Jesus often used examples in nature to teach from.
One such occasion was the parable of the seeds, where seed had been sown on the ground, but weeds grew up and choked the plants.
I could write my own parable, but mine would be the parable of the weeds, where the weeds masquerade as another plant.
I notice this in my garden where so often the weed I want to get rid of is very similar in appearance to the plant it is growing next to.
The weed, however, becomes invasive and does not result in the pretty flowers of the true plant.
If established it is not easy to get rid of.
I know which one is the weed, because I am familiar with the plant it masquerades as and I can see the difference early on.
Just as with plants and weeds, if we are familiar with God’s word we will recognise truth. If we are not, then we can be deceived and drawn off course.
Jesus warns us not to be deceived. Satan comes as a Wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing. He is subtle. His lies are usually dressed up in a little bit of truth.
Let’s not allow ourselves to be deceived. Let’s learn to recognise the weeds from the plants.
As the psalmist wrote in Ps 119, let’s hide God’s Word in our hearts so we recognise what is truth and what is not, developing a daily habit of reading the Bible for ourselves.
Caroline Dally from Kings Church, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham
