Burning Weeds

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 19th of July, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

There’s been a lot on the news the last week about wildfires in Canada and how the smoke from those fires is spreading across the US.  Some of the states up north, like New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, have been hit the worst.  Some of the smoke has even made it down here, along with health warnings for folks with respiratory conditions.  It seems like this happens every few years, with smoke sweeping in from fires somewhere, not necessarily Canada.

It reminds me of decades ago, when I used to go down to Santee Cooper lake in South Carolina for some of the best fishing around.  About once a year, the state forestry management agency would set fire to the undergrowth in a forest somewhere and I’d end up driving through thick smoke to get to the lake.  My truck, my clothes, my boat, me… we’d all smell like smoke for days.  But that was how they used to control what could become fuel for wildfires, by carefully and watchfully burning off the growth under the trees.  It also benefitted the trees.

Many, many years ago, it was a common farm practice to burn off a field after the harvest.  It got rid of all the weeds and plant stalks and leaves, and returned nitrogen and other beneficial elements to the soil.  All of this was before air pollution concerns, of course.  And I guess this practice goes way back in history.  Even Jesus talked about burning weeds.

After healing a man with a withered arm, in a local synagogue, on the Sabbath, and subsequently arguing with the Pharisees over His actions (and after He had told them He was the Lord of the Sabbath), Jesus went and sat by the sea for a while.  Of course He wasn’t alone for long, for a huge crowd soon gathered around Him, hoping to hear Him speak.  More than willing to do just that, He climbed onto a boat so all could hear and began to teach.  And He began by telling the parable of the sower who scattered his seed.  Some fell along the path and the birds ate it, some on rocky soil and it quickly sprouted then as quickly died, some among the thorns and was choked, but some fell on good soil and yielded a great crop.  He followed this with another parable about a sower.

Please listen and follow along while Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the tares, as recorded for us by the Apostle Matthew in verses 24 through 30 and 36 through 43 of the 13th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the Easy-to-Read Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

24 Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. 25 That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. 26 Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. 27 Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’

28 “The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’

“The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’

29 “He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. 30 Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”

36 Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His followers came to Him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world. The good seed are the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. 39 And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.

40 “The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of time. 41 The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will find the people who cause sin and all those who do evil. The angels will take those people out of His kingdom. 42 They will throw them into the place of fire. There the people will be crying and grinding their teeth with pain. 43 Then the godly people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people who hear Me, listen!”

--Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (ERV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for letting the weeds grow right along with the wheat.  If we humans tried to pull out the weeds, we’d run the risk of removing or damaging some of the wheat, too.  When the harvest comes, Your angels will be able to instantly determine the wheat from the weeds.  Those of us who believe in and follow Your Son Jesus are the wheat.  Sometimes, though, we act more like weeds, taking more resources than we need, hogging the sunlight.  Yet You still bless us, You still love us, even when we’re not living up to Your commands.  Thank You, Father, for forgiving us time after time.  Please help us be more considerate of others, of all others, whether wheat or weed.  Please help us be more like Jesus as we go through each day.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

Bible teacher, preacher, and author H. A. Ironside once told of pioneers who were making their way across one of the central states to a distant place that had been opened up for homesteading. They traveled in covered wagons drawn by oxen, and progress was necessarily slow. One day they were horrified to note a long line of smoke in the west, stretching for miles across the prairie, and soon it was evident that the dried grass was burning fiercely and coming toward them rapidly. They had crossed a river the day before but it would be impossible to go back to that before the flames would be upon them. Only one man seemed to have understanding as to what could be done. He gave the command to set fire to the grass behind them. Then when a space was burned over, the whole company moved back upon it.

As the flames roared on toward them from the west, a little girl cried out in terror, "Are you sure we shall not all be burned up?" The leader replied, "My child, the flames cannot reach us here, for we are standing where the fire has been!"

Ironside concluded, "What a picture of the believer, who is safe in Christ!  The fires of God's judgment burned themselves out on Him, and all who are in Christ are safe forever, for they are now standing where the fire has been."

One common attack of a wildfire is to set a backfire.  They pick an area directly ahead of the approaching wildfire and set fire to it, controlling it carefully, so that it will burn off all the vegetation in that area.  When the wildfire hits that area, there will be no fuel left for it, nothing more to eat, and it will die.

Jesus served as our backfire.  As long as we stand in Him and His love, the fire cannot reach us.

Jesus often taught using parables, painting mental images with words the people could readily understand and relate to.  They knew about sowing seeds, tending crops, and harvesting the results.  They knew how a seed needs the right conditions to sprout and grow.  They also knew how weeds could wreck a harvest if left untended, but that great care must be taken when pulling the weeds so that the good crop is not hurt.

His closest followers, though, His twelve disciples, might not have been as knowledgeable about growing crops.  They came from various backgrounds, with at least four having been fishermen and one a tax collector before He called them.  I don’t remember any of them being described as farmers.  So I guess it’s no real surprise that they would ask for an explanation of these sowing seeds parables, nor that Jesus didn’t hesitate to provide clarity.

The world we live in is God’s garden.  In it are good seed producing a good crop, and weeds trying to choke away the good crop.  When the end days come and Jesus returns, He will send His angels into the world to gather up the weeds first, those who cause sin and do evil.  These will be thrown into the lake of fire, eternal fire.  Then the good seed, the godly people, will be gathered and taken to heaven to be with God forever.  I promise you that it is no coincidence that this sounds an awful lot like what Jesus said about the separation of the goats and the sheep and their respective fates, as recorded a little later on by Matthew.

Sticking with our scripture reading a bit more, Jesus continued teaching about the kingdom of heaven with parables.  He told of a field hiding a rich treasure, and how the finder sold all he had so he could buy the field.  And He told of the pearl of great value, and the merchant who sold all he owned so he could possess it.   And then He used a parable that the fishermen among His listeners could better relate to.  Please listen as Jesus continues telling about the kingdom of God, as Matthew recorded a little further on in chapter 13 verses 47 through 51…

47 “Also, God’s kingdom is like a net that was put into the lake. The net caught many different kinds of fish. 48 It was full, so the fishermen pulled it to the shore. They sat down and put all the good fish in baskets. Then they threw away the bad fish. 49 It will be the same at the end of time. The angels will come and separate the evil people from the godly people. 50 They will throw the evil people into the place of fire. There the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain.”

51 Then Jesus asked His followers, “Do you understand all these things?”

They said, “Yes, we understand.”

--Matthew 13:47-51 (ERV)

This one they understood.  The bad fish, the evil people, will go into the fire.  The good fish, the godly people, will be with God.

They understood it, but do we?  Do we understand what Jesus meant with these parables?  If we do, then we need to help others understand, too, before their fate is sealed.  For Jesus is coming back.  There will be a day of judgment.  The angels will come and gather all of mankind.  Everyone who ever lived will stand before Jesus.  The weeds will be separated from the wheat, the goats from the sheep, the bad fish from the good, the evil from the godly.  The good will live forever in paradise.  The bad will live forever in torment and pain in the lake of fire.  It's not too late to choose which way we will go.  And it’s not too late to help others make the right choice.  We just need to do what Jesus told us to do: tell others all about Him, sharing the Good News of salvation.

Let’s help save some souls.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for preparing us for the working of Your plan for mankind so we can be ready for what will come.  By simply reading our bible and believing in its words, we can make the right choice now to save our eternal souls when the Day of Judgment comes.  Thank You, Father, for blessing us with our bible.  Sadly though, Father, there are too many people who will not read or believe in the words of the bible.  And far too many times we are afraid to share the truth with them, to share the Gospel.  Please remind us that we may be the only chance someone has to hear the truth.  Encourage and strengthen us to be effective witnesses so that others might be spared eternal death.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for standing in our place when the fires of God’s wrath raged.  Someday soon You will stand again for us, this time in judgment.  We do so want to be with the sheep, the good fish, the wheat, and we really do want to help others become believers, too.  But Lord, You know how much we struggle to speak to folks about our faith.  We have trouble getting up the courage to approach others, especially strangers, for You.  Please help us carry out the mission You gave us.

We hesitate to approach people and tell them about You and all You have done.  Please help us be a witness of Your mighty deeds and love.  Please help us love as You love, loving selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing Your words and Your works, telling them all about You.  Help us carry out the mission You gave us, seeking the lost sheep and leading them to You.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.