The Wheat and the Weeds

Jesus told a story about a farmer:

A farmer planted good wheat seeds in his field. But that night, while everyone was sleeping, an ENEMY snuck in and planted WEEDS everywhere! Then he ran away.

When the plants started growing, the farmer's helpers noticed something wrong. 'Hey! There are weeds growing with the wheat! Should we pull them out?'

The farmer shook his head. 'No, don't do that. If you pull up the weeds now, you might accidentally pull up the good wheat too. Let them both grow together. At harvest time, we'll separate them. We'll burn the weeds and keep the wheat.'

Jesus explained what the story means:

The farmer is Jesus. The field is the whole world. The good wheat represents people who love God. The weeds represent people who follow the devil. The enemy who planted the weeds? That's Satan.

Right now, good people and bad people live in the world together. Sometimes we wonder, 'Why doesn't God just get rid of all the bad people?'

But God is patient. He gives everyone time to turn to Him. And He knows exactly who is wheat and who is weeds—even when WE can't tell!

At the end of time, Jesus will sort everyone out. The weeds will be thrown away. But the wheat—everyone who loves God—will shine like the sun in God's kingdom!

Which one are you—wheat or a weed?