What is wheat / Matthew 13 / Pr. Lucas Andre Albrecht / July 23rd, 2023/ Season of Pentecost

Sermon outline. You can listen to the full sermon on the link above.

Text: Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43
Theme: What is wheat
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Intr –   The parable of the wheat and the weeds is one of the few that Jesus not only tells us (which could give me room to write a sermon explaining it) but also explains it to us. I might as well just say "amen” right now and carry on with the Service.

But still, I’d propose a reflection for today: Jesus talks about the weeds and the wheat. They are similar, almost indistinguishable in some cases. What is then to be wheat? How to differentiate it from being just a normal person in this world?

 Distinctions are sometimes hard to make. Look at these pictures and see if you can differentiate:

(picture 1) What is a frog and what is a toad
(picture 2) What is a tortoise, a jabuti, and a turtle”
(picture 3) What is a Christian and what is not?
(picture 4)What is wheat and what is weed?

Making distinctions may become and when it comes to spiritual life, it may become even harder. What we want to focus on today then is to understand better: What is wheat?

1 – What wheat is not

_First, it is good to think about ways in which we may get wrong about wheat and may confuse it with weeds.

For example, the way people behave in the virtual world. I wish I could live in there, in perfect world of the virtual environment! Because there everyone loves everyone, works hard and pays bills. Everyone helps stray cats and dogs, cares about the environment. Everyone avoids gossip, is there for each other. They have great vacation destinations and holds doors open for strangers.

This is obviously an irony to point out how the virtual world has maximized the narcissism we all have inside our being, trying to sell the “best version of ourselves."

Now, I am saying that doing good to others is not desirable? No. But the reflection here is that trying to look good to the eyes of the world in not what being wheat is like. The worldly standards of what is good changes all the time, and frequently it does not correspond to what the Bible says about being good – being wheat. The problem here is: conforming to this world’s expectations.

2 – What is wheat

The Bible gives us clear teaching about what being wheat looks like.

-Someone saved by grace in Jesus;
-Someone who is baptized;
-Someone whose sins were forgiven. Someone who acknowledges sin, but above that, trusts the Forgiver;
-Someone who has works that show your faith. Works don’t make you wheat, but they show that you are wheat.

It brings a completely new perspective to what doing good looks like. We are not trying to look good, but we will do good to others as a consequence of our faith in action: We will try to love everyone, work hard and pays bills. We will try to help stray cats and dogs, and care about the environment. We will try to avoid gossip, to be there for family and friends, to respect all kinds of choices but never losing ground in our principles. We may have great vacation destinations, after all, God wants us to rest too, and will hold doors open for strangers. 

 “Well, but I don’t do that all the time, pastor. It is very hard”. You’re right. I wouldn’t expect you to, and if you said you check all that list every day I wouldn’t believe you. We are all sinners saved by Grace living by faith. So the summary of being wheat is:

 A SINNER

saved by GRACE

with his/her FAITH

acting in LOVE

        When you fumble and fail, repeat the list again. Then you fail again; repeat. Repeat. Being wheat is a life of constant repentance and faith with Christ.

 3 – The difference

 Still, the spiritual landscape of the world may look pretty much similar when we see that every other religion in the world teaches about wellness, doing good and helping others. Where is the difference?

In the Gospel Jesus says that “the dikaioi”, the righteous, will shine like the sun. The word “righteous” reminds us of Psalm 1 where a distinction between the righteous and the wicked is made. The figure there is the contrast between the chaff that the wind drives away and a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit. Using that imagery of a tree, here is a way to identify why religions sometimes look like they are mostly similar; and why they are not.

R1 – Relationship with others and creation. Most religions say it is important to be good and do good in this area;

R2 – Relationship with yourself. Most religions say it is important to be well in body, mind and soul.

R3 – Relationship with God. The root that makes the difference. Only Christianity is planted in Christ.

Conclusion – We can’t see below the ground; we can’t see hearts. We are not supposed to. Jesus asks us to be patient until the last day, when the harvest will reveal it. What we can do though is to live as wheat and to sow the seeds of God’s kingdom.  You can keep living as what you know what you are: wheat. Then as we live among the weeds, we may be instruments in God’s hands so that more people will come to know the real root of salvation and life.