Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Today let’s look deeper into the hidden headline of ‘Jesus Clearing Weeds’.

In today’s scripture, Matthew 21:12‭-‬19 (NLT), shares the first things Jesus did post Palm Sunday…
Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.” But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” “Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’” Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight. In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry, and he noticed a fig tree beside the road. He went over to see if there were any figs, but there were only leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” And immediately the fig tree withered up.

Consider…
I’m not a gardener, but I know weeds are generally bad for gardens. Since I am less than a novice on gardening, I searched for problems weeds cause. Here’s what I found from a lawncare company called…Eden. When I saw that name I was like really God? Eden. I mean you planted the garden of Eden, placed man in it and subsequently had to take him out of it because he was outside of Your will for him. You can’t make this up. I was looking for information on gardening and found Eden. But I am digressing. Back to some issues with weeds, according to Eden…

• Weeds can Prevent Your Plants Food Supply
• Weeds Compromise the Space Your Plants Need to Grow
• Some Weeds are Parasites
• Some Weeds are Harmful to Your Health
• Weeds can Cause Insect Infestation
• Weeds can Cause Diseases on Your Lawn
• Weeds can Cause drought

Clearly weeds can cause significant damage to plants, which is why gardeners remove them. Speaking of gardeners, in John 15:1-2, Jesus said that God the Father is the gardener, who cuts off every dead branch hanging on the true vine, which is Jesus. He also said cuts away (prunes) the dead parts of the good branches so they can be more productive.

As I searched the scriptures further for weeds, I found Jesus’ parable about the wheat and weeds in Matthew 13:24-30. Jesus likened the Kingdom of Heaven, where a Farmer (Jesus) planted good seed (His followers). However the enemy, who comes to steal, kill and destroy, planted weeds in the field with the good seed.

Hold on a moment, as I read this parable again, it just occurred to me that the wheat bloomed despite the weeds. And although the wheat grew up with the weeds, it was not compromised by the weeds. Wait a minute, Jesus also taught that light shines ‘in’ darkness. Oh wow, the Holy Spirit is saying, don’t obsess about the weeds around us, just bloom as the good seed He planted us to be. And trust God, the Gardener, will sort everything in the end.

Today’s scriptures, are examples of Jesus sorting things out, on his journey to the end.

Right after Jesus was celebrated as, ‘He who comes in the name of the Lord’, he did a reckoning in his Father’s Temple. You could say, Jesus was clearing out the weeds of corruption that was running rampant in the church. Yet interestingly, tucked in just behind Jesus’ house cleaning, we see more seeds planted. Today’s scripture also says that “The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them”. Don’t miss the significance that Jesus will sometimes clear weeds to plant more good seeds.

The Holy Spirit is saying, when God weeds, don’t stress on who left, just remain steadast in doing what’s right yourself.

Next in today’s passage, we observe Jesus, as he continued His final stroll through the garden of here on earth, encounter a fruitless fig tree. This unproductive tree wasn’t fulfilling what it was planted to do. The Bible doesn’t tell us why it wasn’t fulfilling it’s purpose, but instead it showed that when Jesus came unannounced, it was unprepared. That reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the 10 bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13), and the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). In both parables, we’re taught that the weeds, represented by the unprepared, were judged and punished by the Gardener (Jesus) when He returned to harvest his seed.

Hopefully the message is becoming clear, Jesus used the fig tree to exemplify the judgement that will happen for those who aren’t living ‘according to His purpose’.

Also notice that Jesus shows us, with the fig tree and two parables, that God gives provision and equal opportunity for everyone to bloom for Him. However, not everyone is wheat, meaning growing and showing for Him. God wants us who are wheat to remain encouraged while we live devoted to Him, in the midst of all the weeds He allows to grow around us. (Galatians 6:9)

The Holy Spirit is saying, don’t worry, in the end God will sort out His championship Wheaties, from the (lake of) fire kindling weeds.

So today, pay attention to the tragic headline of ‘Clearing Weeds’, and make sure you’re always blooming for Him wherever He’s planted you. That way, when Jesus, the Holy One returns, you won’t be found letting Him down, causing Him to pull you up and throw you out.

It’s better to live seeded and needed by God, than to have to be weeded by Him.

God needs His good seeds to bloom for Him, don’t let him down

Today’s song is…
Holy One

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)