The Last Great Harvest

Background Scripture: Matthew 13
Lesson Scripture: Matthew 13:36-43, 47-50

Introduction

Jesus illustrated two principles by the parables in this lesson: the age of grace which He was ushering in and the time of judgment that is yet to come. Today we live in the age of grace, invitation, and redemption. All of humanity receives God’s providential blessings, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45), but grace unto salvation is what will bear fruit at the last, great harvest.

Mankind in general easily becomes accustomed to comfort and plenty, and many succumb to drowsy complacency. Everything will suddenly be changed on the day of judgment. Are we ready?

Key Verse

And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe (Rev. 14:15).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

In the lesson text, Jesus was explaining the meaning of the parable He had told in the preceding verses. In that story, a farmer and his workers had planted a field of wheat. As the crop began to mature, they were surprised to see that many of the plants were grassy weeds. The workers offered to pull out the weeds, but the farmer replied that they should leave them lest they uproot the wheat as well. Rather, he said to let both grow to harvest, and then the weeds could be sorted out and burned.

The weedy field in this parable is not the church; understanding this is crucial. Jesus clearly stated in verse 38 that this field is the world. Christ’s kingdom of believers is the wheat within the field of the world.

When Jesus talked about letting the good and the bad grow together, He was teaching about the new covenant of grace upon the world. In the old covenant, God pronounced judgment on idol worship, immorality, and other sins. God’s people were expected to destroy heathen nations and to judge wrongdoing within their own ranks. They approached God with sacrifices, which acknowledged that they were separated from Him by their sin.

In his time, God reached across the chasm of sin and delivered Himself to us. God the Father experienced the agony of a Son being sacrificed for another’s wrong, shown to us through the story of Abraham’s pain in offering his beloved son Isaac. In turn, God the Son was willing to experience humiliation, pain, and death so that we can join Him in heaven. Thus, God achieved the impossible: paying the price of our sin, casting down the “accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10), and making a way for the Holy Spirit to enter the hearts of his people.

The fulfillment of God’s plan changes his relationship with all of humanity. Because He holds the redemption certificate for each one, He invites condemned sinners to accept the gift of his grace. It transforms sinners into heavenly beings, a change so complete that Jesus called it a second birth.

This age of invitation and opportunity, however, will come to a sudden end. If it did not, the saved would never realize their eternal home with God. Today Jesus is the tender Shepherd, but on the day of judgment He will be the mighty Judge with a sword and a rod of iron (Rev. 19:11-21). His angels, who are the guardians of all humanity today, will separate the sinners from the saints.

After the judgment there will be no longer be a mix of good and bad people. Those who ignored God’s invitation will be given what they chose—the utter absence of God. His goodness that remains within every person will be withdrawn, leaving them wholly evil. The unredeemed will be thrown away from God to be lost forever in the habitation of Satan and his angels. In that godless void, humanity’s destructive fear and hate will rage on and on forever.

Those who received forgiveness through the blood of the Lamb and who lived by the Word will finally receive what they chose—the full measure of God’s grace and goodness. To them the Judge will come as the bridegroom to claim his beloved bride whom He purchased with his own blood. When they see the Judge, they will recognize Him as the One who has been sanctifying and sustaining them. With the consummation of time, they will be unshackled from their depravity to live free, happy, and at rest, as everything within them will be eternally good.

Practical Truths for Today

Jesus ushered in the age of grace in which we no longer have a responsibility to judge others. He implied that we do more harm than good if we try to judge (Matt. 13:29). The only judgment we are given is not to be done as individuals; it is done by the body of believers, those who have been baptized into the church (Matt. 18:15-18). This judgment is not applied to other people outside of the church.

The parable of the wheat and the weeds also shows us that we should not expect too much clarity in the messiness of life or become frustrated with the perplexing tangles of life’s problems and relationships. We can wish that those in error would be shown they are wrong and that the righteous would be proven right. God wants us to humble ourselves in faith, patiently waiting for Him to reveal truth in his time. Let us learn to not be anxious with the confusing matters of the day, realizing the weakness of our own understanding. God will receive a more perfect offering of devotion if we live by faith.

We can become discouraged looking at the meager amount of good grain in our own lives. However, Jesus did not say that the less productive wheat would be thrown out; only that the weeds will be burned. The redeemed should not try to count what they produce but simply serve their Master and leave the recordkeeping to Him.

Christians are to have an open and friendly demeanor toward everyone they meet. They will cherish the treasure of redemption and invite others to receive it too. We should not feel that we are specially chosen or that God is closer to us than to people of other cultures. “In every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him” (Acts 10:35). If the person I chance to meet is one of the “weeds,” Jesus wants that person to be transformed too. Do we sometimes infringe on Christ’s authority and prematurely try to sort out the weeds? We should rather make people feel welcome to join us in redemption.

Because the good and the bad walk the same paths and visit as friendly neighbors, we can become complacent in our relationships. The devil hopes that the Christian will be become at home with the lost, as if this mixed field will always stand. However, in a moment it will all change. Friends who have been close will be separated forever, one to eternal life and the other to eternal death. May we have a zeal for the souls of our fellowmen, “that [we] might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22).

Questions

1. Is it right for us to judge, even quietly in our heart, whether a stranger has found salvation?
2. People are easily confused by the controversial issues of the day, yet strong opinions are common. How does God want Christians to deal with current events? Consider Luke 16:8.
3. Many people have been taught from their childhood that the Christian doctrines of sin, judgment, and eternity are mere fables. When we meet these people, how can we reach out to them?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).