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From Equipper—Parable of the Weeds

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By Al Kurzawa, Pastor
Morwell and Seaford, Victoria, Australia

Did God leave us anything to do?

Have you ever volunteered and shown up to the job ready with gloves and tools in hand, only to find out that the work was already completed? You’ve set aside time to help only to be told to relax because everything is already done. The parable of the weeds (Matthew 13:24–30) and Jesus’ explanation of the parable (verses 36–43) can leave us feeling this way after our first read through. A quick recap shows who does all the action in this parable and it’s not us. We find Jesus has already sown the good seeds, the enemy has sown the weeds, the servants ask a couple of questions, and in the end the harvesters (the angels) collect the weeds at harvest and burn them. If we assume we are the good seeds, the people of the kingdom, we are left with only two passive things to do: shine like the sun and whoever has ears, let them hear. I guess we all got dressed up in our overalls for nothing!

In most of Jesus’ parables, there is an “aha!” moment after we have spent some time wrestling with it. Following some rough-and-tumble grappling, we find in this parable both the good news of the kingdom and a formidable and challenging opportunity for us as citizens of that kingdom. The good news is that the Son of Man has sown the good seed, and he has sown that good seed throughout the entire world.

Between the parable of the weeds and its explanation are the parables of the mustard seed and yeast that clue us in that the kingdom can seem small and hidden, but it is always growing and permeating the entire world. This is a good reminder that it is not for us to judge or decide who is or is not a citizen of the kingdom. The wheat and weeds are so similar and intertwined that we can do much damage if we try to make those judgements when God has told us he is the one that will take care of the sifting. We are to serve all our neighbors, all those we encounter, as good seed that has been sown by God. All humans are made in the image of God.

Even though most of the action seems to have been performed by others in this parable, the Son of Man does give us something to do. And this action is a lot tougher than it first appears. The man tells his servants, “Let both grow together until the harvest.” Let’s geek out on the Greek for a minute. The word “let” in this passage in the Greek can mean permit, suffer, let, or forgive.[i] Let them grow together or possibly suffer together. How does it challenge us when we think of it as “suffer together?” Is this the call to action in this parable for us as citizens? If we love our neighbor as our self, if we love one another as Jesus loved us, if we pray for our enemies, if we live as the beloved children of God, then at times we will experience suffering in this lifetime.

We may be experiencing suffering right now. When we open ourselves up to serving others, caring for others’ needs, loving others, then we also allow ourselves to be vulnerable and open to suffering. Here we were thinking all the hard work was done with the seeds already being planted and the angels taking care of the harvest! But we find in this simple term, “let, permit, suffer together,” our calling and challenge as citizens of the kingdom as we participate in Jesus’ mission to the world by serving those around us.

We are comforted knowing the kingdom will reach its fullness and the harvest will come. Jesus assures us that through our suffering and our participation in his plan of “let them grow together,” God is at work in mysterious ways that only he can accomplish. Our acts of service and our shared suffering for the kingdom will be transformed into moments of glory that will shine like the sun in the fullness of the kingdom. He who has ears, let him hear.

[i] William D. Mounce, Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament. Accordance electronic edition, version 4.6. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2011. See also Robert Farrar Capon, Parables of Kingdom, Grace, and Judgement. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 90ff.

2026 Denominational Celebration

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on July 23-26, 2026.

Please mark your calendars. More information will be made available in mid-2025.

Prayer Guide—July 2025

“Prayers outlive the lives of those who uttered them; outlive a generation, outlive an age, outlive a world.” — E.M. Bounds

Halfway through 2025, we pause to give thanks and seek God for what’s ahead. The July Prayer Guide helps you reflect, intercede, and stay connected to what God is doing across our church family.

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2026 Denominational Celebration

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on July 23-26, 2026.

Please mark your calendars. More information will be made available in mid-2025.

From Equipper—Parable of the Sower

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By Bill Hall, National Director of Canada
Winnipeg, SK, Canada

Not too many of us in the Western world live in an agrarian society. For instance, although I’m surrounded by farms in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, I am an urban dweller. As a result, we may have some issues trying to understand various parables that have first-century agricultural overtones.

Looking at this parable found in Matthew 13:3–28, Mark 4:1–19, and Luke 8:4–15, we see Jesus’ conversation with the crowd on the lakeside is divided into three parts:

1. Jesus shares the parable.
2. Jesus explains why he speaks in parables.
3. Jesus then explains the parable to his disciples.

In his story he speaks of a sower casting seeds that fell on inhospitable and hospitable ground. Some of the seeds fell on the path and were eaten by birds; some fell on rocky ground and, while sprouting, couldn’t survive exposure to the elements. Other seedlings were choked out by weeds, and finally some seed fell on good soil and flourished into a bountiful harvest.

Reflecting on his words, even with my limited agricultural knowledge, it is obvious that what Jesus is describing in this parable is not how to be a successful farmer. A successful farmer would value every seed and give it the best opportunity to flourish. To do the opposite would be fool-hardy and a waste of valuable seed.

Instead, Jesus is describing something about the kingdom that is ushered into the world with his coming.

N.T. Wright explains that this message, with the interpretation given to the disciples (Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23), had a very prophetic meaning regarding Jesus’ ministry:

The Sower, in other words is not simply an earthly story with a heavenly meaning, a moral lesson about listening carefully. … It is full of the music of the Kingdom, the new song of God after the long silence of exile. It encapsulated Jesus’ challenge to his contemporaries to be Israel, because God was at last ‘sowing’ them again; and the warning that if this final word was not heeded the alternative would be catastrophe. [1]

Certainly, the Gospels give many examples of how Jesus’ words and actions were perceived differently by various individuals and groups. Some celebrated his coming, while to others, such as the religious leaders and the empire that was Rome, he was a threat to the status quo.

In his interpretation to the disciples (after he explains the reason for parables), he is not actually talking about seeds as much as the “type” of soil on which the seeds fell (Matthew 13:18-23).

As people who are reading these words over the shoulder of first-century disciples and their contemporary situation, modern Christians can learn some important lessons.

First, as we reach out into our neighbourhoods with the message of the kingdom, Jesus’ words help to explain why not everyone we develop a relationship with will respond to the kingdom message. The parable also helps to explain that even those who become disciples can get distracted and move on sometimes.

This can be very disconcerting. However, I find in Jesus’ words something very encouraging. The fact is, long before we encounter people in our neighbourhood, the Spirit is already preparing some to be the soil ready to accept the gospel. Could we be that person, in partnership with the Spirit, who plants the seed resulting in them becoming a part of that bigger harvest?

Secondly, I find encouragement from the reflections of David Lose. He calls God the “reckless sower,” because from our perspective God is a farmer who throws seed with abandon where three-quarters of the seed appears to be simply wasted. He adds:

Why does this shift of focus matter? Because as we give our attention to the crazy abandon of this ridiculously wasteful farmer, we get a hint about the character of the kingdom Jesus preaches. It is a place where God’s love and God’s word are scattered with equal abandon, with no regard for how any of it will be received. It’s as if God just can’t help but share love and grace and mercy and will do so recklessly, even wastefully, because God alone knows that grace is never exhausted, and love never wasted. [2]

Let us all participate with God as “sowers” in our own right to share his love, grace, and mercy in our neighbourhoods. More than ever our neighbours need to feel the touch of God’s kingdom in their lives!

[1] (page 86, Twelve Months of Sundays: Biblical Meditations on the Christian Years A, B & C, Morehouse Publishing 2012)

[2] (https://www.davidlose.net/2014/08/matthew-13-1-9)

2026 Denominational Celebration

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on July 23-26, 2026.

Please mark your calendars. More information will be made available in mid-2025.

Prayer Guide—June 2025

God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be. — E.M. Bounds

Join us this June as we lift our voices in unity and faith. View or download the full prayer guide here.

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2026 Denominational Celebration

The Denominational Celebration
will be held
in Dallas, Texas, U.S.
on July 23-26, 2026.

Please mark your calendars. More information will be made available in mid-2025.

GCI Testify

Discover the transformative power of Christ’s love in our new series, GCI Testify. Join us as members from our global fellowship share testimonies of their experiences with Jesus through GCI congregations and ministries. Don’t miss the opportunity to witness firsthand the impact of the Spirit in and through GCI.

Watch the entire series here.

LiLY Women’s Conference—Register Soon!

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

2025 LiLY Women’s Conference
April 25-27, 2025
Embassy Suites in Independence, Ohio (in person)

Rose Hamrick, Shenequa Rogers, Salisa Bruce, Julie Frantz, Tanazia Morris, Robyn Dykstra 2024

Theme: As He Has Forgiven You

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)

We have an amazing keynote speaker, Tess Scott, who has a special message for you. You can listen here.

There will be a Teen Session this year. Make sure to spread the word!

Registration Fee:

- - $75 Early Bird Pricing — Register by Friday, April 4, 2025
  - $85 Regular Pricing — Register by Friday, April 13, 2025
  - $95 Late Registration — After April 13, 2025
  - $50 Special Teen Rate — Ages 13-17

Online registration ends on April 13, 2025.

Hotel Reservation/Cost:

Embassy Suites, 5800 Rockside Woods Blvd. Independence, Ohio

Overnight hotel rate: $132 per night, per suite, 4-person room
(Total with tax is $310.20 for both nights. Breakfast and manager’s reception is included for hotel guests only.)

Click here to make your reservation online.

Group Name: LiLY Women’s Conference
Group Code: LW5
Central Reservations Number: 1-866-344-7548
Deadline for hotel reservations at the special rate is Friday, April 4, 2025.
Register today online at gccle.church/lily

If not registering online, mail your registration fee with checks payable to:
Grace Communion Cleveland
4499 Canterbury Road
North Olmsted, Ohio 44070

(Please include your name, address, phone number, emergency contact name and address, and if you are staying for Saturday night dinner)

If you have any questions, please email us at: LiLYwomensministry@gmail.com

Rosa Hulse
Women’s Ministry Leader
Grace Communion Cleveland

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Category: Join Us

From Equipper—Parable of the Weeds

2026 Denominational Celebration

Prayer Guide—July 2025

2026 Denominational Celebration

From Equipper—Parable of the Sower

2026 Denominational Celebration

Prayer Guide—June 2025

2026 Denominational Celebration

GCI Testify

LiLY Women’s Conference—Register Soon!

GCI Update

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