The Tuesday after the Festival of the Transfiguration of our Lord
Posted on February 11, 2025 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 13:36-43 (NKJV)
13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Devotion
By the pure preaching of the Word of Law and Gospel, God gives us faith in His Son so that believers are produced in the Kingdom of God. Nevertheless, by the adulterated propaganda of the devil, tares (weeds!) are also being produced in the Kingdom of God. The grain produced by the good seed grows side-by-side with the tares sown by the wicked one. The Lord will not work a separation of the believers from the unbelievers until the harvest at the end of the age. When that day comes—and it will surely come—all things will be set right. The devil and his tares will be thrown into hell and the righteous “will shine forth” in heavenly bliss.
But in our vanity we don’t want to wait for God to work the separation in His own way and time frame. We want God’s Church and our congregation to have the victory and experience success now! Nevertheless, these mysteries of the faith have been confirmed. We have been adopted as co-heirs of the heavenly kingdom. Set aside your own ideas, and live as sons in the Kingdom of God. Turn aside from falsehood and give your ears to hear the pure Word of God. Repent and believe in Christ, and practice the good works in accordance with the Law. Leave everything else to God’s direction.
Collect: O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine Only-begotten Son, hast confirmed the mysteries of the Faith by the testimony of the Fathers, and Who, in the Voice that came from the bright cloud, didst in a wonderful manner foreshow the adoption of sons: Mercifully vouchsafe to make us coheirs with the King of His glory, and bring us to the enjoyment of the same; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
