What is the Kingdom of heaven? Many have concluded this was Jesus’ way of saying heaven. On the other hand, he talked about it being among his people in the present (Luke 17:20-21). In a recent worship service, we concluded that the Kingdom of Heaven is the rule of God among his people. It is true that God rules in heaven and will for eternity. This Kingdom has already begun though, for those who have eyes of faith. When God is King in our lives, he accomplishes his will on earth as he does in heaven.
To explain the Kingdom, Jesus told stories. In this thirteenth chapter, Matthew incorporates at least seven of Jesus’ parables. Some who heard the stories walked away and shook their heads in confusion or disbelief. But others listened and learned from Jesus how to live under God’s sovereign rule. Even for us today the parables are not always easy to understand. This particular parable tells of a farmer who planted wheat, only to have it sabotaged by an enemy who planted weeds. The farmer’s helpers saw the weeds and desperately concluded they should give them their full attention. Instead, the owner said, “Let wheat and weeds grow together and we will sort them out at the end.”
When we see evil in our world, we are inclined to give our full attention to stopping it. Jesus’ principle still applies. Our time is better spent watering wheat than pulling weeds. The danger of trying to attack evil is that we often cause collateral damage. Good seeds can be destroyed by well-intended weed picking. In God’s Kingdom, right here on earth, bad coexists with good. This sounds frightening at first. Jesus taught us though that our primary work is cultivating God’s life in others, not fighting the sinfulness of the wicked. How will we put this into practice in our world? Plant a seed of life in someone today. Practice random acts of senseless kindness and beauty. Watch God work. Leave the sorting to him. He will get it right.
