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Monday, January 24, 2022

The Curtain of History

36 Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, “Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field.”

37-39 So he explained. “The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels.

40-43 “The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father.

“Are you listening to this? Really listening?

-Matthew 12:36-43 The Message

The Weeds Explained

Verse 36: Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”

Verse 37: And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man,

Verse 38: and the field is the world; as for the good seed; these are the sons of the kingdom, and the weeds are the sons of the evil one;

Verse 39: and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.

Verse 40: So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.

Verse 41: The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,

Verse 42: and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Verse 42 study: Jesus uses these terms to refer to the coming judgment The weeping points out sorrow or remorse, and gnashing of teeth shows extreme pain or anxiety. Anybody that says don’t care what happens to them after death does not realize what they are saying. They will be punished for living a life of selfishness and indifference to God.

Let this be our prayer today, that we care about how we live, and what we can do to help others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Verse 43: Then the righteous will shine forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.

Verse 43 studies: Those who receive God’s favor stand in bright contrast to those who receive his judgment.

Verses 40-43 studies: When the world end, the angels will separate the evil, and the good. In churches today, there are true and false believers, but we should be careful in judgments. Christ is the only one that can make the final separation. If you start to judge, it is possible you may damage some “good plants.” It’s important to judge your response to God than to analyze other responses.