Monday, March 9, 2009

MITN XIII, Verses 24 - 32

24. Another similar allegory that He shared with them (as a visible symbol representing an abstract idea) went like this: “The Kingdom of/from the heavens is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25. But while he was sleeping, an enemy of his came and sowed darnel...weeds that closely resemble wheat, among the real wheat that the man had planted. Then the enemy went on his way.

26. The man, of course, had no idea that his field had been sabotaged, but when the plants sprouted and formed grain, the darnel appeared right along with the wheat – the false growing in tandem with the real.

27. So the man’s servants came to him and said, “Sir, didn’t you sow good quality seed in your field? How, then, is it possible that it has darnel shoots in it?”

28. He replied to them, “Obviously, an enemy has done this in an attempt to compromise the harvest.” So the servants said to him, “Well, then, do you want us to go and weed them out so that the field can maintain its integrity?

29. He said to them, “No…don’t do that…because if you go in there focused only on removing the weeds – or what is false in the field – you’ll inadvertently root up the true wheat - or what is real - along with it.

30. Just let them grow together until that field’s harvest-time, because then I’ll tell the reapers, “Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be purged in the fire, but gather the wheat that remains after the purging into my granary.”

31. He created for them yet another visual image by way of story-telling, again using the symbolism of a seed, saying, “The Kingdom of/from the heavens is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

32. Of all the seeds, it is actually the smallest, but when it has grown, it becomes the largest of the garden herbs…literally becomes a tree big enough for the birds of the air to come and find shelter in its branches. In this way He revealed that the Kingdom begins in the small things, but because it is a living, growing thing, it increases day by day.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

P Nancy said...

Bishop,

Every day I plant seeds..
I have a child in my class that actually wants to plant his orange seeds, apple seeds, or whatever seeds he has on his lunch tray. So when we go outside for recess, I whe we were outside, he said he needed to go inside to get water for his seeds and I told him..."Just pray and Ask God to let it rain"...2 days later when we were outside, I looked over and saw him kneeling over the place where his "seeds" were planted. It rained the next day :)

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

P. Nancy...this post was meant for this blog, so I moved your comment over here...thanks...

River said...

Every year my parents use to plant a garden. It is amazing how one little seed can grow enough food for the family and those who were on our road. Look at a corn stalk seed produces seed just as when we recieve a Word we can spread the Word.

Unknown said...

The wheat/darnel parable has always fascinated me. I'm still pondering this tonight...but, because of the timing of this post, its easy to see the man speaking to his "servant words". Unaware of a false Gospel planted in his field, the man says, leave it alone until harvest. Now that is TRUST ... trust in the power of a tiny seed, possibly hidden among the roots of a darnel, completely taking over and dominating the garden! Yessirreee...leave them darnels alone, thank you v. much!

Erik said...

Our own darnel grows up with our own wheat (see King David big time on this issue, while I am here, check out Manassas, if THESE two, and many of those mentioned in The Bible, I mean Jacob? Paul? ) the rest of us are totally fine in the Harvest.

Our darnel is threshed out of us, and burned fir fuel to serve us while the wheat of who we are is excellent grain.

Going backward in MITN, XIII, the earlier verses, when Jesus is talking about the various places the seed fell, that the sower sowed. The seed that fell on good soil, produced a hundred, 60, and 30 fold return. Every person exiting since the foundation is the good soil, we ALREADY are good soil, we would not be here otherwise. The other places the seed of God fell are somewhere else, the rocky areas, parched areas, thorny areas are other seeds and other fields and folds we do not know of.

The highlight of that parable, the meat of the issue, is that WE ALL are the good soil, Where the seed produces an excellent yield.

Like the songs we sung Sun AM, -- The one, ‘We all are redeemed, we all are redeemed, .. ‘cause The Lord did so… It celebrates how we are all born into Grace, and have been, even for those in the ‘time box’ even for those who perceive it that way, it still has been over 2k , it was in the past, it does not matter, today(and for a long ‘time’ for time addicts) We All have been born into Grace.

Like that other song, ..’We are always in Your house, We are always in Your courts, We area always in Your house , Is because we live here… Or that part about .. To see Your beauty, and where Your Spirit dwells… It is the mirror, and in the face of our loved ones, our strangers, and our adversaries, The Beauty and Spirit of God is in each one.

Our surrender to the authority, grace, love and mercy that indwells each of us, is the peace and power that transcends the box. The darnel of that box, and the wheat within and beyond. The burning of the darnel bakes the wheat into the most aromatic and nutritious bread.

Larry Usher said...

14 But I am trusting you, O Lord,
saying, “You are my God!”
15 My future is in your hands.
Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly.
16 Let your favor shine on your servant.
In your unfailing love, rescue me.
17 Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord,
for I call out to you for help.
Let the wicked be disgraced;
let them lie silent in the grave.
18 Silence their lying lips—
those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.

19 How great is the goodness
you have stored up for those who fear you.
You lavish it on those who come to you for protection,
blessing them before the watching world.
20 You hide them in the shelter of your presence,
safe from those who conspire against them.
You shelter them in your presence,
far from accusing tongues.

21 Praise the Lord,
for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love.
He kept me safe when my city was under attack.
22 In panic I cried out,
“I am cut off from the Lord!”
But you heard my cry for mercy
and answered my call for help.

23 Love the Lord, all you godly ones!
For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him,
but he harshly punishes the arrogant.
24 So be strong and courageous,
all you who put your hope in the Lord!

From Psalm 31

--------------------------------

I have heard the slander of many,
Terror on every side.
While they council together against me,
A scheme to take away my life.

I am small, concealed in this darkness,
Yearning to see the light, but I may never
Because of the heartless attempt
To take away my life.

Am I safe? The water around me
Is changing. Is it allright?
I am burning. Oh what are they doing?
They want to take away my life.

But as for me, I trust in Thee,
Oh, Lord, my times are in Your hands.
You are my God, deliver me
From the solution that they have planned.

I'm condemned, completely unwanted,
I struggle to stay inside,
Oh, my dear mother, your future is haunted,
If they succeed and take away my life.

I'm cut off, exposed in this cold room,
For love and warmth I strive, will you discard me,
Throw away or starve me,
And slowly drain away my life.

But as for me, I trust in Thee,
Oh, Lord, my times are in Your hands.
You are my God, deliver me
From the solution that they have planned.

Desperate hands reach out to embrace me,
And steal away in the night,
A gentle voice is speaking assuringly,
No one will take away your life.

Now I am one apart from the millions
Fortunate to survive.
And though I bear on my body these old wounds,
They didn't take away my life.

But as for me, I trust in Thee,
Oh, Lord, my times are in Your hands.
You are my God, deliver me
From the solution that they have planned.

"The Survivor"- Phil Keaggy

Fear not my little ones, my sheep, listen to the Master's voice and all will be well...

Larry Usher said...

The identity of those weak in faith has to be slowly changed from that of a "pig sty dweller" to that of a "sitter at the right hand". Challenging those who are babes with an "in your face" attitude will only cease their ascension on the wrungs of maturity. Best to water, fertilize, shine on and prune this one until they are strong enough to handle some "weed-pulling".

Just a thought. The Lord loves the little sheep!

word ver: "BRATOGR", have any of us behaved like this at any time in our past?! LOL!

Erik said...

Do y’all like the TV shows ‘Saving Grace’ and ‘Burn Notice’?

I do, they are like bookends of seemingly completely different story lines, however, they are the same story. In ‘Burn Notice’ the main character is overtly ‘left’ or more aptly returned to a place where his loves, family, heart, friends, and his mission coincide. In each episode his realization of himself and his world actualizes.

In ‘Saving Grace’ , the main character has always been in her environment, but she is perceives she is ‘left’ but is in every episode returning to who she is, with interaction with her loves, family, herself, her mission and her angel, she grows into the realization, with trepidation, of what she is and always has been.

In both stories, each main character has who they are all around them, and within them, however for reasons unstated in the storyline, they bypass full actualization, leave it just in reach without embracing it, but keeping it engaged.

Anonymous said...

They look so much alike.
They walk alike.
They talk alike.
But in that day, there will be a seperation of the wheat and the darnel.

Anonymous said...

Love the comments on this one.

Get a px of a child kneeling over planted seed with a single tear drop of care coming from eye and a single beam of sunlite over shoulder landing on ground and making plant to grow.

Good Erik, it is the good soil that makes both wheat and darnel and both serve purpose in kingdom.

Be strong and courageous all who put hope in God.

Master of the field was wise, when both plants are mature they are different in height but when sprouting are difficult to discern between. When grown they can be used for their best purpose eg. food, fodder, fuel. All these are needed in kingdom but if seen as bad and discarded early in their life would cause more dammage than good.

Awesome rendering of this scripture Bish, I still believe the anchor to this chapter was well captured in verse twelve. The servants were thinking with their head when they wanted to pull up the early shoots of darnel but the master saw with heart that both the intended harvest and that which the enemy meant for evil would be used for good.

Think there will be a mustard tree in my herb garden this year.

JB

Anonymous said...

The pic- a cool breakfast nudge. (like, eat your Wheaties)

What I like about verse 24 is how the Lord compared the sphere of heaven to a man. Seems significant.

25. Great visual; laboring in his field, he was exhausted & called it a day well spent.

The stalks must have been hearty, upright, connecting and supportive to have inspired the enemy's attention. Enough to compel him to plant, too; that was "his way". (italics added - no cool sound effects)

Earth gives birth its own kind; the greater light rules the day, lesser light rules the night. And the stars watch. Wait a minute... is this all a refresher course of Genesis?

27. Others informed the man about his own field.

28. Love how he assessed the situation. How ironic; the intention of his servants (maintaining integrity of His field by offering to rip the hell out of it).

29. His way is cultivating goodness and sow on...

30. ..."I'LL tell the reapers..." - love that line

31. ...another visual image - woohoo!

32. Hmm... how would one sketch God's kindness?

Teezy313 said...

LOVE IT!

Anonymous said...

v29 typo in the filed

“Gather the darnel first and bind it in bundles to be purged in the fire, but gather the wheat that remains after the purging into my granary.”

Anonymous said...

I meant to say I like that...too quick on the trigger...I guess

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Thanks...typo corrected...