In the parable, I told you the weeds would be pulled up and burned—well, that is how it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send His messengers out into the world, and they will root out from His kingdom everything that is poisonous, ugly, and malicious, and everyone who does evil. They will throw all that wickedness into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. And the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s kingdom. [Matthew 13:40-43 VOICE]
Many read these words and do not pass go, but go directly to Hell.
And for sure, that is one interpretation of Jesus' explanation.
In making that leap, I think that some might miss the heart of the message.
In this explanation of the parable Jesus indicates that:
- Judgment is determined by the Son of God himself.
- Consequences are different for people of faith.
- Those who have been spiritually transformed shine.
The furnace appears to be a metaphor for the judgment of phony believers.
The end of the age can either represent the end of Jerusalem or the end of the world.
Personally, I lean to the idea that Jesus was not referencing the end of the world.
I think that he was probably speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem.
And his indictment seems to be against the religious leaders of his day/
I think that the teaching of different consequences is a very important one.
In either interpretation, decisions and actions have lasting consequences.
And, in the end, things that seem temporal may have eternal consequences.
Help me Lord to live in a way that results in positive consequences.
... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.
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