Sunday, March 3, 2024

Oculi - Third Sunday in Lent

  



The Hymn #175      When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
 Introit
Mine eyes are ever toward the Lord: 
for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn Thee unto me and have mercy upon me: 
for I am desolate and afflicted.
Psalm. Unto Thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul: 
O my God, I trust in Thee; let me not be ashamed.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect
We beseech Thee, Almighty God, look upon the hearty desires 
of Thy humble servants and stretch forth the right hand of Thy majesty 
to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ, 
Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual             Ephesians 5:1-9
The Gospel                                 Luke 11:14-28
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #376                         Rock of Ages

                      The End Game

The Hymn #315:1-5          I Come O Savior To Thy Table
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31

The Hymn #568                  We Praise Thee O God        
    



Prayers and Announcements

  • Treatment and recovery - Randy Anderson - hospital, Pastor Jim Shrader, Lori Howell, Sarah Buck, Kermit Way.
  • If Zoom "recording" still does not work, another expert will be brought in.
  • Wednesday - Vespers at 7 PM.  
Norma A. Boeckler

KJV Ephesians 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; 4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

KJV Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils. 16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house against a house falleth. 18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. 19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.



Third Sunday in Lent

Lord God, heavenly Father, who hast sent Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to take upon Himself our flesh, that He might overcome the devil, and defend us poor sinners against the adversary: We give thanks unto Thee for Thy merciful help, and we beseech Thee to attend us with Thy grace in all temptations, to preserve us from carnal security, and by Thy Holy Spirit to keep us in Thy word and Thy fear, that unto the end we may be delivered from the enemy, and obtain eternal salvation, through the same, Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.

The End Game

KJV Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. 15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

KJV Matthew 12:22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

Being unable to speak is not rare. Medicine can cause a stroke; our area has a regional center for strokes. He had multiple problems, and Jesus, the Great Physician, healed this man. The crowd was filled with wonder. Wherever there is faith in the Savior, there is also opposition. Some in the crowd said, Satan's power is behind this healing!

16 And others, tempting him, sought of him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house against a house falleth.

This is like the miraculous feeding of the multitude, where one great miracle of feeding led people to demand another miracle from heaven, as if their own feeding in the desert was not the great wonder they experienced for themselves. "A sign" is not meant to be a hint or a nudge, but we have watered down that phrase "a sign" to make it almost meaningless. Example - "A postcard came - it was a sign from heaven, I'm sure." Jesus knew the thoughts of people, as He does today, and that led to His warning - A kingdom divided is ruined, and a house divided falls.

By this act Christ draws us to himself, leads us to look to him for every blessing, and to go to him in every time of need. He does this that we also, according to the nature of love, should do unto others as he does unto us.

18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

If someone wants to observe Satanic hatred, only a nudge toward the Scriptures or basic Christian doctrine is needed. The extreme liberal ELCA pastors and bishops found that out when an even more extreme group united against them to take away the clout of the not-extreme-enough radicals. But there must be a far more extreme faction, because the demands continue. It is no good to mark off a stopping point, because that has been done many times already.

The beauty of the King James Version is its steadfast language. A few words are ancient but easily looked up - leasing means "lying, false witness, deceit, hypocrisy, artifice, empty talk, frivolity, laxity.” What we really know comes from the context of the language, so the mischief-makers are always changing the meaning. Even worse, they challenge any traditional meaning of those words, which hearken back to their original use. Some of us began in a Biblical age, when the US Constitution reflected the divine origins and the meaning of law. The 10 Commandments could be framed on the teacher's wall, and Christmas carols were sung to a packed audience of teachers and parents.

So Jesus challenged the critics to make sense out of their claims. If He was possessed by Satan, how could He as Satan cast out Satan? 

19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

Rabbis were known to be healers, so Jesus challenged them about whether their sons would be Satanic. Jesus was addressing whether the next generation would be godly or divided. Jesus' claim is very clear - and often ridiculed - The Kingdom of God has come upon you, because I cast out demons through the power of God. Verse 20 is saying - You are all going to be part of the revealed Kingdom of God, whether you believe it or not.

What then were these blasphemers able to say to such clear arguments? They were put to silence, but their hearts were hardened, so that they did not heed his words. A hardened heart will not be instructed, no matter how plainly and clearly the truth is presented; but the faith of the righteous is strengthened when they see that the ground of their faith is right and good. And for the sake of such we must answer those whose hearts are hardened, and put them to silence.

21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: 22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

At first this little parable seems to be confusing, but that is the point. Jesus did not teach for every single one, but for the believers. The strong man is Satan. His power and authority continued until the public ministry of Jesus began. The Son of God was stronger and overcame Satan by the cross and resurrection. The tiny band of apostles became the earthly ambassadors of the Gospel and continued in the miracle working of Jesus and His Gospel.

23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

There is no middle ground. Many ministers find an easy way to live and by being so accommodating to fashion or movements, they end up being against Christ. Neutrality is not possible - a person is on one side or the other, Satan or the Messiah.

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

I have seen this take place, more than once. Someone gets away from the grip of gambling, or drugs, or alcohol abuse, and more. He is happy and goes back to work. This parable gives the perspective of the unclean spirit, so it is puzzling at first, but with renewed study, it is ironic that the unclean spirit goes back home to haunt someone's life. The unclean spirit finds the repentant tidied up and in good shape again.

And this applies to whole world. As Luther says, the unclean spirits latched onto the Vatican and its fake, unhealthy dogma -

When Christ had become known in the world and the devil’s former kingdom with its idol worship had been destroyed, he adopted another plan and attacked us with heresy and introduced and established the papacy, in which Christ was entirely forgotten, and men became worse heathen under the name of Christ than before he was preached, as we can see now with our own eyes.

27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

The Word of Jesus, spoken about His mother, shows the highest respect, but He did not promote the elevation of Mary into a divine. I found two things in working through these issues at a Vatican owned library, near our parsonage in Columbus. One was the beautifully written passages about Roman Catholic doctrine, page after page - nothing wrong at all. But two - there were inevitable landmines planted here and there, so the Gospel was destroyed entirely. I find dreamy ex-Lutheran pastors trying to feast on what is generously offered by Rome, for good reasons. When Lutherans began to be ashamed of Reformation doctrine, they found themselves easy targets for propagandists.

When LCMS-AELC-LCA Pastor Richard Neuhaus had lunch with the Pope, he was a Roman Catholic priest. I captioned it "Neuhaus has lunch with the Antichrist." He found that amusing. When I talked to him at the Ad Fontes gathering, I mentioned to him that I heard his very conservative father preach on Easter Sunday in Canada. Ad Fontes was organized to gather Lutherans to Rome. I told him, "We are already Fontes (at the Font - the Gospel) and not on the way to your font."

There should be no confusion and no compromise. There is only one Truth, the revealed Truth of the apostolic Scriptures (KJV). Compromising is the easy way, but sticking to God's Truth is the eternal Way, Truth, and the Life.

The end

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Ash Wednesday 2024.

 



Bethany Lutheran Church 
7 PM Central Time 
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
The melody is linked in the hymn title.


The Hymn #154     Alas and Did My Savior Bleed
                         
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

I will cry unto God Most High: unto God that performeth all things for me.

Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge: until these calamities be overpast.

Psalm. Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee.


The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that Thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent, create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual  

Gradual

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee.

V. He shall send from heaven: and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up.

Tract. O Lord, deal not with us after our sins: nor reward us according to our iniquities.

V. O Lord, remember not against us former iniquities: let Thy tender mercies speedily come to us, for we are brought very low.

V. Help us, O God of our salvation: for the glory of Thy name.

     
The Gospel              
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #370            My Hope Is Built

Treasures in Heaven


The Hymn #311        Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior                           
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657                 Beautiful Savior 




Prayers and Announcements


  • Treatment and recovery - Pastor Jim Shrader (surgery), Randy Anderson, Lori Howell, Kermit Way, Sarah Buck.
  • The Zoom computers work now, perhaps due to a mike & even more "upgrades." Zach Engleman and Glen Kotten spent hours going over the sound issue.


The Epistle

KJV Joel 2:12-19

12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:

13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

14 Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?

15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

16 Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?

18 Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

19 Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen:





The Gospel

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

              Treasures in Heaven

Matthew 6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

    This is a wonderful statement about pretending to be pious as a display for everyone else, as if such works really meant much. Everything begins with faith in Jesus Christ, not appearances. Jesus' response if funny - they have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; 18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

    Some people like to fast, but to do that as sanctification is bogus. One bishop said fasting was mandatory and I questioned that. People can make up new religions by going against the Savior and savoring the Law. 

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

    People have taught me that we should give to people rather than sell to people. I have written about a friend in grade school whose clothes were secretly gathered among mothers so he could have enough to ware. When I asked why my clothes were being removed from my modest pile, my mother said, "None of your business." When I pressed for a answer in situations like that, she said. "You're not old enough." That meant so much to the family that the grade school boy wrote about it and said people should mention his name to encourage others and themselves. He ended up the head of our high school class, a star athlete, and a full scholarship winner to attend Yale University. My other grade school friend said, "We don't have garage sales but give aways. No questions, no prices." That is a great way to help others and clean up the house.

    Treasures in heaven are the key statement in this passage. The true treasures in life are intangible, based on faith, generosity, helping and delighting others. We obtain those treasures through faith bearing - like the Grape Vine, John 15 - the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Or, we could say, bearing treasures through the Means of Grace - The Word of God and the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion.

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

    That is the great storehouse, Scrooge McDuck but with the tangibles. Some people are so caring that they act upon the needs of others and strengthen others by what they say. Luther commented too that the cranky, difficult people who oppose the Gospel - not all of them are clergy - are energizing the faithful to be serious about the treasures in the KJV. That has more gems that all the jewelry stores in LA. Nobody can steal the treasures in heaven. Most importantly, our hearts are with our treasures. If they are are material things, the hearts will go there, often forever. If they hearts are with the blessings of God's Word, they will keep those treasures and God's Word will keep them.


Sunday, February 4, 2024

Epiphany 5 2024




The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, 2024


Bethany Lutheran Worship, 10 AM Central 

Pastor Gregory L. Jackson







The Hymn #465                    Christ Is Our Cornerstone
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Worship Him, all ye His angels: Zion heard and was glad.

The daughters of Judah rejoiced: because of Thy judgments, O Lord.

Psalm. The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice: let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual Colossians 3:12-17
Gradual

The heathen shall fear the name of the Lord: and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.

V. When the Lord shall build up Zion: He shall appear in His glory. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice: let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Hallelujah!

The Gospel Matthew 13:24-30
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #49         Almighty God, Thy Word Is Cast

A Forest of Weeds

The Hymn #311 Huss - Jesus Christ Our Blessed Savior
The Preface p. 24
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #50                            Lord Dismiss Us



Colossians 3:12 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which 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 was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? 29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Lord God, heavenly Father, we thank Thee, that Thou hast sown the good seed, Thy holy word, in our hearts: We pray Thee that by Thy Holy Spirit Thou wilt cause this seed to grow and bring forth fruit, and defend us from the enemy, that he may not sow tares therein. Keep us from carnal security, help us in all temptations, and give us at last eternal salvation; through Thy beloved Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.





                                    A Forest of Weeds

Matthew 13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 

This section, which we call Matthew 13, begins with the well known parable of The Sower and the Seed. This parable follows and perhaps confuses people. Tares are weed seeds, using the older English. This sort of thing happens easily and with stealth, because good, new seeds are just starting to germinate when an enemy tosses the weed seeds across the newly prepared wheat field.

People probably remember that I used buckwheat to improve the soil in the rose garden. The supposedly short buckwheat plants grew so tall and thickly that the roses could not be seen. My Laotian neighbor and her son pointed at the Weed Garden and laughed. Our helpers weed-whacked the buckwheat plants at the perfect time, but the buckwheat seeds were mature and started the cycle all over again. I could have made buckwheat pancakes for weeks.

The main parable in Mark 13 is the Sower and the Seed, starting Matthew 13's chapter. There the emphasis is upon the efficacious Word of God as the seed. The Word has equal power but it falls on different types of soil with different results. The two parables have similar results because the Word energized by the Holy Spirit accomplishes God's will. But in this parable, the seed represents faithful believers rather than the Word.

This chapter is what gives away so many pastors, who do not know the meaning of the Word - efficacious - and do not understand God's Creation at work. This word-group in Greek (and English) relates to the English word energy and is found many places throughout the New Testament. The same is true in Hebrew using different expressions of God acting through His Word.

Besides that, the Lord of Creation fills His sermons and parables with the Creation perspective since He is the creating Word of Genesis 1 and John 1, plus many other passages.

Let's compare the effective Word with the Church Growth approach.
Teaching children Bible stories - effective.
Giving children soft drinks and food during the service - not effective.

Preaching a sermon based on a Biblical passage - effective.
Telling a string of funny stories about nothing in particular - not effective.

Giving away KJV Bibles for a prison ministry - effective.
Raising money to hire a growth consultant from Pasadena - not effective. LCMS did that.

These two concepts go together - the efficacy of the Word and God's Creation, which is clearly established by the Word. 

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

The enemy is Satan and the tares are false doctrine mixed with sound doctrine, which is not obvious at first. Most gardeners will admit that they planted good seed and thought the new plants coming up were the crop. The weeds are almost always vigorous, fast growing, and responsive to rain. But alas, when someone tries to pull a weed away from a nearby seedling, both are dislodged and the good plant is weakened if not ruined altogether.

People denounce weeds because they grow so fast and so easily, especially when the conditions are not good for the desired crop of food. But that is also part of God's plan. Exposed soil always welcomes the weeds that arrive from the wind and the birds. They can build up poor soil by growing and dying in the same field that could not support ordinary crops, or demanding crops like corn. The Midwest has topsoil that can be 20 feet deep, which happened by God's plan with prairie grass growing and rotting, buffalos eating the grass and fertilizing the result.

So here we see the Word of God growing but the tares growing along side of the Word. The intended crop of wheat is fruitful, bearing good seeds, but the tares grow up along side it.

27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28 He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

The servants are eager to get rid of the tares. The householder had the good seeds planted so how did all the weeds spring up? The household said, "An enemy has done this," so the servants want to go out into the fields and rip up the weeds. I tried to grow corn in Columbus and a tall grass grew up instead. People said, "I told you - gardens don't work well here. The birds got the corn and the weeds fooled you for a time." 

I saw no corn there, but the weeds grew to six feet.

29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 

I should have known that about the corn versus the weeds. And it is true. Food plants are almost always tender and easily harmed. But God provides all kinds of insect and soil life - plus the birds - to help the crops grow and thrive.

The tares are false prophets and their followers. Anything new and different is appealing. False teachers show up at the door and provide an attractive sales pitch, which works well when people lonely and misinformed.

Jesus is teaching that this mix of sound and false doctrine should continue since so many can be harmed by rigorous prosecution. In fact, opposition to the Christian Faith is encouraged and enlivened by opposition. Many of us were baptized in denominations that became tares. I was baptized at a Congregational church which merged into the radical United Church of Christ. My parents took us to the Disciples of Christ church in town, and that denomination is racing into oblivion with radicalism. And now we have so-called Lutherans who do not know or appreciate the Reformation created by the teaching of Luther, Melanchthon, and Chemnitz.

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

This describes the ultimate destruction of those who die without faith in Christ, while the believers are gathered into heaven.

For the sower of the good seed says again, they should not uproot it, that is, they should have patience, and suffer such blasphemy, and commend all to God; for although the tares hinder the wheat, yet they make it the more beautiful to behold, compared with the tares, as St. Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 11:19: “For there must be false factions among you, that they that are approved may be made manifest among you.” This is sufficient on today’s text.