Jesus told the gathered crowd yet another short story:
“The regime rooted in heaven’s agenda is like someone who planted high-quality seed in his field. 25But there was an enemy determined to sabotage the farmer’s livelihood. One night while the farmhands were sleeping, an enemy snuck into the field and scattered darnel seeds -- poisonous weeds -- on top of the wheat seeds that had previously been sown. The perps slipped away undetected.
26Then, soon after the stalks sprouted and started to form grain -- you guessed it -- a million weeds emerged next to all that high-quality expensive wheat.
27“The farmhands went to the landowner and said, ‘Master, you planted quality seed in the field, didn’t you? How is it, then, that we have a bumper crop of darnel?’
28“‘An enemy must have done this!’ he exclaimed.
“The workers said to him, ‘We’ll get the Weed Whackers.’ 29“‘Wait,’ the landowner replied, ‘If you whack the weeds you'll pulverize the wheat along with them. 30Just let both grow side by side and we’ll take care of the problem at harvest time. I’ll instruct the reapers to go through the field twice -- the first time to gather all the weeds -- which we’ll bundle to be burned. Then, I’ll have them go through a second time to collect the wheat -- which will be brought into my barn.’”
36After Jesus left the crowds and went into the house, his apprentices approached him and said, “Explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
37Jesus replied, “I, the Uber Man, have sown good seed into 38the field, which is the world. And the good seeds are those people who have embraced the regime rooted in heaven’s agenda. But the weeds are all those people who have embraced the devil’s agenda. 39The weed-sowing enemy is the devil. The harvest is the end of this present age. And the reapers are the angels.
40“At the end of this age it will be like when farm hands throw weeds into the fire. 41I, the Uber Man, will send my angels to remove from my kingdom everything and everyone which causes people to trip-up -- all who disregard my agenda. 42I’ll toss them into the burn barrel. From there, they’ll wail unheard -- endlessly -- about how they’re the mistreated victims. 43At that point, once the weeds are out of the picture, those who have majored in doing the right thing will be as Daniel 12:3 suggests, the bright stars illuminating their Father’s kingdom. If you’ve got ears -- and I know you do -- listen
up -- pay attention!”
