Darnel (poison darnel, darnel ryegrass, or darnel cockle) grows in the same area as wheat. It was a serious weed of cultivation until modern sorting machinery enabled darnel seeds to be separated efficiently from wheat seeds. The similarity between these two plants is so great that in some regions. Darnel is referred to as "false wheat."
It bears a close resemblance to wheat until the ear appears. The spikes are more slender than those of wheat. The wheat will also appear brown when ripe, whereas the darnel is black. This plant goes by the scientific name of Lolium temulentum. [ii]
The above description reminds me of the
Parable of the Wheat and Weeds as told in Matthew
13:24-30(MEV) below.[iii]
He told them another parable, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while [the man] slept, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. But when the shoots had sprung up and produced fruit, the weeds also appeared.
“So the servants of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir did you not [plant] good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’
“He said to them, ‘An enemy did this.’
“The servants said to him, ‘Will you then have us go and gather them up?’
“But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the weeds, you pull up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers: Gather up the weeds first and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ”[iv]
From this parable, we can learn the following life lessons:
1. Be cautious because the Devil (your enemy) is at work in your life. “Be careful [and] watch out for attacks from
Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking
for some victim to tear apart.” 1
Peter 5:8 (TLB)
“The
weeds keep multiplying in our garden, which is our mind ruled by fear. Rip them
out, and call them by name.” (Sylvia Browne)
2. Be patient because one day evil
will be dealt with by your Heavenly Father permanently. “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death
shall be no more. Neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor
grief nor pain anymore…The old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.” Revelation
21:4 (AMPC)
“Prejudices (it is
well known) are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never
been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow firm there, firm as weeds
among stones.” (Charlotte Bronte)
3. Be ready for your personal harvest
to be beyond your wildest imagination. “But think about
this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful
love to us in a tangible display. The
Anointed One died for us. As a result, the blood of
Jesus has made us right with God now, and certainly we will be rescued by Him
from God’s wrath in the future.” Romans
5:8-9 (VOICE)
“Therefore,
brothers and sisters know this: Through Jesus we proclaim forgiveness of sins
to you. From all those sins from which you couldn’t be put in right
relationship with God through Moses’ Law, through Jesus everyone who believes is put in right relationship
with God.” Acts 13:38-39
(CEB)
“The
promises of God are samples of what is promised; as a handful of wheat is of
the barn.” (Coventry Patmore)
“It is amazing where God will take you when
you are willing to follow. Life is full of surprises when we choose mystery
over security.” (Erwin McManus) Are you ready for the
adventure of your life?
[i] Tares are weeds.
[ii] This section was adapted from Wikipedia.
[iii] This
post was inspired by the sermon, It’s Like This: Harvest Gathering (installment
four, final) Pastor Dave Jansen Sunday, February 26, 2017 CenterPoint Church
Gahanna Gahanna OH
[iv] The interpretation of this parable from Jesus: Matthew 13:36-43 (NCV)
Jesus answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed are all of God’s children who belong to the kingdom.
The weeds are those people who belong to the Evil One. And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the Devil. The harvest time is the end of the age, and the workers who gather are God’s angels.
“Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all who cause sin and all who do evil.
The angels will throw them into the blazing furnace, where the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain. Then the good people will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let those with ears use them and listen.
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