When the Devil Sows His Seeds – July 25, 2023

[Jesus said] “While everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. . . . “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.”
Matthew 13:25,27,28

When the Devil Sows His Seeds

An infestation. No one ever wants to hear those words. An infestation of pests or parasites can have disastrous, even deadly consequences. As bad as that sounds, what could make an infestation worse? If someone started that infestation intentionally. What hatred or foolishness could cause someone to ruin someone else’s life, home, or business with an infestation?

Yet isn’t that what we see here in Jesus’s story about the weeds and wheat? A man plants good seed in his field, but his enemy secretly sows the field with weeds. Why? He really hates the man. In time, the weeds and wheat sprout. The weeds have become an infestation that threatens to overwhelm the wheat trying to grow there.

When Jesus explains this parable, he tells us that the enemy who sows the weeds is the devil. Satan is the sworn enemy of Christ and all who follow him. He absolutely hates any growth in faith, victory of grace, or rescue from sin and hell that Jesus causes through his Word. Satan doesn’t want sins forgiven, people at peace with God, or souls enjoying eternal life in heaven. So he sows his seeds of evil. He causes sin and leads people to do evil, even against those who try to live as children of God. He wants to ruin what Christ has done for us.

However, there’s something the devil forgets. Jesus will win. Jesus will still overcome the devil and all his works. By overcoming all temptation, Jesus has already won. By dying on the cross, Jesus has already won. By rising from the dead, Jesus has already won, so we can be certain that he will deliver us from evil. He will still cause his gospel to win hearts, and one day he will come again in glory to judge all people. We need not fear the enemy because Jesus has won!

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, the enemy threatens all who follow you, but I know you have already defeated him. Overcome the devil and cause your gospel to change hearts and lives for all eternity. Amen.