Theme: Like an umpire, God makes the final judgment call.

The word for weeds is a technical Greek word that needs to be explained since it unlocks the meaning of the story.  The Greek word for weeds is “zizania” which is a very particular type of weed that looks just like wheat as it is growing up.  You can hardly tell the difference.  Today it is called  “darnel” wheat; it looks like wheat, it appears like wheat but it is not wheat.  It fools you.  It’s kind of like wild oats and true oats; they look alike but they are very different. Who can tell? Who wants to be the judge?

At the heart of this story about the weeds and the wheat, Jesus is clearly telling us that there is a final judgment and a final separation of the good from the bad.  And his clear revelation about the final judgment is to motivate us to live lives that God would approve of.  This parable is to motivate us to live a godly life; to energize us to be the kind of people God wants us to be.  The motivation of the threat of hell isn’t politically correct but it is still real.

 

A second theme that we hear in this parable of Jesus is that only God is to judge; we human beings are not to.  It is God’s responsibility for making the final judgment calls.

In a baseball game, the pitcher, catcher, batter, and coach can argue all they want; but the home plate umpire makes the final calls and final decisions.  No matter how much the players froth at the mouth, it is the umpire who makes the call.  Those are the rules of the game.

And the rule of the game of life is that God makes the final judgment calls.  We don’t.  We may froth a lot at home plate; we may froth a lot about what we think are close calls; but it is God alone who makes the final judgments.

And that was the mistake of the Pharisees; they thought they were in a good position to make judgment calls about other people, and Jesus didn’t like their judgments.

So if people get into heated arguments over who is going to heaven or hell e.g. Muslims, Buddhists or Jews; Catholics, Baptists, or Methodists; Mormons, Adventists or Scientologists; don’t get baited into those heated arguments around home plate.  God knows the heart and God makes the call based on God’s reading of the heart. You and I can’t see into another person’s heart. We’re not in a position to.

Thank God we don’t have to make those final judgments.  That’s God’s job, and God can have the job for that matter.  I wouldn’t want to be the final judge.  I don’t have the wisdom or the stomach for it, and I don’t think you do either.

Here in my hand are the two gold necklaces that I used for the children’s sermon; one is fourteen carat gold; the other is fake gold.  Only an expert knows what is underneath the sheen and shine. Only God knows what is underneath the sheen and shine of your life.

You and I are unable to judge the quality of the hearts of those around us, which are true and which are false.  It is amazing how people can be good actors and put on good fronts around everyone.  Look around you right now.  Look at all the faces.  Look at my face and eyes as a preacher.  Can you tell me who is genuinely close to God, whose heart is truly a heart of love as God sees love?  I don’t think you want to judge.  Just because I stand here before you today as a preacher, does not guarantee the genuineness of my inner heart.  Only God knows.  Only God can see inside a person, what lies beneath the sheen and shine of one’s life.

And besides, there will be a lot of surprises on judgment day.  Jesus told the story about the sheep and the goats.  The sheep were surprised that there were going into heaven; the goats were surprised that they were going into hell.  And I think that there are going to be a lot of surprises on judgment day.

For more of Rev. Edward Markquart’s sermon