马太福音13:24-30；36-43
愿恩惠、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们时常忍耐等候末了神的国完全降临的人。阿们。
上个主日，主耶稣用撒种和土地的比喻解释天国。今天的福音经文是主耶稣继续用比喻来讲“天国”的道理。“天国好像人撒好种在田里……”（太13:24）。上一个主日我们从微观、局部的工作，就是神的道在人心中的工作，来看天国。今天的福音经文帮助我们从一个宏观、全貌的角度来看天国是什么，以及天国是如何最终完全实现的。在我们进入今天的经文之前，我们再说一下，人如何进入天国，或者说天国如何降临到每个人身上：藉着种子，就是神的道，圣灵浇灌雨水滋润心田，让道在人心中扎根。这一点我们要清楚，我们领受天国是凭借着信心，而不是任何个人的努力或者德行。
我们说今天的经文延展到了全局，因为这个比喻的钥匙都不一样了。主耶稣后面在屋子里私下向门徒们解释了：好种就是天国之子，就是信徒，而田地就是世界。有播撒好种的，就是我们这些信徒藉着神的道被洁净，成为天国之子，并且仍然活在地上，继续彰显神的国，恳求神的国继续降临；同时，也有在这个世界上播撒稗子的，坏种，就是被魔鬼的道理迷惑，继续做那恶者之子的。
这个全局性的视角很关键，因为我们基督徒啊，常常容易狭窄，只关注自己的得救和自己跟神的关系，甚至有时候连教会，信徒群体，教会生活的实践都不太在乎。我们不是常听人说，我在家不也可以读经祷告，做一名合格的基督徒吗？何必去教会呢？这都是思维狭窄，眼睛近视的缘故。我们信了主，就领受了神的国，或者说进入神的国了，但另一方面，神的国是神自己的工作，是要不断地扩展，在地上彰显，以致最终完全降临到地上。我们很容易忘记，这个世界、田地是属于谁的呢？是上帝的，本来就是属于主耶稣的。约翰福音1章开篇就说：“祂在世界，世界也是借着祂造的，世界却不认识祂。祂到自己的地方来，自己的人倒不接待他。”（约1:10-11）
弟兄姐妹们，我们明白这一点吗？我们信主重生成为神儿女之后，就成为天国降临事工的一部分，我们作为好种被播撒在这个本来就属于神的世界上。天国的大君王将我们这些天国之子，天国儿女播撒在田地上，要不断地改变这个世界的格局。改变世界，我不是说像一般人畅想的那样，让世界更美好，而是要继续传扬福音，活出天国儿女的身份，带领人归主，带领人领受天国，让更多人得救，等候最终的收割，最终天国完全降临地上的那一天。
这是谁的工作？上帝自己的工作，藉着教会见证主的道，继续播撒福音的种子，让更多人成为好种，播撒在世界的田地上。然而，然而，这并不意味着，基督徒或者说教会的使命是要改变这个世界，让世界变得更美好，又或者说让整个国家、文化基督化。你们听说过这些词汇吗？有些华人教会特别提倡或者追求要“三化”：教会国度化，中国福音化，文化基督化。简单地说，就是基督徒要影响这个世界，无论是文化、经济还是政治，总之是在各个方面，各个领域。这是错误的，也是危险的目标或者口号。我们基督徒会不会带领影响，影响身边的人，甚至整个国家民族？会，但这不意味着我们的追求就是这个。
在今天的福音经文中，主耶稣告诉我们，神的国，天国的降临是撒种之人，就是主耶稣自己的工作，收割也是神自己的工作——差遣天使在末日收割，而且最终将稗子和麦子分开，稗子捆起来烧掉，而麦子收在粮仓——都是神自己的工作。主在做工，我们还要知道，魔鬼也在做破坏、俘虏人的工作。如果你看一下，一间正统的教会兴起来了，周边有多少个讲错误道理的所谓基督教会就马上兴起来，魔鬼是不会闲着的。就在这个时候，门徒们说，那我们现在就把稗子剔除出去吧。他们已经等不及了，想要马上把世界变成天堂，他们不想等到最后收割审判的日子了，现在就要做洁净教会或者让世界更美好的工作。
主耶稣说，不，你们要耐心等候主的工作，“不必，恐怕薅稗子，连麦子也拔出来。容这两样一齐长，等着收割。”（太13:29）我们要知道，主耶稣自己比我们更有耐心，祂甚至让稗子跟麦子一起长，而且有时候稗子很像麦子，都区分不出来，教会当中也有假信徒和真信徒，只是很多时候不明显。主耶稣允许“仇敌来，将稗子撒在麦子里就走了。”弟兄姐妹们，我们也要有耐心，知道天国的奥秘，以及我们所盼望的是什么。我们所盼望的并不是一个可见的地上国度，而是一个不可见，但将来会完全彰显出来的国度。保罗在今天的书信经文中不也是说：“我们得救是在乎盼望，只是所见的盼望不是盼望，谁还盼望他所见的呢？但我们若盼望那所不见的，就必忍耐等候。”（罗8:24-25）
这个世界不会变得更美好，甚至只会变得越来越糟糕。环境会变得更好吗？我们可以努力，但不会更漂亮。“受造之物仍然指望脱离败坏的辖制，得享神儿女自由的荣耀。我们知道，一切受造之物一同叹息，劳苦，直到如今。”（罗8:21-22）保罗说的再清楚不过了，整个世界都在等候，等候将来完全的更新，就是我们得荣耀，神的国度完全降临，更新全地的时候。“那时，义人在他们父的国里，要发出光来，像太阳一样。”（太13:43）在此之前，我们仍然继续心存盼望，耐心等候，时常祷告说：“愿你的国降临”。奉耶稣基督的名——祂把天国赐给我们，并且让我们以天国儿女的身份在地上继续为祂作见证。阿们。
Matthew 13:24-30; 36-43
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, to you who constantly endure and patiently wait for the final, full coming of the kingdom of God. Amen.
The Macro Perspective of the Kingdom
Last Sunday, the Lord Jesus explained the kingdom of heaven by using the parable of the sower and the soils. Today's Gospel text continues as the Lord Jesus uses parables to teach the principles of the "kingdom of heaven."
"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field..." (Matthew 13:24)
Last Sunday, we looked at the kingdom of heaven from a micro and localized perspective—that is, the work of the Word of God in individual human hearts. Today's Gospel text helps us view what the kingdom of heaven is from a macro, panoramic perspective, and how it will ultimately be fully realized.
Before we delve into today's text, let us reiterate how a person enters the kingdom of heaven, or how the kingdom of heaven comes upon each individual: it is through the seed, which is the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit pouring down rain to nourish the soil of the heart, allowing the Word to take root within. We must be clear on this point: we receive the kingdom of heaven by faith alone, not by any personal effort or human virtue.
The Grand Scheme of the Field
We say that today's text expands to the grand scheme of things because the key to unlocking this parable is completely different. The Lord Jesus later explained privately to His disciples in the house: the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom—the believers—while the field represents the world.
· The Good Seed: We believers are cleansed through the Word of God to become sons of the kingdom, yet we still live on earth, continuing to manifest God's kingdom and pleading for its continued coming.
· The Weeds: At the same time, there is also the sowing of weeds—the bad seed—in this world, meaning those who are deceived by the devil's doctrines and continue to be sons of the evil one.
This global perspective is crucial because we Christians often tend to be narrow-minded, focusing only on our own salvation and personal relationship with God. Sometimes, we don't even care much about the church, the community of believers, or the practice of church life. Don't we often hear people say, "Can't I just read the Bible and pray at home to be a proper Christian? Why bother going to church?" This is all due to a narrow mindset and spiritual nearsightedness.
Once we believe in the Lord, we receive the kingdom of God, or rather, enter into it. Yet on the other hand, the kingdom of God is God's own work; it must continually expand and be manifested on earth until it completely descends. We easily forget: to whom does this world, this field, belong? It belongs to God; it originally and rightfully belongs to the Lord Jesus. The opening of John's Gospel states:
"He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." (John 1:10-11)
Brothers and sisters, do we understand this? After we believe in the Lord and are reborn as children of God, we become part of the ministry of the kingdom's coming. We are sown as good seed into this world that already belongs to God. The Great King of heaven sows us—the sons and daughters of the kingdom—into the field to continuously reshape the landscape of this world.
By "changing/reshaping the world," I do not mean making it a better place in the way ordinary people imagine. Rather, it means continuing to proclaim the Gospel, living out our identity as children of the kingdom, leading people to the Lord, and guiding them to receive the kingdom, so that more may be saved while we wait for the final harvest—the day when the kingdom of heaven fully descends upon the earth.
The Temptation of Earthly Triumphalism
Whose work is this? It is God’s own work, witnessing to the Lord's Word through the church, continuing to sow the seeds of the Gospel so that more people become good seed sown into the field of the world.
However—however—this does not mean that the mission of Christians or the church is to change this world, make it a better place, or Christianize the entire nation and culture. Have you heard these terms? Some Chinese churches particularly advocate or pursue the "Three Transformations" (Sanhua):
1. The Kingdomnization of the Church
2. The Evangelization of China
3. The Christianization of Chinese Culture
Simply put, they believe Christians should fundamentally Christianize and control this world across all spheres—be it culture, economics, or politics. This is a mistaken and dangerous goal. Will we Christians influence the people around us, or even the entire nation? Yes, we will. But that does not mean this earthly transformation should be our ultimate pursuit.
In today's Gospel text, the Lord Jesus tells us that the coming of the kingdom of heaven is the work of the Sower—the Lord Jesus Himself. The harvest is also God's own work, as He sends His angels to harvest at the end of the age and finally separate the weeds from the wheat, binding the weeds to be burned and gathering the wheat into His barn. It is entirely God's own work.
While the Lord is working, we must also know that the devil is actively working to destroy and take people captive. If you look closely, whenever an orthodox, faithful church is established, how many so-called Christian churches teaching false doctrines immediately spring up around it? The devil is never idle.
At this point, the disciples asked, "Should we go and gather the weeds now?" They couldn't wait; they wanted to turn the world into heaven immediately. They didn't want to wait until the final day of harvest and judgment; they wanted to do the work of cleansing the church or fixing the world right now.
Patient Enduring in the Hidden Kingdom
The Lord Jesus said, it seems like,"No, you must wait patiently for the Lord's work."
"But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest...’" (Matthew 13:29)
We must know that the Lord Jesus Himself is far more patient than we are. He even allows the weeds to grow alongside the wheat. Sometimes, weeds look so much like wheat that they are indistinguishable to human eyes. There are both false and true believers within the visible church, and often it is not obvious. The Lord Jesus allows the enemy to come, sow weeds among the wheat, and go away.
Brothers and sisters, we too must be patient, understanding the mystery of the kingdom of heaven and what it is we truly hope for. What we hope for is not a visible, triumphant earthly kingdom, but an invisible one that will be fully manifested in glory in the future. As the Apostle Paul says in today's Epistle text:
"For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience." (Romans 8:24-25)
This world will not become an earthly paradise; in fact, it will only get worse. Will the environment get better? We can make an effort, but it will not be perfectly restored by human hands.
"...that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now." (Romans 8:21-22)
Paul could not have made it any clearer: the entire creation is groaning and waiting, waiting for a future, complete renewal—when we are glorified, and the kingdom of God fully descends to renew the entire earth.
"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43)
Until then, let us continue to hold fast to hope, wait with patience, and constantly pray: "Thy kingdom come."
In the name of Jesus Christ—who gives us the kingdom of heaven and allows us to continue bearing witness for Him on earth as children of the heavenly kingdom. Amen.