The Kingdom of Heaven
- July 17, 2011
- Speaker: Pastor Aaron Smith
- Category: New Testament
"I don't mind Jesus, but I hate the Church." You may have heard these words before. It's actually a pretty common sentiment today. Jesus - people don't have a problem with. The Church - well, that's where people take issue. This is also reflected in the bumper sticker that goes something like this: "It's not that I have a problem with Jesus, the problem is with His followers." There are two levels where these sentiments are indeed warranted: (1) Christians continue to sin; (2) some claim to be in Christ's Church, but have no saving faith in Christ. With regard to Level 1, the Christian does sin indeed. That will not change until the second and final return of Christ. It is truly sad that we Christians sin and, in doing so, heap criticism upon Christ's Church by our own sin. Yet, it is a reality. However, my focus will be on Level 2.
It is truly sad that some claim to be in Christ's Church, but have no saving faith in Christ. This should bother us, as Christian, and I think that it does. You may have experienced a situation in a local congregation where great damage was caused by one who claim to be in Christ's Church, but it was revealed in some way that he or she was not. When we are already dealing with Level 1, it is certainly difficult dealing with Level 2. It is, actually, like "a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, 'Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.''"
The Kingdom of Heaven is not how we think it should be. The Kingdom of Heaven is not how we think it should be.
Jesus' explanation of the parable to His disciples had nothing do with what the disciples were to do about the situation. What were they to do about the weeds (sons of the evil one) growing amongst the wheat (sons of the kingdom)? Nothing. Let them grow together. You see, the disciples' vocation was on Level 1. In John 20, Jesus gave His disciples the office of the keys: they were to pronounce forgiveness to the repentant and they were to withhold forgiveness to the unrepentant. They were to proclaim the Gospel of forgiveness to those burdened by their sin. They were to proclaim the Law of judgment to those secure in their sin. That was their vocation...on Level 1, not on Level 2. Level 2 is the work of God, who will use His reaper angels at the end of the age. Level 2 was outside the vocation of the disciples, so it also outside our vocation. It is not our vocation to pull up the weeds from amongst the wheat, even though it bothers us that people hate the Church enough to buy that bumper sticker and slap it on their car.
Remember the beginning of the parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed..." The Kingdom of Heaven is leaving God to reign in Christ however He wants. According to this parable, that means letting the weeds grow up with the wheat and letting God judge at the close of the age. It means remaining in our vocations, pleased to let God reign in Christ despite the remarks and sentiments against Christ's Church. After all, God is pleased to reign in this way.
Yet, the judgment of God is real. Those on Level 2 will indeed face God at work through His reaper angels. But for those us on Level 1, those of us who are bothered by Level 2 while continuing to sin, we have no need to fear that judgment. And this goes back to the disciples' vocation. As in John 20, they were given a commissioning in their vocation in Matthew 28: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...." You have been baptized into the name of the Triune God, a result of the work of ministry from the disciples to those who this day have been called to publicly preach, teach, and baptize. Their vocation has led you by grace through faith to entrance into God's reign in Christ. You have been given ears to hear. Those ears have truly heard the Proclaimer of the Parable and the Savior of the World. Our ears have heard, and our mouths pray, "Thy Kingdom come." Amen.
