Living in the Image of God M03S21
Christ teaching in several parables describes the binary categorization of people as righteous or wicked based on God judgment of their living. The righteous show themselves fit for God’s purpose and typically fulfill their individual responsibility as he assigns to them. In contrast, the wicked show themselves unfit for God’s purpose and typically decline their individual responsibility. Through the Parable of the Weeds, we learn that God creates every person righteous and gives each a lifetime to show themselves righteous or wicked. He allows them to coexist until final judgment, when he will separate the wicked into hell and call the righteous to his kingdom.
This study begins a miniseries to understand Christ teaching regarding the binary categorization of people as righteous or wicked based on God judgment of their living. The righteous are people that show themselves fit for God’s purpose based on how he sees them. Such people typically perform their individual responsibility as God assigns to them. For example, the righteous typically complete responsibility in a call to compassion.
The other category is the wicked and consists of people that show themselves unfit for God’s purpose based on how he sees them. Such people typically decline their individual responsibility as God assigns to them. For example, the wicked typically decline responsibility in a call to compassion.
The miniseries begins with the Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24–30 and 36–43), where we learn that God creates every person righteous. Also, he gives every person a lifetime to show themselves righteous or wicked. There is no neutral choice. There is no neutral behavior. Whoever is not righteous is wicked. Also, the parable explains that the righteous and wicked coexist until final judgment, when God will separate the wicked from the righteous, throw the wicked to eternal burning in hell, and call the righteous into his kingdom in heaven.
We discuss the Parable of the Weeds in this study to end our 2022 program year. The bible study program will resume in February 2023 with focus on Christ message regarding God categorization of people as righteous or wicked and how the categorization affects our understanding of God’s purpose for human interactions and relationships.
Parable of the Weeds
Christ teaching in the Parable of the Weeds leads to understanding that God creates every person righteous. Also, he gives every person a lifetime to show themselves righteous or wicked based on his judgment of their living. He allows them to coexist and affect each other until final judgment, when he will separate the wicked from the righteous, throw the wicked into hell, and call the righteous to his kingdom.
Jesus introduces the parable as follows [Matthew 13:24–26]: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.” Further, in response to a question from his disciples, he explains as follows [Matthew 13:37–39]: “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, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.”
God Creates Every Person Righteous
To understand the message of the parable, we recognize that the “man who sowed good seed in his field” represents God. Also, the field he sowed in represents the world. Therefore, the first message of the parable is that God creates into the world “people of the kingdom” and only “people of the kingdom.” That is, God creates every person righteous. He creates every person with righteous attributes and for righteous purpose.
Furthermore, the enemy that “sowed weeds among the wheat” represents the devil. The devil sowed weeds among the wheat “while everyone was sleeping.” Therefore, another message of the parable is that the devil enters surreptitiously to divert people away from God’s purpose. The devil’s objective is to convert people into tools for sin and evil. The weed represents the “devil’s influence” and people that the devil diverts away from God’s purpose.
Lifetime to Choose
Another message of the parable is that God allows every person a lifetime to show themselves righteous or wicked. He allows every person a lifetime to develop, grow, and mature in God’s purpose: to show themselves fit to perform the functions for which God created them. Such people are represented by the wheat harvest in the parable. They are the righteous.
The others, that is, those not righteous, are represented by the weed. They are the wicked. Whatever is not wheat, is weed. Christ conveys this message through the second part of the parable [Matthew 13:27–28]: “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.” Here, Jesus conveys the message that the devil could divert people away from God’s purpose. Such people are represented by the weed, which is unfit to fulfill the purpose of wheat.
Jesus explains that God wants his people to coexist with those that the devil has diverted, until final judgment [Matthew 13: 30]: “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.’” Therefore, the owner of the field chose to allow the wheat a full season to develop and mature to fulfill the purpose for which he planted them.
The field-owner relationship with the wheat represents human relationship with God: that God gives every person a lifetime to show themselves fit for his purpose. Furthermore, God allows the devil and devil’s converts to operate among the righteous; which, in the parable, is represented by the field owner allowing weeds among the wheat as the wheat developed. God expects the righteous to flourish while sharing life and the environment with the wicked and continue to show themselves righteous until he chooses to separate them: “Let both grow together until the harvest” [Matthew 13:30].
Final Judgment
In the Parable of the Weeds, Christ uses harvest to represent final judgment [Matthew 13:30]: “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.” “Collecting the weeds in bundles to be burned” represents angels separating the wicked to “throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” [Matthew 13:42]. Also, “gather the wheat and bring it into my barn” represents calling the righteous into the kingdom of heaven where they “will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” [Matthew 13:43].
Summary of What We Learned
Christ teaching in several parables describes the binary categorization of people as righteous or wicked based on God judgment of their living. The righteous show themselves fit for God’s purpose and typically fulfill their individual responsibility as he assigns to them. In contrast, the wicked show themselves unfit for God’s purpose and typically decline their individual responsibility.
Through the Parable of the Weeds, we learn that God creates every person righteous and gives each a lifetime to show themselves righteous or wicked. He allows them to coexist until final judgment, when he will separate the wicked into hell and call the righteous to his kingdom.