Matthew 13: 27-30 (NIV)
“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. The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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.’”
It can be tempting to want to pull up the weeds and make things right. However, in this parable, Jesus was teaching the disciples that there are times when we need to put right the things in our lives that need fixing, and other times we will have to wait. Jesus knows when to point the finger at the things He wants us to change, but He will not necessarily do that all at once; He knows how much we can handle.
Many years ago, on the way home from work I saw an advert in a wayside pulpit of a church in Edinburgh that they were holding a Saturday conference led by a bible teacher, Jack Deere, whose books I had found really helpful. I decided to go to that conference, and then several years later, he was also a main speaker at a CLAN gathering I attended in St Andrews. He taught me a valuable lesson on the principle that Jesus was expounding here, although I can’t remember at which venue.
He told of a male and female elder, both in the church where he was pastor. They moved in together and started cohabiting, with no sign of marriage. Jack reported that his first thought was to speak to them about that and tell them that they could not continue to live this way as elders in the church. As he planned how to do so, he recalled very clearly feeling God’s Spirit telling him to wait. God was going to handle it. He found that very difficult to do, however in due course, a visiting speaker came to the church and led a series of meetings. When the visitor took the platform, Jack Deere made a point of sitting in the congregation. The man spoke on putting things right with God and repenting of sin in our lives.
At the end of his address, he asked the congregation to close their eyes in an attitude of prayer and then asked those who wanted to put their lives right before God to come to the front. Jack had his eyes shut, but was aware of a good number of footsteps heading to the front. At the close of the meeting, he opened his eyes. There at the front independently of each other, the two elders knelt in prayer. The matter was put right. God had done what He had said He would do, without any help from Jack Deere. God knows our hearts, and His timing is always right.
We need to be careful not to point the finger at things in other people’s lives, especially new Christians, unless the Holy Spirit tells us to. Unless we do so under God’s anointing, we may do more harm than good. We need to be careful to remove the plank in our own eye before removing the speck from anyone else’s, and that instruction comes from Jesus Himself.
Dear Lord,
Thank You for dealing with us with mercy and in a way that You know is best for us. It’s tempting at times to want to jump in with both feet, which is not always wise. I ask for the discernment and wisdom to know when to speak and when to stay quiet because You don’t need any input from me on the matter. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.