Sandwiched between the parable of the sower and the seed and the parable of the mustard seed is a little story known as the parable of the weeds.

It might surprise you, but I’ve been known to preach on this from time to time.

Some things to note before we dive in.

The first parable tells us the purpose of parables
The second parable tells us the plan
The third parable tells us the point He’s trying to make.

It’ll all pan out in the end.

What you’re about to experience isn’t going to make sense, but in the end, it will all pan out.

The purpose of parables? To sift the soil.

The plan? Be patient. Focus on the good seed. Let God do the heavy lifting.

The point? The kingdom of heaven doesn’t make sense. Trust me, it’ll all pan out in the end.

We don’t pull weeds, we sow seeds.

Don’t pull the weeds because if you do you might uproot some of the wheat! Trust me. It’ll all pan out in the end!

Christians are professional weed pullers. I don’t know what it is. There’s something in us that makes us think the Holy Spirit really needs our help in convicting sinners. But I've yet to meet a sinner that doesn’t know they’re sinning.

Dale Carnegie had it right.

“Never criticize, condemn, or complain.”

Jesus never said, “Go forth and point out everyone’s faults." And while He didn’t make excuses for people’s sin, He did show them grace and mercy. Look at the story of the woman caught in adultery.

We don’t need more Holy Spirits in the world. We need more grace & mercy. We need more kindness. And that's what Jesus showed the woman at the well.

And what was her response? "Come and see a man who's told me everything I've ever done!"

There’s no condemnation. No judgment call. No message on repentance. No 3-point sermon. No special prayer. He simply acknowledged the pain, identified the lie, and replaced it with the truth. He showed kindness.

Acknowledge the pain.
Identify the lie.
Replace it with the truth.

We don’t pull weeds, we sow seeds.

If you’ve been pulling weeds, know that you're not condemned.

If you’ve been criticized by the church, know that you’re not condemned.