What Jesus Did! 'The Enemy Among Us' — Matthew 13:24-30

Friday, June 27, 2025

Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

"The farmer's workers went to him and said, 'Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?'

"'An enemy has done this!' the farmer exclaimed.

"'Should we pull out the weeds?' they asked.

"'No,' he replied, 'you'll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.'"

— Matthew 13:24-30 NLT

Key Thought

Jesus is back among the crowds teaching in parables again. He is once again using images from agriculture which the people would instantly recognize. But the connection with the Kingdom is what they miss. As he did previously, Jesus will later interpret the parables in private. What we can immediately see again in this parable is the work of the enemy. Jesus' work, Jesus' disciples, and Jesus' Kingdom exist in a world which is under attack from Satan. He will allow no good work of Jesus to go unopposed. His goal is to corrupt, pollute, and undermine the work of Jesus. Satan wants to dilute the life of witness by the disciples. Sometimes, he uses the cover of darkness to do his vile deeds, and other times, he uses blatant attacks (1 Peter 5:8). Jesus does not leave his first disciples, nor us, under the illusion that his power will make things easy and that people will just flock to him to be changed by him. From the beginning, he has reminded us of the opposition and the problematic issues of false disciples. Jesus is aware that his Kingdom will face corruption from the evil one, so we must be ready as well.

Today's Prayer

Almighty God, El Shaddai who thundered forth at Sinai, show your power today and deliver me from Satan's grip, as has been promised.* Strengthen and bring renewal to your people. We fervently pray for true Spirit-led revival in our hearts, our homes, and our nations. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

* 2 Thessalonians 3:3.

Related Scripture Readings

  • 1 Thessalonians 5:4-9
  • Ephesians 6:10-12
  • Jude 1:20-21

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Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 13:24-30 NLT — But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away.

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About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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