Sunday School Lesson
January 9
Lesson 6 (KJV)
INJUSTICE AND HOPE
DEVOTIONAL READING: Genesis 21:8–21
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE: Genesis 21:8–21
GENESIS 21:8–20
8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
KEY TEXT
God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.—Genesis 21:17–18
JUSTICE, LAW, HISTORY
Unit 2: God: The Source of Justice
LESSONS 5–9
LESSON AIMS
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. List key features of the relationships among the six individuals (including God).
2. Compare and contrast Abraham’s distress with that of Sarah and Hagar.
3. Write a prayer of praise for God’s presence during a difficult time of life.
HOW TO SAY IT
Beersheba Beer-she-buh.
Gerar Gear-rar (G as in get).
Hagar Hay-gar.
Ishmael Ish-may-el.
Keturah Keh-too-ruh.
Paran Pair-un.
Introduction
A. Deaf “Gods”
Isaiah 44:10–20 provides an incisive “mockumentary” of ancient Near East idolatry. Someone plants a tree and the rain waters it. Then someone cuts down that tree and uses half of it for firewood. Then a craftsman carves the other half into an image, claims it is a god, and asks it to save him. How, Isaiah wondered, could anyone in his or her right mind do such a thing? A block of wood does not have understanding. It neither sees nor hears, let alone acts in history to save.
Idolatry hasn’t changed much over the centuries. And beyond that type of idol, people who have achieved fame are often idolized. Yet these people were once babies—utterly dependent on their parents for everything. But because a person is a household name, some hang on their every word, expecting inspiration that will put life on the right path. But these idols cannot save either.
The truth is, only God can hear, speak, and act to save. He hears the cries of His people and heeds the pleas of the oppressed. In today’s passage, we see the God of Abraham listening attentively and offering a word of true hope.
B. Lesson Context
The second part of the book of Genesis could be called personal history (see Lesson Context from lesson 5). It is about people who have purpose in the plan of God to bring the Messiah into the world at just the right time (Galatians 4:4). This section of Genesis begins with Genesis 11:27. The focus is on the descendants of Abraham who continue through Isaac, Jacob, and the latter’s 12 sons.
When God called Abraham and Sarah (then Abram and Sarai) to leave Ur, He promised to bring them to the land He would give them and to make Abraham’s family a great nation (Genesis 12:1–3). Abraham entered Canaan at age 75, and he was told that this was the land that God planned to give to Abraham’s descendants (12:7). After Abraham and his nephew Lot went their separate ways, Abraham was again told that all the land he could see would be given to his descendants (13:15).
Yet Sarah was unable to conceive a child (Genesis 11:30). She sought to overcome her barrenness by asking Abraham to impregnate one of her slaves (16:2–3). Sarah’s logic in this seems strange to us. Why would a wife willingly allow her husband to have an intimate relationship with another woman? This seems to be a recipe for disaster! But the logic of this practice, common at the time, went something like this: “If my slave produces a child, that child will be mine, just like his mother is my property.” Sarah thought she could have a son in this secondary way and thus please her husband.
One of their slaves was an Egyptian named Hagar (Genesis 16:3). She presumably came into their household when the family sojourned in Egypt (12:16). Hagar was Sarah’s personal attendant. When Abraham and Sarah’s attempts to produce a child were unsuccessful, Sarah offered Hagar to Abraham (never asking the slave’s consent), hoping this union would yield a child. This attempt to run ahead of God turned out to be a bad idea, as Genesis 16:4b–6 shows.
When Hagar conceived, it created a rift between the two women. Hagar looked down on Sarah (Genesis 16:4), and Sarah retaliated with harsh treatment. When Hagar fled, God comforted her and encouraged her to return to Abraham and Sarah, with the promise that God would bless her offspring (16:9–12). The baby born to Abraham and Hagar was named Ishmael (see 21:17b, below).
Eventually God made it clear to Abraham that Sarah would bear him a son (Genesis 18:1–15). Isaac, the child of this miraculous conception, would become the heir to God’s promise to Abraham. Yet with Ishmael still in the mix as Abraham’s firstborn son, the situation was ripe for more conflict—which brings us to today’s passage.
- The Last Laugh
(GENESIS 21:8–13)
A. What Sarah Saw (vv. 8–9)
8. And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
We are not told when exactly a baby was expected to be weaned. Much later in Israel, Hannah (another barren woman whom God enabled to conceive) entrusted her son Samuel into the care of Eli to be raised as a priest after he was weaned (1 Samuel 1:22–24). This likely did not occur before Samuel was 3 years old, perhaps closer to 4.
Isaac’s weaning was an event to be celebrated. He no longer depended on his mother’s breastmilk for sustenance, which allowed him to spend more time with his father and the other men. This important rite of passage for any young boy was especially important for the child of promise, born in miraculous circumstances.
9. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Referring to Ishmael as the son of Hagar the Egyptian emphasizes his relationship to his slave mother rather than to his father. Ishmael was 14 years older than his half brother Isaac (compare Genesis 16:16; 17:25 with 21:5), making Ishmael about age 17 when this event took place (see 21:8, above).
We are never told exactly what Ishmael said and/or did to draw the accusation of mocking. The Hebrew word is the same behind the name Isaac, which means “laughter.” The word can imply simple amusement, but other contexts reveal darker possibilities. The same word was used when Lot’s sons-in-law thought he was kidding around about the imminent destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:14). The word also described the frivolity of the idolatrous Israelites with their golden calf (Exodus 32:6). The term further characterized how a husband and wife enjoyed romantic time together (Genesis 26:8), appropriate within a marriage but sinful in other contexts. The final possibility of inappropriate touch is most disturbing.
Sarah’s sensitivity to anything to do with Hagar or Ishmael may lead us to assume that she overreacted to a teasing insult to Isaac rather than molestation or abuse. Whatever was happening, it provoked Sarah to act decisively. Given her history with Hagar (see Lesson Context), Sarah was the worst person to witness Ishmael’s misbehaving.
B. What Sarah Said (vv. 10–11)
10a. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son.
As God cast the first couple out of Eden (Genesis 3:24) and later drove Cain from the soil (4:14; see lesson 5), so Sarah called Abraham to expel Hagar and Ishmael from their camp. We should hesitate to evaluate this action in a moral sense, given the fact of God’s approval (21:12, below). With our knowledge that God worked through Isaac, we might be tempted to excuse Sarah’s request as a pragmatic change-of-address request.
We might ask ourselves, Do the ends justify the means? It was cruel to cast out the bondwoman and her son—a son born because Sarah herself had willed Abraham to impregnate Hagar. Referring to Hagar and Ishmael in the third person rather than by name may have been Sarah’s way of depersonalizing them and distancing them as legitimate recipients of Abraham’s concern. Subjecting Hagar and Ishmael to starvation, exposure, and violence then seemed tolerable to Sarah in some sense.
What Do You Think?
How do you as an adult believer discern when to allow children to work out their own conflicts and when to step in to protect one child against another?
Digging Deeper
In the case of intercession, how do you demonstrate God’s love to the offending child?
10b. For the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
When the law is later given at Sinai, it will be mandatory for the firstborn son to inherit a double portion of his father’s estate at the father’s death (see Deuteronomy 21:15–17). But Sarah was unwilling to see Ishmael even as an heir equal to her own son.
THE WICKED STEPMOTHER
Fairy tales exploit negative stereotypes about stepmothers. These stereotyped individuals in story lines serve as foils for conflict and the ultimate triumph of children. Cinderella’s stepmother forced her to live as a servant in her father’s house. Hansel and Gretel’s stepmother sent them out of the house when food became scarce. While we might like to think that such characterizations are entirely imagined—that no adult, no matter her position, would mistreat children—we must admit that there is some truth here.
Disappointingly, Sarah sounds like the wicked stepmother here. Jealousy, pride, fear—all played a part in Sarah’s disregard for Ishmael. And yet God worked through Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Hagar, and Ishmael for His purposes. Be alert for how our Father, who watches the women and children this world rejects, may work. —J. K.
11. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
Abraham rightly loved his son Ishmael. The father was not naïve about the dangers that the boy and his mother would face if sent away. Perhaps Abraham thought both sons would share his inheritance; after all, when God specified that Abraham’s heir would be his own flesh and blood, Sarah was not mentioned (Genesis 15:4). And if Abraham understood that God intended for only one nation to descend from Abraham, then that man could be excused for thinking that his two sons would both contribute to that one people. Ishmael’s banishment would throw all these assumptions into disarray.
What Do You Think?
In conflicts between others, under what circumstances would you be a peacemaker? a problem solver? a silent bystander?
Digging Deeper
How do Proverbs 26:17 and Matthew 5:9 help inform your answer?
C. What God Said (vv. 12–13)
12. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
We might conclude quickly that it’s God’s will for Hagar and Ishmael to move away. But recognizing three ways to speak of “God’s will” is important. The first is that of God’s purposive will (referring to God’s desire and decision; examples: Genesis 1:1; Acts 2:23). The second is that of His prescriptive will (referring to God’s desire and human decision; examples: Hosea 6:6; Matthew 23:37). The third is that of His permissive will (referring to human desire and God’s permission; examples: Acts 14:16; James 4:13).
The third of these three is in view here. In other words, God was willing to work within Sarah’s desire as He moved His own plan forward. He would act in genuine partnership with Abraham and Sarah. Sometimes humans take initiative, and then God responds to their actions. This had been so in Abraham’s case at least since Sarah decided to have a child by Hagar.
It is one thing to say that God wanted Sarah to cast away her servant and Abraham’s son; it is another thing to say that God allowed it and saw it as a way to carry out His larger promises for His people. Those larger promises revolved around Isaac—not Ishmael. So God told Abraham to accept the will of his wife.
13. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
In working with Sarah’s decision, God did not ignore Hagar or become indifferent to Ishmael. Although God was always going to fulfill His promises through Sarah’s child, He chose to also make Ishmael a nation because he too was Abraham’s son (see Genesis 21:18, below). Even so, Abraham left his entire estate to Isaac (25:5).
After Sarah died, Abraham had additional sons with Keturah (Genesis 25:1–4). These sons do not appear to receive the same blessing as Ishmael, but Abraham sent them away from Isaac’s family with gifts before he died (25:6).
- A Lasting Promise (GENESIS 21:14–20)
A. Hagar’s Wandering (vv. 14–16)
14a. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away.
In this instance, as in the story of Isaac’s near sacrifice, Abraham’s obedience to the Lord was seen in his immediate action early in the morning (Genesis 22:3). The only record we have of Abraham and Ishmael together after this is when Ishmael returned to help Isaac bury their father (25:9); whether Ishmael spent time with his dying father is unknown. There is no record of Hagar ever returning to see Abraham.
14b. And she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Beersheba was in southern Canaan, west of Gerar, where Abraham had settled (Genesis 20:1). Later, the entire promised land could be measured from Dan in the north to Beersheba. Indeed, the phrase “from Dan even to Beersheba” became a catchphrase in that regard (Judges 20:1; 1 Samuel 3:20; 2 Samuel 3:10; 17:11; 24:2, 15; 1 Kings 4:25). Hagar likely intended to return to Egypt and eventually did so (Genesis 21:21). Her wandering in the wilderness foreshadowed Israel’s own experience on their journey out of Egypt (Deuteronomy 2:1). Later Abraham would designate a well in the area by the name Beersheba (Genesis 21:31). Isaac and Jacob both had significant spiritual experiences in the area (26:23–25; 46:1–4).
15. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
We are not told how long Hagar wandered in the wilderness before running out of provisions, though we would expect that Abraham had sent her and the child away with as much as they could carry. Cast in this verse is the same term used when Joseph was thrown into a well and left for dead (Genesis 37:22, 24; see also Exodus 1:22). We can assume that for Hagar to be able to leave her teenage son under one of the shrubs, he had no strength to change his circumstance.
16a. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot.
Here a play on words measures this distance in terms of a bowshot, foreshadowing Hagar and Ishmael’s own near future (see Genesis 21:20, below).
16b. For she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
The last time Hagar ran away, pregnant with Ishmael, God met her by a spring of water and promised that Ishmael would grow into manhood (Genesis 16:7–12). At that time, she called the Lord “Thou God seest me” (16:13). It must have seemed to her that God was breaking this promise and refusing to see their current plight. Not giving a thought to her own likely death, she wept for her child.
What Do You Think?
Without giving directive advice, how would you counsel someone who feels hopeless?
Digging Deeper
Under what circumstances would sharing Romans 8:28 and/or 2 Corinthians 4:7–9 not be a good idea?
B. God’s Hearing (vv. 17–18)
17a. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not.
The angel of God opened a conversation with Hagar as “the angel of the Lord” had done previously: with a question about her status (Genesis 16:7–8). But this time the angel didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, the unanswered question is immediately followed by the command to fear not. Throughout the Bible, this command shows up dozens of times, often when humans encounter God or angelic beings (see Joshua 8:1; Matthew 28:5; Luke 1:13, 30).
Hagar would not have the language of God’s love driving out fear, but surely her experience confirms the apostle John’s words in 1 John 4:16–18. Because God loved both Hagar and Ishmael, the mother had no reason to fear for her child. When God calls His people to fear not, He calls them to love Him and trust in His plans for them.
17b. For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
We may wonder why the angel told Hagar that God heard … the lad, even though Hagar was the one weeping audibly in the previous verse. Nowhere in Genesis 21 is Ishmael referred to by name, which is a combination of the Hebrew words that mean “God hears” (Genesis 16:11). By emphasizing that He heard the teenager, God showed Hagar that He was looking after her son personally. He proved her son’s name to be reassuringly true, even when it seemed that not even the boy’s mother had the capacity to listen to him any longer.
18. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
God already had promised that Ishmael would become a great nation (Genesis 17:20), and God planned to keep His promise. The only other person to whom God made such a promise was Abraham (12:1–2). Ishmael would have 12 sons (25:12–18) as would Isaac’s son Jacob (49:1–28). These Ishmaelites show up in Joseph’s story (see 37:25–28). They were nomadic people, generally living in northern Arabia.
C. God’s Help (vv. 19–20)
19. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
Why Hagar could not see the well before is not clear. Perhaps her exhaustion and dehydration prevented her from seeing what was right before her eyes. This water was enough to revive Ishmael and keep her hope alive. The God whom she previously declared to be the God who “seest me” (Genesis 16:13) had opened her own eyes.
What Do You Think?
What has to happen for you to “open your eyes” (physically or spiritually) more fully to God’s blessings?
Digging Deeper
Are the eye-opening actions of Psalm 119:18 and Ephesians 1:18 your responsibility or God’s?
I HIT MY KNEES, HARD!
On Saturday, January 13, 2018, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency sent an alert to tens of thousands of Hawaii cell phones that warned of an inbound ballistic missile.The alert caused immediate panic in many who saw it. Only minutes later, relief came in a second message confirming that the first was a false alarm.
My friend Diana had been in Hawaii at the time. She told me she immediately fell to her knees when she read the text. “And when I got up, I asked the Lord for two things: help me be brave, and if I die today, please make it quick. Other than that, I knew that I was ready to go.”
Her testimony was short, but powerful. Hagar might tell a similar story. In her crying, the Spirit of God heard her and cared for her and her son. No matter how dire the situation, God hears and God loves. —C. T.
20a. And God was with the lad.
God kept His promise to Hagar. His presence with the lad serves as a reminder that, though God looks after His chosen people in a special way, He also cares for people beyond that group (compare Matthew 5:45). Indeed, God set apart Abraham’s family through Isaac precisely to bless all nations (Genesis 12:3). How great to serve a God who has always loved the whole world and chose to demonstrate it through His Son (John 3:16–18)!
20b. And he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
Ishmael’s becoming an archer completes the play on words from verse 16. More importantly, it also fills out some of God’s original declaration about the boy’s future. The last time God spoke with Hagar, He told her that Ishmael would become a wild man at odds with others (Genesis 16:12), a characteristic one might expect from a boy growing to maturity in the wilderness without a father to guide him or a community to mold him. Bows were the weapon of choice in Ishmael’s time—for hunting (27:3) and waging war (1 Samuel 31:3). These skills undoubtedly contributed much to his survival and eventual prosperity.
Conclusion
- God Who Hears
Hagar had a difficult life. But as Ishmael’s name reminds us, God hears! Abraham’s God, who loved both Isaac and Ishmael, is the Lord of all creation. He cares for all people, and He keeps His promises. He hears all cries of injustice, and He responds with a message of hope. That message must be preached, taught, and lived by His people before the watching world, which is desperate for a better story than the divisions that so often define our lives. When we hear, the world might begin to believe that God also hears.
What Do You Think?
How will you resolve the principle or precedent in today’s text that you have the most trouble with?
Digging Deeper
When will you start that process?
God who hears, we raise our voices to You. Strengthen our hope so the world may have hope in You through our faithful witness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
- Thought to Remember
Call out to the God who hears.
Kid’s Corner
Why Hypocrites Are in Churches
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Matthew 13:24-33
Matthew 13:24-33
(Matthew 13:24) Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
In His parables, Jesus used familiar events to illustrate spiritual truths and realities. In the New Testament, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, and the kingdom of Christ mean the same. The kingdom of heaven exists within the world but is not of the world. In this parable, Jesus’ field is the world. The kingdom of heaven is also beyond the world. One of the best descriptions of the throne room in the kingdom of heaven beyond the world can be found in the Book of Revelation, chapters 4 & 5. In this parable, the man who sowed the seed is Jesus himself, and Jesus, the Son of Man, is the Lord of heaven and earth. In this parable, the good seed represents true Christians. True Christians may be described as: ones who by the grace of God respond to the good news of Jesus Christ, feel sorrow for their sins, repent of their sins, receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, reform their lives through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit according to the truth of the Bible, and bear good fruit. We can compare the good seed and the good soil in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower — the good soil produced good grain. In Matthew 13:23, Jesus said, “As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Both parables teach us something about the true character of true Christians. On the one hand, Jesus Christ is the One who sows good Christians into the kingdom of heaven. On the other hand, when the gospel of Jesus Christ is sown in good soil, in good hearts, the soil bears much good fruit. Therefore, we know that no one becomes a Christian apart from the grace of Jesus Christ, the truth of the gospel that is sown, and the work of the Holy Spirit who gives the growth.
Jesus began to explain Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds in Matthew 13:37-38, saying, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one”
The parable reminds us that there are people in this world who serve the evil one; so, Christians should not be surprised when they come into close contact with people who want to harm and mislead them. Some have distinguished the visible church, which can include both wheat and weeds, from the invisible church, which contains only wheat. When Jesus Christ returns we will learn the identifies all those included in the invisible church.
(Matthew 13:25) “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.
Those sleeping needed their rest each evening. In this parable, no one is judged for sleeping. The enemy is responsible for sowing the weeds. The parable explains the existence of the weeds in the wheat. The gospel of Jesus Christ declares the truth of God and reality. The gospel does not contain a mixture of truth and error that can produce mixed results. False teachings in the church do not come from the Bible. However sincere, human interpretations can sometimes contain a mixture of truth and error. So, believers must pray and examine all teachings about God and Christ in order to make certain these teachings are according to the Bible and true. The Berean Jews set the example for us: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). Jesus Christ, Christians, and the kingdom of heaven have an enemy who will use others in trying to ruin the good work and destroy the good fruit that God wants believers to bear.
(Matthew 13:26) “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
The weeds Zizanion (Greek) are also called “darnel” and “tares.” These weeds are poisonous and can make people sick. The tares look like wheat as they begin growing but can be easily distinguished and separated from the wheat at harvest time.
(Matthew 13:27) “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’
The owner’s servants were experienced enough to distinguish between the wheat and the weeds prior to harvest time. Likewise, from spiritual experience, study of the Bible, and prayer, the Holy Spirit can help the true followers of Jesus recognize false teaching, false teachers, false preachers, and false members in the church. In Matthew 13:39, Jesus explained, “the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.” In the kingdom of heaven on earth, in the visible church, Jesus sows true Christians and the devil sows his followers: both types of people grow together; so, Christians should expect some trouble in the Church from those who do not trust in Jesus and the Bible. Indeed, some say, “The church is full of hypocrites,” but according to Jesus’ parable we should expect some hypocrites to be in church, but how many hypocrites we cannot judge. Jesus sows only good seed in the kingdom of heaven and the church — seed (Christians) that will bear good fruit. We can always say to a critic of the church that in the church the wheat and weeds will grow together until the end of the age when they will be separated. The devil intends for the hypocrites he plants in the church to come between Christ and those who might consider following Him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
(Matthew 13:28) “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves *said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’
The devil and those who follow the devil are the enemies of Jesus Christ, the Church, the kingdom of heaven, and Christians. The devil inspires and helps his followers as they try to destroy the Church and the faith, lives, and testimony of Christians. Along with the servants of Jesus, we might be inclined to ask Jesus, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?”
(Matthew 13:29) “But he *said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.
We do not have the power, skill, or responsibility to remove the devil and his followers from the kingdom of heaven. However, God has given Christians the responsibility of exercising discipline in the church. In this parable, Jesus is not teaching against church discipline. Without church discipline a church ceases to be a church. A church must practice loving Biblical discipline toward those who profess to be Christians when they persist in known sin, refuse to repent, and refuse to return to following Jesus and the Bible. If a church allows some of its members to persist in known sin, they can do great damage. Likewise, Jesus said that Christians need to be able to recognize those with the character of a wild dog or a pig, so they can avoid sharing what is holy with them. In Matthew 7:6, Jesus taught, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.” Paul wrote about church discipline in 1 Corinthians 5:12, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?” Church discipline is a worthy topic to be studied and discussed, but it is beyond the scope of this commentary on this parable.
Jesus’ focus in this parable is the fact that the roots of the wheat and the weeds can become so intertwined that in the process of pulling up the weeds you can unintentionally pull up the wheat so that the wheat cannot bear fruit. When church discipline is being exercised, this principle needs to be remembered so church discipline must involve much prayer, much love, much study of the Bible, much counseling and teaching so the wheat is protected as a weed or Christian in the church is being helped to repent and follow Jesus Christ faithfully (for ultimately, we do not have the ability to distinguish perfectly between growing Christians who still struggle with besetting sins and the weeds sown by the devil: church leaders surely need the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Who will always lead consistent with and according to the Bible’s teachings. In dealing with the weeds, Jesus primary concern was saving the wheat.
(Matthew 13:30) ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”
As further explanation of this parable, in Matthew 13:40-43, Jesus explained, “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” In the Book of Daniel, we learn some of the characteristics of Jesus, who called himself the Son of Man: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
In Jesus’ parable, the Son of Man will send angels to remove the ones who do evil and all causes of sin from the kingdom of heaven and the world; then, the righteous ones will shine like the sun and reveal the glory of God. Everyone will see and know the true children of their heavenly Father. Only the harvesters will be able to distinguish the weeds from the wheat and have the power to remove the weeds and safely preserve the wheat.
We can expect Christians and unbelievers to work in the church and in the world in either helpful or harmful ways until the harvest time. Therefore, we must wait patiently and prayerfully for the end of the age, when Jesus will have His holy angels weed out “everything that causes sin and all who do evil.” Jesus’ parable reveals good reasons for repenting of our sins and trusting in Him as our Lord and Savior. The wheat, the true Christians, will inherit eternal life: “Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
(Matthew 13:31) He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;
In His next parable, Jesus explained that the kingdom of heaven would have a small beginning but would grow larger and larger over time. Jesus Christ planted the kingdom of heaven in the field (the world).
(Matthew 13:32) and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR come and NEST IN ITS BRANCHES.”
Jesus’ audience would have understood that the mustard seed was the smallest agricultural seed they would ever plant. They all knew about mustard seeds and how large a mustard plant could grow from a seed. As a plant in one of their gardens, they would plan carefully before planting a mustard seed, for it could grow as large as a tree. Jesus’ purpose was not to try to explain to His audience seed sizes from around the world. He chose to use an illustration they would understand, and we need to try to understand what Jesus’ audience would have understood. Jesus carefully planned and planted the kingdom of heaven. It would grow large and many people would come from the world into the kingdom. Many would be blessed within it. In harmony with the previous parable, the birds could represent Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit (a dove brought Noah an olive leaf and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove upon Jesus at His baptism), and those who follow the devil and do evil (in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, the birds came and ate the seed). Both types of birds (people) may be in the kingdom of heaven until the time of the harvest.
(Matthew 13:33) He spoke another parable to them, “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”
In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is symbolized by yeast and its effect in dough. Yeast makes bread taste good after it rises to make a loaf of bread and is baked. Loaves of bread made from yeast were used as wave offerings before the LORD in the celebration of Pentecost; so, we know that in the Bible yeast does not always symbolize evil. The LORD would never command anyone to wave before Him something that contained evil as an offering. On the Day of Pentecost, Jesus’ followers were completely filled with the Holy Spirit, even as yeast will completely fill dough and make bread rise. From the parable of the mustard seed, we know that the kingdom of heaven will grow externally in the numbers of people who will receive the gift of eternal life and be blessed in this life. From the parable of the yeast, we know that the kingdom of heaven will indwell Christians as the Holy Spirit fills them fully and works within them to bless others — even as a loaf of bread tastes good and nourishes our bodies.
Why Hypocrites Are in Churches
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Matthew 13:24-33
“Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: ‘First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn’” (Matthew 13:30).
Why do we find hypocrites and God’s enemies in the church? Jesus gave a reason in His parable of the wheat and the weeds (sometimes called tares). In Matthew 13:39, Jesus explained that an enemy of His and the kingdom of heaven (the devil) plants them there. The enemies of Jesus and those who believe in Him will remain in the church until the time of the harvest at the end of the age. In Matthew 13:41, Jesus foretold, “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.” Why does Jesus allow His people and His enemies to live together in the kingdom of heaven on earth? For the sake of His people. In His parable, when the servants asked the owner if they should pull out the weeds, he answered, “No, because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them” (Matthew 13:29). So, when believers face God’s and their enemies in His kingdom on earth, they need to remember that these enemies remain there for their benefit, not for the benefit of God’s enemies. We find no evidence in Jesus’ parable that the weeds will change into wheat, or that the enemies the devil sows may eventually become believers in Jesus. Rather, in Matthew 13:43, Jesus said that after the harvest, “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
Why Hypocrites Are in Churches
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Matthew 13:24-33
Thinking Further
Name ______________________________________
1.Why does the kingdom of heaven on earth contain true Christians and those who do evil?
2. Why did the owner of the field tell his servants to leave the wheat and the weeds growing together until the time of the harvest?
3. What will the angels do at the end of the age?
4. How can the kingdom of heaven like a mustard seed and plant?
5. How can the kingdom of heaven be like a loaf of bread?
Discussion and Thinking Further
Why Hypocrites Are in Churches
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Matthew 13:24-33
Why Hypocrites Are in Churches
Sunday, January 9, 2022
Matthew 13:24-33
Prayer
God who hears, we raise our voices to You. Strengthen our hope so the world may have hope in You through our faithful witness. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.