and so always has deceptive hidden ways about it. Satan works at night in the darkness; lies come to you where the truth is not present. So we must always stay bound to the truth; and lies and errors will stay away.
These lies are embraced by those who are “sons of the devil.” Some would contend that it is the embracing of lies that makes them “sons of the devil.” But I think it is primarily the other way around: those who are sons of the devil embrace the lies which proves what they truly are. It doesn’t MAKE them a Son of Satan. It shows that they ARE so. An article written by someone for Ligionier takes the same position when it says “every descendant of Adam who rejects the truth of God revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord shows that they share the devil’s fallen nature.” Not “they become fallen” but rather it SHOWS that they are fallen.
And this can be surprising to hear; there are people who are sons of the devil? What does that mean?
Of course, all people are by natures sons of Adam and Eve; children of Noah and his wife and there sons and daughters-in-law when we had the population bottleneck at the time of the flood. I don’t think any persons are literally descendant from Satan or any other angel, good or bad. But, BY THEIR ATTITUDES and professions some people indeed are “sons of the devil.”
Here is Matthew 13 they are referred to as “sons of the devil.”
In Genesis 6 they are “daughters of man” rather than “sons of God.”
In Acts 13:10 the same are called “Sons of Satan”
And in John 8:44 Jesus says to unbelieving people that they are of “your father the devil.”
So we shouldn’t soften the judgment of Christ. He has judge rightly. There are people who are only evil, having never done one good thing, who care nothing for God or others, but only and entirely for their own self and their own pleasure. Ironically THESE PEOPLE will deny not only that God exists, but they’ll deny that Satan exist, while they unwittingly serve the devil who teaches them lies as he is the father of lies.
So there are only two kinds of people in the world: sons of God and sons of the devil. Those of the spiritual line of Seth and those of the spiritual line of Cain. No in-betweens, no halfways; all are either with God or against God. This is a call for us to fully embrace our calling, recognizing that we are children of God and so living with that truth in mind.
One more thing about Satan’s activity: after he sows the tares, he “went away” so as not to be seen. Neither Satan nor the children of Satan want light to shine on their activities. But, we know, light will expose them in the end.
6. “Harvest” – judgment day (the end of the age)
Next in the parable we have “the harvest.” And Jesus says that the harvest is “the end of the age.”
I believe there are only two ages. There is “this age” and there is “the age to come.” So the “end of the age” is the transition from the one to the other. It is, as we see in our text, the time when the believers and unbelievers are sorted. “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father,” but “the weeds are gathered and burned with fire;” “thrown into the fiery furnace.”
Two grand things occur at the end of the end. The sons of the kingdom are brought into the kingdom. That is by God’s grace.
Then, the sons of the devil are sent to a place where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” That is by God’s justice.
So it is that justice is served. The evils of this world are punished. Evil people do not get away with their evil. All is made right. That is God’s comforting message to Christians who have been persecuted.
Why doesn’t this happen sooner? Why doesn’t the Lord sort it all out now?
God is not slow. He is patient. And He is working out his plan.
All throughout Scripture we see DELAY and then DESTRUCTION.
God DELAYS for the sake of His people; or, to stay with our parable, for the GROWTH of the WHEAT.
But then, God’s comes and DESTROYS evil.
There is DELAY and then DESTRUCTION as Noah builds the Ark and then God sends the Flood.
There is DELAY and then DESTRUCTION in the case of the warning and then plagues of the Exodus.
There is DELAY and then DESTRUCTION in the case of Nineveh in the books of Jonah and Nahum.
There is (at least the talk of delay for the sake of any of God’s people in Sodom and Gomorrah) and then DESTRUCTION.
And then, even now, while DESTRUCTION of evil WILL HAPPEN, God is still growing his Church; the Kingdom of God is expanding as we await the Coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
7. reapers – (angels)
Next we have the reapers. These are angels.
It is interesting that it speaks here of angels doing the work; but does not mention Christ’s return. That is mentioned elsewhere. We have though, in verse 41, that “The Son of Man will send his angels” so Christ has authority over the event. Generally, this is interpreted as taking place right after Christ has returned, and he has his angels send out to gather all people.
We do find this idea again later in Matthew:
[Matthew 24:31 ESV] 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
8. furnace – hell
One last item, which I’ve perhaps already mentioned. The “furnace” is hell. The Tares are burned. We can’t go so far as those who hold to the view of “annihilation” to say that the Tares are “burned UP” for good. The text doesn’t say that. Rather, there is a probably-continuous “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Their punishment is not momentary; it is eternal. Luke 3:17 calls it “unquenchable fire.”
Application 1: The Serious Implications of this truth.
There is a hell. There is a heaven. Some will go to one, some will go to the other. That is both sobering, and a reminder of the grace of our glorious God. Sobering because we all sin and deserve hell, but wonderful because we who know Christ have the promise of eternal life.
Application 2: Be aware that we live in a mixed world.
And its not always easy to know who is Wheat and who is Tares. So be on guard. And stand firm. Neither rushing to judgment on the eternal status of a person, not ignoring the dangers of wordily people.
Application 3: Persist to the end when God judges mankind.
You’ve been sinned against. Do not sin back. Do not take justice into to your own hands, but know that God will set things right.
Ultimately, this passage – any others like it – reminds us that injustice will not go on forever.
Conclusion
This is Christ’s encouragement. He will come. All will be set right. What a glorious day that will be.
It is said that this passage – the Parable of the Weeds – is the basis for the hymn, “Come, Ye Thankful People Come.”
In the first verse, we sing of those “sons of the Kingdom”: “all is safely gathered in, ere the winter storm begins.”
In the second verse, a more clear reference: “Wheat and tares together sown, unto joy or sorrow grown.”
In the third verse, the parable is explained:
“For the Lord our God shall come, and shall take his harvest home, from his field shall purge away all that doth offend that day. Give his angels charges at last, in the fire the tares to cast; but the fruitful ears to store in his garner evermore.”
That is a lot of truth; many truths.
Then, finally, in the last verse we sing of the Christian’s reaction to hearing those truths, and what our desire should be:
“Even so, Lord, quickly come, bring they final harvest home. Gather Thou thy people in, free from sorrow, free from sin. There, forever purified, in thy presence to abide; come, with all Thine angels come, Raise the glorious harvest home.”
So indeed, for the sake of justice and for the sake of purification unto eternal life, we say “Come Lord Jesus.” Come quickly.
Let us pray.