What Can You Do About a Frustrating Situation?

9th Sunday after Pentecost, 8/2/20 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 What Can You Do About a Frustrating Situation? I. Wait patiently and confidently in the Lord. II. Work tirelessly while you still have time. Are you happy with the way things are going in our world? I don’t think a single one of you is. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I state that everyone of us is fed up. We’ve had it. And as I thought about things, it seems to me our frustrations center around three things, and they all begin with the letter P: pandemic, politics, and protests. All three of them were in the news every day last week. And none of them ever seem to be getting any better. Most of the time, they seem to be getting worse. And it’s so frustrating! But what can you do about it? Most of the time you don’t know what to do. But hang on to your question. We’ll answer it a little later. Meanwhile, things remain so frustrating. We have a frustrating situation described for us in today’s gospel, which is also our sermon text. It’s commonly called the Parable of the Weeds. Perhaps you enjoy gardening. Can you imagine a neighbor sabotaging your garden and violating your property in such a way? If you were a farmer, can you imagine someone doing something so vile to your crop, which you depend on to support yourself and your family? How frustrating! As Jesus explained, the wheat field is the world. The wheat are his people, believers, Christians. The weeds are unbelievers. And the one who sowed the weeds among the wheat is none other than Satan himself. What Jesus describes in this parable is our daily reality. We are Christians living in the world side by side with unbelievers. And that can be so frustrating at times. Some of those unbelievers do whatever they can to oppose Christians and Christianity. We get tired of it. What can you do about a frustrating situation? Keep that question in mind as we ponder the words of this parable this morning. It’s important for you to see how Jesus answers it. Part I. No one likes to get caught by surprise. And in this age of instant, worldwide communication in which we have more information at our disposal every day than we can possibly process, it bothers us even more when we get caught by surprise. That’s one of the facets of the current situation in our country that frustrates me. I didn’t see it coming, at least not to this extent. In this parable before us, the servants of the owner get caught by surprise. It’s likely that they were the ones who sowed the wheat seed in the field for the owner. They know what they sowed, and it wasn’t weeds. So, when the weeds appeared, their natural reaction was surprise. But the owner wasn’t surprised. He quickly and calmly tells his servants, “An enemy did this.” The owner is Jesus and he was never caught by surprise by anything. He knows exactly what’s occurring. In fact, he even knows in advance what’s going to occur. That’s why he never gets caught by surprise. In explaining the parable to his disciples, Jesus said, “The enemy who sowed [the weeds] is the devil.” He is fully aware of the activities of Satan. His servants propose a solution to this frustrating situation. They ask, “Do you want us to go and pull them up?” It sounds like a reasonable solution. I’m sure most of you have dealt with weeds in much the same way. You eradicate them. You don’t want them to harm your plants. And the sooner you eradicate the weeds, the better. You don’t want them overtaking your plants. But notice what the owner told them to do. Wait. Wait until the harvest. In other words, let both continue to grow together. Now is not the time to pull up the weeds. Why wait? In fact, why wait so long? The owner explains, “While you are pulling up the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.” Pulling weeds now will bring harm to the wheat. How could that possibly be? Well, ask yourself what your life would be like tomorrow if the Lord suddenly removed every unbeliever from your world. Would you still have a doctor or a dentist? Would you need to find a new mechanic or financial advisor? Would your bank still be open? How many of your fellow workers wouldn’t show up for work tomorrow? Would you be able to buy groceries and gasoline a week from now? You might think it would be wonderful if there were no unbelievers in the world to bother Christians, but the truth is that your life would be far more difficult without them. Remember, Jesus is never caught by surprise. He knows exactly what’s happening right now. He knows everything that will happen up until the Last Day. So, wait patiently. Wait confidently in the Lord. There’s the answer to your question. What can you do about a frustrating situation? Wait patiently and confidently in the Lord. I’ve often thought, “If I can just find a solution to the problem at hand, my life will be so much happier.” It’s as if I only have this one problem in my life and I imagine that, if I can solve it, my life will suddenly and always be problem-free. Really? Let me give you just one example of how that isn’t true. Even if we have an effective vaccine tomorrow for COVID-19, you will still need your doctor for your other health issues. We’ll still need medical scientists to discover cures for a host of other diseases. Our greatest problem is not pandemic or politics or protests. Our greatest problem isn’t even the fact that we are wheat living next to weeds. Our greatest problem is sin. We’re sinners and we show it in our sinfully critical attitude about others, in our doubts about the love and care of our God, in our “woe is me” mentality. And I’m talking to myself here, too. And now Jesus reminds us as well that we are wheat living next to weeds. We’re Christians in a non-Christian world. Why would we expect it to be any different? But it’s so frustrating! What can you do? Wait patiently and confidently in the Lord, the one who took your sins upon himself, the one who rose again to assure you of life with him, the one who promises to deliver you in his own time and way. Your frustrations cease when you find your rest in your Savior. Part II. A few months ago, a local car dealer appeared on TV in what I would call a public service announcement. He stated that he didn’t look on our current situation as an obstacle. He chose to look on it as an opportunity. How do you view your Christian life in an unchristian world? As an obstacle or an opportunity? In this Parable of the Weeds, Jesus didn’t include any information about what his servants did before the harvest. But in many other places of his word Jesus has told us what he wants us to do as his servants until the harvest. He wants us to look upon the fact that we are Christians in an unchristian world as an opportunity. In another field of crops metaphor, just implored us to send out workers because the fields are ripe for harvest. There’s a lot of work to do before the Last Day arrives. Jesus wants every unbeliever to come to faith in him as their Savior from sin. And he uses you and me to do that work. To borrow language from last Sunday’s parable—he calls on us to sow the seed of his word. That’s the calling that Jesus has given to his church on earth—to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. In a world that’s filled with hatred for others, half-truths and outright lies, we have the only truth that people need to hear for their eternal life. It’s the truth that changes hearts and causes them to love God’s truth and to love their neighbor as themselves. Sure, it’s frustrating being wheat living next to weeds. What can you do about it? Work tirelessly while you still have time to share the gospel. It’s hard enough living in this difficult time as a Christian. Can you imagine living in it as a non-Christian? Where would you find your comfort and hope? There’s your angle. Locate a weed living near you. Get to know him or her. In your conversation about our crazy world, admit you’re frustrated and, at times, more than a little scared. But you have found your comfort and hope in a Savior who loved you so much he died for you. And, since he’s risen from the dead, he also has the power over everything, even the power to use this current situation to accomplish his saving plans. What can you do about a frustrating situation? Wait patiently and confidently in the Lord. And then work tirelessly with the gospel. That’s what every weed needs every plant of wheat to do. May the Lord of the Harvest bless your gospel proclaiming efforts in this frustrating world! Amen.