Parables #12 The Wheat and Weeds

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Jesus tells a second parable about sowing seeds, this time …about two sowers — one who sows good seed to grow wheat, …and the enemy who sows weeds among the wheat.

For this parable too, Jesus offers an extended metaphoric …interpretation to his disciples in private. Like the parable of the sower, the parable of the wheat and weeds offers a perspective on opposition to Jesus, and also speaks more generally to the persistence of evil in the world.

24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. 27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. 29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”……Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained

36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.” 37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man[a] is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world,[b] and the harvesters are the angels.…40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

Parable #12 — Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43…This is the first in a series of eight “Kingdom of Heaven” parables and the only one explained by Jesus.

 

After telling this, he expects you to “get it.”

When the householder’s slaves notice the weeds, their first response is to question the quality of the seedv27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ When the master replies that an enemy has sown the weeds, the slaves are anxious to take care of the problem, to root those nasty weeds right out. …But In the clearest of terms, Jesus tells his disciples what almost every element of the parable represents:…v 37-39…“37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man[a] is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world,[b] and the harvesters are the angels.…Jesus does not, however, say whom the slaves represent.

Perhaps the slaves represent the disciples, or anyone who hears this parable and its interpretation. Who among us has not questioned why God allows evil to grow and thrive? …Who among us has not wanted to take matters into our own hands and root out the evil in our midst?…The master stops the slaves from doing anything of the sort. For one thing, it is not so easy to tell the weeds from the wheat, and for another, their roots are intertwined below the ground. Rooting out the weeds would uproot the wheat as well, doing more damage to the crop than leaving the weeds to grow.

1. Why do people dislike weeds?

2. In this parable, we read about a sower, a field, wheat, weeds? an enemy, a harvest? Harvesters or reapers.

3. What did the servants volunteer to do for the owner of the field? (28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.)

4. On what grounds did the owner turn down the servants’ suggestion? (29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”)

How difficult is it to pull up only the weeds from a densely growing bed of flowers, or even just grass?

Can you always clearly identify the weeds from the good plants?

5. What dangers lie in trying to label people as either “weeds” or wheat?”

6. Whose responsibility is it to identify the weeds and deal with them?

7. What does this parable teach about church purity?

Divine patience?

Human accountability?

8. If you had to guess, what would you say would be the ratio of “wheat” to “weeds” in Johannesburg (or Thenbalami)?

9. How do these threats of judgment and harsh punishment for unbelievers make you feel?

10. In what ways can you “shine like the sun” in your contacts with unbelievers?

What does Daniel 12:3 mean?…3 Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.

What does this say about Christians who try to isolate themselves from non-Christians?

11. It is possible to interpret this parable to mean that -whatever you were at birth (weed or wheat) is what you remain to the “end of the age.” What do you think about that?

12. What does this parable teach us about the kingdom of heaven (or kingdom of God)?……“The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds or Tares?”…Is filled with spiritual significance and truth. But, in spite of the clear explanation of the parable that Jesus gave (Matthew 13:36-43), this parable is very often misinterpreted.

Many commentaries and sermons have attempted to use this story as an illustration of the condition of the church, but let’s see and take note that there are both true believers (the wheat) and false believers that profess (the weeds) in both the church at large and individual local churches.

While this may be true, Jesus distinctly explains that the field is not the church; it is the world

 

…(V 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one.).…Even if He hadn’t specifically told us the world is the setting of the story, it would still be obvious.…The landowner tells the servants not to pull up the weeds in the field, but to leave them until the end of the age.

 

…If the field were the church, this command would directly contradict Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18, which tells us how to deal with unrepentant sinners in the church: they are to be put out of the fellowship and treated as unbelievers. …Jesus never instructed us to let unrepentant sinners remain in our midst until the end of the age.

So, Jesus is teaching here about “the kingdom of heaven” (v24 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. )In the world.……In the agricultural society of Christ’s time, many farmers depended on the quality of their crops.

An enemy sowing weeds would have sabotaged a business.

A bit of botany is helpful in understanding this parable. Matthew uses the Greek term zizania, which in modern botanical terms refers to the genus of wild rice grasses. What Matthew most likely refers to, is darnel or cockle, a noxious weed that closely resembles wheat and is plentiful in Israel. The difference between darnel and real wheat is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear. The ears of the real wheat are heavy and will droop, while the ears of the darnel stand up straight.

Without modern weed killers, what would a wise farmer do in such a dilemma?

Instead of tearing out the wheat with the tares, the landowner in this parable wisely restrains his servants, saying that in gathering the weeds they would uproot the wheat along with them. He orders them to let both grow together until the harvest.Then he will send out his reapers to collect the tares separate them from the wheat and burn the weeds and then gather the wheat into his barn v28-30. 28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. 29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”…Jesus says that the reapers — not the slaves — will take care of this at harvest time. v41-43 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

It is the angels — not any human beings — who are authorized to pluck out the weeds from the wheat.

Stumbling Blocks

We may find the dualism of this text troubling. It seems that there are two groups of people in the world — children of the kingdom and children of the evil one, wheat and weeds — and that their destinies are fixed from the beginning. Jesus says that at the end of the age, the angels will “collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin (skandala) and all evildoers, and will throw them into the furnace of fire” (13:41).

Elsewhere Jesus warns those who put a stumbling block (skandalon) before any of the “little ones” that it would be better for them to have a millstone put around their neck and to be drowned in the sea (18:6-7). Similarly he warns that if your hand or foot or eye causes you to sin (skandalizo), it is better to cut it off or pluck it out and enter life blind or maimed, than to be thrown into the “hell of fire” with body intact (18:8-9).

This is hyperbolic language, of course, meant to jar us into recognizing the seriousness of anything that leads us or others into sin. It seems to suggest that a skandalon may be something within a person rather than the whole person. We know that it is not really our hand or foot or eye that causes us to sin. Sin comes from the human heart (kardia) (15:18-20), which in Greek refers to the inner self, the mind and will. No human is able to pluck out the inner self.

Perhaps when Jesus says that the angels will collect all skandala to burn in the fire, he means that everything within us that causes sin will be burned away. It doesn’t quite fit the logic of the parable, which seems to be talking about two groups of people and speaks of throwing all evildoers into the furnace of fire. Yet it seems congruent with other texts in Matthew about stumbling blocks.

Another text to consider is 16:23, where Jesus tells Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block (skandalon) to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” In spite of these strong words and Peter’s repeated failings, Jesus does not give up on Peter; rather, he entrusts the future of his mission to him and the rest of his bumbling disciples.

So perhaps we should not press the logic of the parable too literally. In the world we know, weeds do not become wheat. Yet Matthew’s story holds out hope even for those who stumble — yes, even for the one whom Jesus calls a stumbling block!

God’s responsibility– Not Ours

Perhaps there were some overzealous “weeders” in Matthew’s congregation who wanted to purify the community by rooting out the bad seed. …This seems to be a temptation for followers of Jesus in every age. We whip ourselves into a weeding frenzy, certain that we know the difference between weeds and wheat, and that we know how to deal with the weeds!

Jesus’ parable makes clear that any attempt to root out the weeds will only do more damage to the crop. This has played out far too many times in congregations and denominations, where you’ll find those determined to root out anyone who does not agree with the “right” interpretation of Scripture, liturgical practice, or stand on a particular issue. …There are also those who pronounce judgment on people outside the church — on people of other faiths, for instance — declaring them to be destined for eternal damnation. …Whether judgment is focused within the church or without, it does serious damage to the church and its mission.

Jesus makes it clear that we simply cannot be certain who is “in” or who is “out.” …In fact, God’s judgment about these matters will take many by surprise …Matthew 7:21-23…21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’…Matthew 8:11-12…11 And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. 12 But many Israelites—those for whom the Kingdom was prepared—will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”……Matthew 21:31-32…Then Jesus explained his meaning: “I tell you the truth, corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before you do. 32 For John the Baptist came and showed you the right way to live, but you didn’t believe him, while tax collectors and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to believe him and repent of your sins.…Matthew 25:31-46…31 “But when the Son of Man[a] comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations[] will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[c] you were doing it to me!’

41 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.[d] 42 For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

44 “Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

45 “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

46 “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

We can thank God it is not up to us! …We can leave the weeding to the angels, and get on with the mission Jesus has given us, and that is proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God drawing near.

Lets look at it again…In the explanation of the parable, Christ declares that He Himself is the sower.

He spreads His redeemed seed, true believers, in the field of the world.

Through His grace, these Christians bear the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-24

Their presence on earth is the reason that the “kingdom of heaven” is like the field of the world.

When Jesus said in Matthew 4:17…“17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. (Or has come, or is coming soon). Other translations say The kingdom of heaven is at hand”,

Jesus meant the spiritual realm which exists on earth side by side with the realm of the evil one 1 John 5:19…19 We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

 

When the kingdom of heaven comes to its fulfillment, heaven will be a reality and there will be no “weeds” among the “wheat.” …But for now, both good and bad seeds mature in the world.……The enemy in the parable is Satan. …In opposition to Jesus Christ, the devil tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing falsebelievers and teachers in the world who lead many astray. …The world is filled with professing “Christians” whose ungodly actions bring disapproval and criticism on the name of Christ. But we are not to pursue such people in an effort to destroy them. …For one thing, we don’t know if immature and innocent believers might be injured by our efforts. …Further, one has only to look at the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, and the reign of “Bloody Mary” in England to see the results of men taking upon themselves the responsibility of separating true believers from false, a task reserved for God alone. …Instead of allowing these false believers to be rooted out of the world, and possibly hurting immature believers in the process, Christ allows them to remain until His return. …At that time, angels will separate the true from false believers.…In addition, we are not to take it upon ourselves to uproot unbelievers because the difference between true and false believers isn’t always obvious. …Tares, especially in the early stages of growth, resemble wheat. Likewise, a false believer may resemble a true believer. …In Matthew 7:22, Jesus warned that many profess faith but do not know Him. …22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’…Thus, each person should examine his own relationship with Christ …2 Corinthians 13:5

5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you[a]; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

First John is an excellent test of salvation.…Jesus Christ will one day establish true righteousness.

After He raptures the true church out of this world, God will pour out His righteous wrath on the world.

During that tribulation, He will draw others to saving faith in Jesus Christ.

At the end of the tribulation, all unbelievers will be judged for their sin and unbelief; then, they will be removed from God’s presence.

True followers of Christ will reign with Him.

What a glorious hope for the “wheat”!…

Beware of false doctrine and false prophets

Deuteronomy 13:1

“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles,

A more immediate test lay in the absolute harmony of the prophet’s message and deeds with the revealed Word of God, and the wholehearted commitment to the Lord Himself. This test takes the form of the holy standard set forth in our text.

Deuteronomy 18:22

If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.

As Christians, we are commanded against following teachers blindly, What does Scripture say? …1 Thessalonians 5:21…“but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good”.…The apostle Peter warns us that there will be false teachers in our day just as there were false teachers in his day:…2 Peter 2:1-3…But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.

Paul calls the false teachers “savage wolves”. Paul warned them continually, pleading with them night and day to be on their guard against such deceivers.

Acts 20:29-31…I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.…They will mercilessly attempt to destroy the faith of the sheep and draw them away from the Shepherd.

… Among their false teachings is a denial of the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross to take away sin, which is a common theme among cultists today. Another characteristic of false teachers is the greed which motivates them in everything they do.

From these passages, we see clearly that we are to distinguish between true and false teachers. How then are we to do that? …First, as Paul instructs the Ephesians elders, we are to “no longer be infants”, …Ephesians 4:14…Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.…

Rather, we are to “become mature” through “the knowledge of the Son of God”…Ephesians 4:13…This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

We are to proclaim what God’s Word says about sin.

2 Timothy 4:2-5 instructs us “Preach the word of God . Be prepared, whether the time his favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke and encourage your people with good teaching. For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them what ever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths. But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News and fully carry out the ministry God has given you”

 

2Timothy 2:23-24Again I say, and don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach and be patient with difficult people.

Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth.

Paul gives stern warning against false doctrines and false teachers

1 Timothy 1:3-11 “When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth. Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees. These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.

 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.But some people have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time in meaningless discussions.They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they speak so confidently.

2 Cor 11:13-15 (Phi) “God’s messengers?” They are counterfeits of the real thing, dishonest practitioners masquerading as the messengers of Christ. Nor do their tactics surprise me when I consider how Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is only to be expected that his agents shall have the appearance of ministers of righteousness–but they will get what they deserve in the end.

1 Tim 4:1-2 (Phi) God’s spirit specificaly tells us that in later days there will be men who abandon the true faith and allow themselves to be spiritually seduced by teachings of demons, teachings given by men who are lying hypocrites, whose consciences are as dead as seared flesh.

2 Pet 2:1 (NLT) But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.

Col 2:18-19 (Jer) Do not be taken in by people who like groveling to angels, and worshipping them; people like that are always going on about some vision they have had, inflating themselves to a false importance with their worldly outlook. A man of this sort is not united to the head…

Eph 4:14-15 (Jer) Then we shall not be children any longer, or tossed one way and another and carried along by every wind of doctrine, at the mercy of all the tricks men play and their cleverness in practicing deceit. If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ, who is the head.

1 Jn 2:20-26 (Phi) God has given you all a certain amount of spiritual insight, and indeed I have not written this warning as if I were writing to men who don’t know what error is. I write because your eyes are clear enough to discern a lie when you come across it… For yourselves keep faithful to what you heard at the beginning. I had to write to you about these men who try to lead you astray.

Acts 20: 29-31 (Jer) “I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own rankstheir will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard…”…Mat 7:15…15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves.……The Bereans did not take the teachings of Paul at face value. Rather, they discerned for themselves whether his teachings lined up with what they knew of God.This is not to say that the Bereans did not respect Paul or automatically dismissed his teachings. …Instead, they were cautious. They did not trust Paul merely because he was a leader of the faith. …They examined his words and made sure they were in line with God’s truth before accepting them

Acts 17:11

11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

Christians should do the same today. …This concept is confirmed :…1John 4:1…Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.…We must test what our leaders say in order to ensure they are leading us closer to God

Mat 7:20-23…21 “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my …Father in heaven will enter. 22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out …demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you …who break God’s laws.’

Mat 10:16-17 (Phi) “Here am I sending you out like sheep with wolves all round you; so be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But be on your guard against men…”

Luke 10:3 (NIV) “Go! I am sending you out like lambs among …wolves.”

Mat 24:25 (Phi) “False christs and false prophets are going to appear and produce great signs and wonders to mislead, if it were possible, even God’s own people. Listen, I am warning you.”

Exposing the False Teachers

In his exposure of these false teachers, Paul gives us six identifying marks that can guide us to discern the presence of “wolves in sheep’s clothing” in our midst today.

First, false teachers distract Christians from obeying the truth …of the gospel (v. 7). Paul compliments the Galatian believers …for running a good race. 

Running a race was one of Paul’s favorite images for living the Christian life. …Here this image portrays how well they were obeying the truth. …The gospel set the course for their life, and they were running well in that course. …The reality of their belief in the truth about Christ was …demonstrated by their obedience to Christ. But then they were distracted, tripped and so hindered from running this race. …Paul asks them, Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? …The question is rhetorical. Paul knows the answer. …But by asking the question this way he exposes the false …teachers’ negative effect on the life of the believers. …The picture is of a runner who distracts another runner, blocks his way, cuts in on him and trips him. …Everyone would have been very angry with a runner who did …such a thing. …He would have broken the clear rules against cutting in or …tripping in the foot races of the Greek festivals. …He would be immediately disqualified and excluded from the …festival.

The false teachers are hindering the Christians from obeying …the truth of the gospel with all their talk about joining the …Jewish people and keeping the law. …All those who get the church off on a tangent, away from the …clear direction given by the central truth of the gospel, are like …these false teachers. …They should be disqualified and excluded from the churches.

Second, false teachers replace the call of God with their own …deceptive persuasiveness (v. 8).That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you, Paul informs his readers. …When Paul had preached the gospel, the Galatians heard the voice of God calling them through Paul (1:6). …But when the false teachers teach, all that can be heard is …flattery, boastfulness and empty rhetoric. …They are skilful orators. No doubt they claim to be giving God’s message backed by Scripture. …But all one can hear through their strident voices is a harsh …repetition of the demands of the law.… What a contrast to “the one who called you by the grace of …Christ” (1:6) and the God who “called me by his grace” (1:15). Their message is all about the works of the law, not about God’s work of grace in Christ. So obviously their persuasion does …not come from God, who always calls by his grace.

Third, false teachers gain control over the whole church (v. 9). Just as a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough, so the negative influence of a few false teachers has penetrated the whole church and is quickly coming to control the direction of the church. False teachers are like that; they seek to …dominate every situation in the life of the church.

Fourth, false teachers cause confusion and discouragement …(v. 10). When the Galatians were converted, they related to God with the joyful confidence of children, calling him “Abba, …Father” through the Spirit. …But their confidence in God’s grace has been badly shaken by…the false teachers, who threaten them with the judgment of …God if they do not keep the law of God. …They are confused and discouraged. So Paul reassures the …Galatians of his confidence in the Lord regarding them: I am …confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. …And then he turns the tables on the false teachers by putting …them under the judgment of God: The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be.

Fifth, false teachers spread false reports about spiritual leaders. We may infer that verse 11 is Paul’s response to a false report that had been given about him. …Since the immediate context focuses on the corrupting …influence of the false teachers, it seems reasonable to suppose that they claimed Paul’s support for their campaign to …circumcise the Gentile believers. …We don’t know on what basis they would have done this. …Perhaps if this letter was written after Paul circumcised Timothy, as recorded in Acts 16:3, they may have appealed to that …incident. …Or maybe they pointed to Paul’s own willingness to continue his Jewish way of life even after his conversion (see 1 Cor 9:20). …Whatever their basis may have been, they gave a false report …about Paul to strengthen their own position.

Paul had, of course, preached circumcision before his …conversion. He had been “extremely zealous for the traditions” of Judaism (1:14). But after his conversion he preached the …cross of Christ as the only way of salvation. …True, he continued to support Jewish Christian adherence to the traditional Jewish way of life. …But he consistently resisted anyone who tried to “force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs” (2:14). …That was a key point of his autobiography (1:13–2:21). …Paul proves that the report that he is still preaching …circumcision is false by pointing to the fact that he is being …persecuted (5:11). …Both non-Christian Jews and many Christian Jews fiercely …opposed him precisely because he did not require circumcision. …His refusal to require circumcision clearly implied that it was not necessary to belong to the Jewish nation to belong to the …covenant people of God. …By denying the exclusive claim of the Jewish people to be the …only true people of God, Paul seemed to deny the reason for …the Jewish people’s very existence. No wonder, then, that they persecuted him from one country to another. …If Paul had preached circumcision, then he would not have …been persecuted by the Jews. …By preaching circumcision, he would have been communicating that it was necessary to belong to the Jewish nation because …the salvation of God was available only to those within this …nation.

Paul says in verse 11 that if he has communicated that salvation is only in the Jewish nation by preaching circumcision, the …offense of the cross has been abolished. For then the message …that salvation is only through the cross of Christ would have …been denied. …The offense of the cross is that it denies a “most favored nation” status, a “superior race” category, as the reason for God’s …blessing. …For the blessing of God comes only through the cross, where the judgment of God upon all was removed by Christ’s death …(see 3:13-14). …The message of Christ crucified is offensive not only to Jews but also to the pride of all who want to claim some personal merit as the basis of God’s approval.

Sixth, false teachers emphasize sensational rituals. Verse 12 …sounds terribly harsh and crude, but we must interpret it in its historical and cultural context. It would indeed have been a …sensational ceremony if all the male members of the Galatian…churches had been circumcised by the false teachers. …But then, Paul says, somewhat sarcastically, if they really want …to put on a sensational show, I wish they would go the whole …way and emasculate themselves! He is probably referring here …to a barbaric ritual that actually took place in his day in Galatian pagan temples. …The priests of Cybele, the mother goddess of the earth, …castrated themselves with ritual pincers and placed their …testicles in a box. (Such a box is now on display in the …Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, England.) …The false teachers were leading the Galatian Christians to think that the ritual of circumcision was a sacred act that would bring them into fellowship with God. …But Paul has already said that “in Christ Jesus neither …circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value” (v. 6). …Now he puts the ritual of circumcision in the same category as …the ritual castration of the Galli, the priests of the …mother-goddess of the earth, Cybele; it had no more …significance to the Gentile Christians than any of the other …barbaric, bloody rituals practiced in the ancient world.

So Paul has totally discredited the value of circumcision and the motives of the false teachers who want to impose it upon the …churches in Galatia. …They only “want to make a good impression outwardly” (6:12); they want to boast in their sensational ceremony (see 6:13). …Since their motive is to put on an impressive ritual show, they might as well learn a few lessons from the pagan priests, who …really know how to put on a good show when it comes to using a knife on the human body!

It is never pleasant to expose the deceptive, destructive tactics of the “false brothers.” But it is necessary to do so in order to …protect the freedom of fellow Christians.

Of course circumcision is not an issue today. But we are …constantly faced with a choice between different religious …options. …They are not all the same; they are not all spokes on a wheel …leading to the same hub. …Some religious options lead to slavery and imprisonment. …Only by obedience to the truth of the gospel of Christ can we …protect the freedom that is ours in Christ.

False doctrine does not usually enter a church quickly. It …comes slowly. God calls us to be faithful to the Bible …because through it He speaks to us. He calls us to be …faithful. He calls teachers to be faithful.…2 Timothy 2:2…And the things which you have heard from me in the …presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. (NASB) 

False teachers are not faithful to God, but are pursuing …their own desires. God holds everyone responsible for false teaching – the teacher and followers. He does not want us tolerating false teachers. Now that is a serious warning.

But for those at Thyatira who were faithful to the Word of Truth, God encouraged them, and us, with this,……Rev. 2:24-29…But I say to you, the rest who are in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the deep things of Satan, as they call them–I place no other burden on you. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear …what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (NASB) .

What a wonderful reward! Be faithful, be watchful, and be a good Bereans.…Acts 17:11…Now these were more noble-minded than those in …Thessalonica, for they received the word with great …eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. (NASB)