Something is Wrong in My Field

24. Jesus spoke another parable to them saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.”

25. “But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.”

26. “But when the blade had sprung up and brought forth fruit, then the tares appeared also.”

27. “So the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where did these tares come from?’”

28. “He said to them, ‘an enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘do you want us to go and gather them up?’”

29. “But he said, ‘No; lest while you gather up the tares, you uproot the wheat also with them.’”

30. “’Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather the tares first and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Matthew 13:24-30

Know What’s Going On in Your Field

Someone has said that the first step to solving any problem is to admit that you have one. Here is the heart of the issue in much of the world. People find it hard to admit that something has gone wrong in their lives. There are many who live in bondage and sadly, will never break free because they cannot come to grips with the fact that they have issues. Let’s all face it, we are sinners. That means we face the constant need of God’s forgiveness and strength to overcome the sin and to live our lives for His Glory.

Jesus used a wonderful illustration to explain how the believer struggles to live the godly life. Using the field as an example of our lives, our Lord explained how the field is subject to sabotage. Things can happen that not only threaten productivity but may also cause great harm. Notice the comparison of the Kingdom of God with not just the field but the landowner.  The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. What did the landowner sow? He sowed good seed. Where did the landowner sow his good seed? He sowed it into “his field.” This is what God has done in the lives of His children. The Lord has sown His Word into our hearts because we belong to Him.

Many would assume that “all is good” and that everything would flow smoothly since God is at work. Not so. While men slept, the enemy came. The enemy came and sabotaged God’s work. Is this right? Yes. Could it have been avoided. There are some possible solutions to keeping the enemy out of the field. The simple point is that we, as Christians should realize that we will be under attack. Check your field regularly because there may be things growing that you are not aware of.

There are four different things that can impact your field. Using the field illustration, your field can be contaminated by bad soil. In other words, toxic things can be dumped into the field that will have a noticeable effect on what and how much the field can produce. For that reason, you must be aware that an enemy or even you may dump things that could have poisonous results.

The second field condition is caused by climate or weather. Ironically, a field will not produce if it only has sunshine. There has to be some rain and other climate changes in order for the ground to perform well. God sends both sunshine and rain. If you and I fail to recognize the season, it is possible to miss the blessing that God intended. Please remember, the field does not belong to you nor me. God is the owner and He alone knows what conditions that will cause the seed to perform well.

The third field condition is caused by the soil itself. The soil may have rocks or other obstructions that keep the seed from taking root. Jesus explained this in the parable of the Sower. When the soil is bad, the good seed will not grow. In the same way that contaminants can be dumped onto the soil of our lives, we too can allow our lives to be cluttered with rocks and obstructions. For instance, the rock of doubt didn’t get dumped on you, that came from your own heart. Worry and fear are also huge obstructions that can be coming from the inside. The only way to correct this problem is to go to the field owner and cast all your cares upon Him.

The fourth field condition is caused by bad seed. In this parable, the field workers noticed that something was growing in the field that was not planted by the landowner. There were tares growing alongside the wheat. In Palestine, these tares were more than troublesome weeds, they were poisonous. So the workers had good reason to voice their concerns. Their tasks were to work the field and to also watch the field. This is great advice to all. Watch the things that are growing in your field. Report them immediately to the Owner and ask Him what needs to be done. Ladies and gentlemen, is this what prayer is all about? Shouldn’t we be praying at the level of productivity and asking God to grow us by the Power of the Holy Spirit?

We will continue the other soil conditions in our future studies on something is wrong in my field. For this message, we need to pay close attention as to how the Kingdom of God responds to the threat of sabotage by the enemy.

Know that God is in Control of the Field

It must have been shocking when the workers heard the field owners response to their request to remove the tares. He said to them, ‘an enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘do you want us to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; lest while you gather up the tares, you uproot the wheat also with them.’” Please listen closely to what I am about to tell you because your spiritual health depends on it. There are things that God allows that we try to fight against.

God allowed the enemy to sow bad seed in your field. I don’t understand it but I must accept it. God was not sleeping when the verse says clearly, while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat. Here is the good news, your enemy is also God’s enemy. While God may permit the enemy to sow the seed, God will never allow the enemy to destroy your life. The enemy’s presence will not be permanent. At some point, the Lord will rid you of the saboteur’s presence as well as remove the bad seed. So while the enemy may be trying to destroy you, He is messing with God’s property.

There is a second critical point that must be understood. While God did not approve of the enemy’s attack, God will not immediately remove the enemy’s threat. The workers said, let us gather them up. The landowner said, No; lest while you gather up the tares, you uproot the wheat also with them. If you always rush to get rid of the influence of evil, you may end up disrupting what is good. We are so quick to get rid of stuff that we never stop to think about what it might disrupt. The Kingdom of God is so secure that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. God’s watching your field.

This brings us to the final point. The growth of the good seed is not hindered by the presence of bad seed. The landowner made the profound statement when he said, let both grow together. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will say to the reapers, Gather the tares first and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Let both grow together was a guarantee that the good seed would not only survive but thrive. Remember, the good seed was planted in the ground that the landowner had prepared. He was well aware of the threats and had made every effort to secure the growth of the good seed. At the time of the harvest then the plants would be separated. The good seed would be gathered into the owner’s barn while the bad seed would be gathered for burning.

Dear Believer, does this not speak to our lives? We are God’s field. Our lives belong to God Almighty.  We must never assume that our Omniscient God does not know about the circumstances of our life. He not only knows about them, but God has also planned them for our growth and maturity.

Also, dear believer, there is not a single threat of the enemy that can destroy God’s good seed, which is the Word of God. The Word is sown so meticulously, and so miraculously that the enemy cannot uproot what God has planted. This gives us comfort because God is also watching over us. God has prepared a table before us in the presence of our enemies so much so that our cup runs over with goodness. No enemy threat can change the outcome of a child of God.

Lastly, our focus should be on growing in Christ rather than trying to get rid of all the threats in life. Stop allowing every little thing that comes up to get you upset. Settle down and grow. The more you know about God’s Word, the more you will grow in the knowledge of God’s Will. If God had wanted you to know everything about your enemy He would have given you a book about your enemy. Instead, God has given you and me a Book about Himself. Pay attention to God and you will never have to worry about what the enemy is doing.