The Wheat and Weeds
May 26 | Discipleship Guide
Be Real Together:
Take a few minutes to catch up, tell stories, and laugh together. Trust and friendship take time to build. If you’re launching a new DNA, one person should tell their story — what do we need to know about you? Next week, have another person in your DNA share their story.
Read Together: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 CSB
In Matthew 13, Jesus shares a parable about, in many ways, trajectory and outcomes, character and formation, and even about eternity. Amidst these crowds, Jesus began a series of teachings on the meaning of true discipleship, and citizenship, in the Kingdom of Heaven. He emphasized that not everyone surrounding his followers is necessarily a follower by telling the parable of the wheat and the weeds.
The One Question:
Ask this question at your family meal or DNA.
After Jesus tells his parable, the disciples ask him in private to clarify the meaning of the story. This was not uncommon for the disciples to do after Jesus told a parable. Do you consistently take your questions to God when you don't understand what He's speaking to you or doing in your life?
Further reflection: Do you have the courage to wait for His answer?
Further reflection: Do you have the courage to wait for His answer?
Use these questions to go deeper with your DNA or for personal study.
1. Struggling with one's faith is not the same as lacking faith entirely. With this in mind, would you identify yourself as "wheat" or "weed"?
2. Through this passage, we can recognize that wheat coexists with weeds in the church and the world. It would be wrong to obsess over weeding out “sinnersˮ in the church, or constantly chasing down those out in the world for the sake of calling them out. Because of this we can pursue humility and grace needed in dealing with others, trusting that final judgment and restoration are in Godʼs hands. How can/do you live congruently with this truth, even while wrestling with its validity?
3. Jesus is telling a story through our lives. We have the choice to allow those stories to be like a living parable that reflects the Kingdom and draws the lost home, or not. As a church, we should support and sometimes challenge each other's spiritual growth, maintaining accountability. Yet, we should do so humbly and graciously, guiding not
judging, as only God sees our souls. Do you have people in your life that you're accountable to? Does your life bear the kind of fruit that would draw others to ask you to be their accountability?
2. Through this passage, we can recognize that wheat coexists with weeds in the church and the world. It would be wrong to obsess over weeding out “sinnersˮ in the church, or constantly chasing down those out in the world for the sake of calling them out. Because of this we can pursue humility and grace needed in dealing with others, trusting that final judgment and restoration are in Godʼs hands. How can/do you live congruently with this truth, even while wrestling with its validity?
3. Jesus is telling a story through our lives. We have the choice to allow those stories to be like a living parable that reflects the Kingdom and draws the lost home, or not. As a church, we should support and sometimes challenge each other's spiritual growth, maintaining accountability. Yet, we should do so humbly and graciously, guiding not
judging, as only God sees our souls. Do you have people in your life that you're accountable to? Does your life bear the kind of fruit that would draw others to ask you to be their accountability?
Pray Together:
Take time to pray with and for each other.
Deeper Study:
Enduring Word Commentary: Matthew 13