Description
Let’s read Matthew 13:25–26(new tab): “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” (New International Version, 1973/2011).
In Workshop One, we saw that Jesus began his story by speaking of a farmer who planted good seed. We focused our attention on the fact that good seed gives a desired harvest, and, therefore, we need to make sure that we are only planting good seed within ourselves and our organizations.
Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:
- Integrate a biblical framework that guides interactions within the healthcare industry.
Background Information
In this next portion of the story, we see that something happens after the farmer leaves the field. A new crop is planted alongside the good seed, and it is the farmer’s enemy who carries out this nefarious deed. We’ll get to the enemy in the next workshop, but for now, let’s just focus on what he planted.
In verse 26, Jesus clarifies that the good seed was planted to produce wheat, a very valuable crop. However, the enemy who came to the field planted weeds. This is very bad for the harvest.
Two reasons weeds can be bad for the harvest:
- They drain resources. I grew up with a mother who loved gardening. She really had a green thumb. One of the early lessons I remember my mother teaching me about gardening was the troublesome pests that weeds are. Weeds grow aggressively, and if left unchecked, they will steal resources from the valuable flowers and vegetables, ultimately killing off the garden.
- They spread like crazy. One thing I always found crazy about weeds was that while we had to take care of the flowers and vegetables in the garden for them to grow, weeds just invaded and seemed to grow on their own without any care at all.
There is a reason that this enemy planted the bad seed of weeds in the farmer’s garden. The enemy knew that good seeds and bad seeds do not coexist well. Notice that the enemy did not attempt to destroy the harvest by subtraction (removing the good seed). Rather, the enemy plotted his destruction through addition (adding bad seed).
Here is yet another lesson in Jesus’ story. The good seeds of joy, peace, and love in our hearts do not need to be plucked out to be destroyed. If the enemy can get enough of the seeds of anger, bitterness, and hatred in our hearts, they will grow rapidly and begin to choke out what is good.
Can you visualize the picture Jesus is painting here? On any given day, you can wake up feeling great. Have one bad thing happen in the morning, then sit and brood on that one bad thing, and all of the good things you woke up thinking about will soon be lost in the weeds of sorrow.
We should always be mindful of the bad seeds planted and the weeds that are growing in our hearts. They can ultimately destroy our harvest.
Instructions
- Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
- Read aloud Matthew 13:25–26 (new tab)in your Bible.
- Navigate to the threaded discussion and address the following:
- How are you impacted when you allow bad seeds to be planted in your heart and mind?
- What bad seeds are choking the happiness out of your heart today?
