Roundup is a poisonous spray that kills weeds in your lawn, and everything else. Even your lawn. There’s a better option: a healthy lawn. More green grass means fewer weeds. Jesus teaches that believers shouldn’t just spray Roundup on all the bad people in the world. His mission involves our health, growth and life for the good and the bad.

Notes and Next Steps
Matthew 13:24-30-,36-43 +  Part 7 of the series "The Parables of Jesus: What's Your Story?"

When you experience how bad things are, don’t 1) hide your faith, 2) isolate from the world, or 3) judge eternally people or groups.

“The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil.” (Matthew 13:37-39)

The weeds cannot and will not overtake the wheat. But, Jesus sure hopes that the wheat will overcome the weeds.

“‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest.’” (Matthew 13:28-30)

“At the end of the age … there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:40)

“Collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” (Matthew 13:30)

“The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Matthew 13:43)

SPIRITUAL NEXT STEP

Visit HeGetsUs.com and check out how the site connects Jesus and faith with an unbelieving, skeptical and even angry world. Pray for God’s direction and choose a video to share with a friend who needs Jesus before Thanksgiving Day.

Discussion Questions

1. Visit HeGetsUs.com and check out how the site connects Jesus and faith with an unbelieving, skeptical and even angry world. Pray for God’s direction and choose a video to share with a friend who needs Jesus before Thanksgiving Day.
2. Where is the place in your life that you encounter the most unbelief? Which of these tempts you most often when you encounter unbelief in this world? —Hide your faith. —Isolate from unbelief. —Judge eternally people or groups. Next step: Who will you talk to about this?
3. Someone says, “In the Old Testament God commanded his people to defeat the ungodly, therefore Christians today can do the same if we work together.” Evaluate that statement. Apply Matthew 10:16-20 and Luke 9:53-55.
4. “Jesus handles the risk of believers rubbing elbows with unbelievers.” Explain.