SERMON: WEEDS OR FLOWERS?

16 June 2013

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Matthew 9:35-38

Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV)

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

            -- for the past couple of weeks, you might have heard Kim making fun of me about her lawnmower -- you see, we don't have a lawnmower at home -- haven't had one in years -- so I borrowed her lawnmower from work -- now Kim will tell you the reason we don't have one in the first place is because we don't have any grass, although I have pointed out to her I need her lawnmower every year or two to just cut back the bushes and mulch up the leaves

            -- but the real reason I don't own a lawnmower is that I just don't like to mow the grass -- well, that's not totally true -- it's not that I really dislike it -- it's that I just don't like the time it takes

            -- it's like getting my haircut -- I know it's something that I need to do from time to time, but I just hate stopping what I'm doing and taking time out of my day to get it done -- I just feel like there's more important things I could be doing
            -- but everyone doesn't share my thoughts on this -- when we lived in Tennessee, those folks up there were serious about their yard work -- they were constantly out on their riding mowers, mowing the grass -- at least once a week -- usually on Saturday morning -- it seemed like everyone in town would get out and mow their grass
            -- well, I didn't follow their pattern -- for one thing, I didn't think grass needed to be mowed that often -- and, for another, I just didn't want to do it -- and so I just kept putting off mowing the grass from week to week
            -- now our house in Tennessee was built on the side of a hill -- and we had a deck that came off the back of the house that actually was about 20 feet up above the back yard -- and one day I got up early on a Saturday morning and walked out there just to take a look around and I saw the most beautiful thing in the world -- my back yard was literally covered in yellow dandelion flowers -- they were beautiful -- the dew was glistening on them and with the rising sun, the back yard just looked like it glowed -- it just radiated beauty
            -- and I stood there and I thought to myself, "See, this is why we shouldn't mow our yards -- if everyone didn't mow their yards so  much, every back yard in our town could be filled with flowers"
            -- after a little while, I went back in the house and, sure enough, it wasn't long until I heard the sound of lawnmowers cranking up outside the house -- I was watching TV or something and I got to listening and I thought, "You know, that lawnmower sure is loud this morning -- it sounds like it's real close to the house"
            -- and so I walked back out on my deck -- and you know what I saw? -- my neighbor was cutting my grass -- all of those beautiful flowers were being chopped down -- he didn't even ask -- he just went out and started cutting my grass in my backyard
            -- so I flew the stairs and stopped him and asked him what he was doing -- he said, "I'm cutting your yard since you obviously won't do it -- you can't just have weeds growing up in your backyard -- did you know that your yard was full of dandelions? -- do you know what they would do to our yards if you didn't cut them down?"
            -- I just stood there, dumbfounded -- where I saw flowers, he saw weeds -- but, since public opinion was against me, I joined with him and grabbed my mower and helped him finish my yard

            -- isn't it amazing how people can look at the same thing and see something entirely different? -- I've always been fascinated by that -- when me and Kim go out on a drive somewhere, she's calling out every dog that we see and I'm pointing out every bird -- she never sees the birds and I never see the dogs

            -- we are traveling on the same road -- looking at the same thing out our windows -- but seeing something entirely different
            -- that's what this passage in Matthew is all about -- nestled in between a series of stories about the conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees and the sending out of the twelve disciples is this little nugget of wisdom -- just four verses, but four verses that really portray what Jesus was all about
            -- so, if you would, let's spend a few moments thinking about this passage this morning and let's see if we can learn anything new about weeds and flowers

II.  Scripture Lesson

            -- before we turn back to the scriptures again, let me flesh out the context for you a little better -- in Matthew Chapters 8 and 9, Jesus is doing a lot of miracles -- these are the chapters where we read of Jesus healing the lepers -- calming the storm -- casting the demons into the herd of pigs at Gadarenes
            -- this is where we read of Jesus healing the paralyzed man who was dropped through the roof into the meeting hall -- of Jesus healing the woman with the issue of blood -- and raising a little girl from the dead
            -- but, at the end of each of those accounts, we see conflicts start to rise between Jesus and the Pharisees -- they watch what He's doing, and they start to murmur and grumble to themselves and to Him
            -- when Jesus told the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven and to rise and take his mat and go home, the Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy -- when He healed the blind and the mute, they claimed Jesus was healing through the power of the prince of demons -- and they questioned Jesus and His disciples on their religious practices -- why they weren't acting and behaving like the Pharisees thought they should
            -- and then, right before Jesus sends out His disciples to minister in His name in the countryside, we find these four verses -- let's look at them again in a little more detail

            -- look back at verse 35

35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.

            -- now, why is that in there? -- why did Matthew choose to include that sentence in his gospel? -- isn't it really obvious? -- isn't it a little redundant? -- can't we just read Chapters 8 and 9 and see for ourselves that this is what Jesus did? -- why put that in there again?

            -- maybe it's because what Jesus was doing was something different -- something out of the ordinary -- something that made Him stand out from the other religious people in His day

            -- notice that Matthew says that Jesus went through ALL the towns and villages -- now that was something different

            -- the Jews didn't have missionaries in Jesus' day -- they didn't have people going around from town to town or from village to village evangelizing and spreading the word -- they didn't have tent revivals with guest preachers -- that's simply not the way Jewish worship worked
            -- the people knew where to go to worship -- they knew they were supposed to go to the temple to make their sacrifices and to attend synagogue every Sabbath to attend to the public reading and interpretation of God's word -- the religious people knew that they were the only game in town -- "if these people want to see God, then they're going to have to come to us" -- and so the Rabbis and the Pharisees hung out at the temple and the synagogue and waited for the people to come
            -- but not Jesus -- Matthew says that He went to ALL the towns and villages -- every single one -- He didn't miss a single town or village, but He went to every one of them and He taught in their synagogues -- He preached the good news -- and He healed EVERY disease and sickness
            -- it's almost like Jesus saw a need in every town and village that wasn't being met by the churches and the religious people who lived there

            -- verse 36

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

             -- isn't that curious? -- when Jesus looked out on the crowds, He saw something entirely different than the rest of the people with Him -- where the Pharisees saw weeds, Jesus saw flowers

            -- we saw a good example of that a few years ago -- do you remember the story of Susan Boyle from Britain's talent show, "Britain's Got Talent?" -- her story has been played on Fox News and CNN and it's gone around the world on You Tube and by e-mail millions of times
            -- Susan was a contestant on the show back in 2009 -- she shows up to sing before the crowd and she doesn't look like a singer -- honestly, the only way I can describe her is "frumpy" -- she was only 47 years old, but she looked 20 years older -- she was very matronly -- her hair was unkempt -- her dress nothing to speak of -- very unattractive -- nothing appealing about her at all
            -- when Simon Cowell asked her what her talent was and why she was there, she said that she was going to sing and wanted to be a professional singer -- the people in the audience chuckled -- Simon rolled his eyes -- everyone knew that this was going to be horrible -- there's no way that this person was going to have any value at all
            -- we've all seen these shows -- you know, just like I do, that a lot of times they put people on that are simply horrendous -- just to let them make a fool of themselves and to give us something to laugh at -- and it was obvious that Susan Boyle was going to be one of those -- honestly, in the garden of life, she was a weed -- and everyone knew it
            -- but then she started to sing -- and as the first notes of "Cry Me a River" came out, the audience quieted and then erupted in admiration -- her voice was like that of an angel -- and as the people listened to her audition, we watched as a weed became a flower on the spot
            -- now there's a couple things about Susan's performance and our reaction to it that are interesting -- first, it took her amazing voice lifted in song before we realized that this frumpy, matronly woman standing before us was actually someone of value -- before we realized that she wasn't really a weed but a glorious flower after all
            -- but, secondly, that's not why the clip of her audition has been viewed over 100 million times on You Tube -- that's not why this clip has made the rounds on the national news or is being forwarded over and over again on e-mail -- it's because we all want to be Susan Boyle
            -- in our heart of hearts, we are all searching for validation -- we all just want someone to look at us and say, "You're not a weed -- you're a flower"

            -- a few months ago I passed out copies of a book by Donald Miller, "Searching for God Knows What" -- I don't know if any of you actually read it or not, but I knew when I gave it to you that it was going to be challenging to a lot of you -- it's not your normal Christian fare -- you typically don't find Christian books with chapter titles like "Santa Takes a Leak" -- but, if you did wade into the book and make it past the first couple of chapters, Miller makes some profound points in there about life and about weeds and about flowers

            -- he talks in there about the fact that Jesus liked everybody -- Jesus didn't discriminate -- Jesus wasn't prejudiced -- He looked at the people in the Bible -- He looked out at the crowds -- and He saw them for more than what they were -- where the world saw weeds, Jesus saw flowers -- where the world saw no value at all, Jesus brought value

            -- Miller sums this up quite nicely with this quote -- listen to this -- "I kept wondering about the people who met Christ who were losers in the lifeboat -- the crippled and the blind -- the woman at the well -- Mary Magdalene and Zaccheus -- Entire communities had shunned them and told them they were no good -- but God, the King of the universe, comes walking down the street and looks them in their eyes -- holds their hands -- embraces them -- eats at their tables, in their homes, for all the town to see -- That must have been the greatest moment of their lives...to have somebody [especially Jesus] look you in the eye and say you are worth something"

            -- look back at verse 36

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

-- Jesus saw the crowds and saw something different -- He saw their bruised spirits -- He saw their wounded hearts -- He saw their needs and their longing for value -- He saw that they were harassed and helpless and hopeless -- and He took compassion on them

            -- a lot of times, we misuse that word "compassion" -- we use it interchangeably with "empathy" -- but they're not the same
            -- empathy is the capacity to share feelings -- to understand another's emotions and feelings -- to sympathize with them and to share in their hurt and their pain
            -- but compassion is a desire to act in response to a person's pain -- it is a human emotion that drives us to reach out and to do something for someone else who is hurting -- if you have true compassion for someone else, then you not only understand the pain and the hurt another person is feeling, but you actively work to remove that pain and to help that person as much as you can

            -- Jesus looked at the crowds and knew they were weeds -- He knew that was how the world saw them -- He knew that was how they saw themselves -- and He had compassion on them -- He wanted to help them -- He wanted to validate them -- let them know that they weren't weeds, after all -- He wanted to tell them that they were o.k. -- that God not only loved them, but that He liked them -- He liked who they were and He really liked who they could be once they received the love that He had for them

            -- Mark Lowery once talked about how difficult it was for him as a kid with ADHD in school -- none of the teachers wanted anything to do with him -- they shuffled him from class to class because he was a disruption -- but one teacher took time with him, and when it was obvious Mark needed a break from sitting still in his desk, this teacher would take him outside

            -- Mark said she told him something one day that changed his life -- she said, "Mark, I want you to know that Jesus and I both love you and like you for who you are" -- and Mark says that really affected him -- he knew Jesus loved him -- Jesus loved everybody -- but to hear that Jesus liked him, now that was something different -- that meant Jesus didn't mind him -- that meant Jesus wanted to be around him -- that meant Jesus thought he was someone of value

            -- that's why Jesus went to EVERY town and village to heal the sick and to teach in their synagogues -- Jesus went to preach the good news that God was here and that, not only did God love them, but God liked them

            -- where others looked out and saw a field of weeds -- where others said, "It's not worth our time -- they're not worth our time -- why go out and speak to them about God?" -- where others said, "they are nothing but sinners and tax collectors -- why bother?" -- where others said, "Someone needs to do something about all those weeds," -- Jesus said, "Look at the flowers God has created"

            -- verse 37

37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

            -- I don't know if Jesus had any regrets or not about His time here on earth, but I think He probably did -- if I had to guess -- based on the Scriptures -- I would say that Jesus probably got frustrated a lot -- you see, Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw flowers ready to be gathered -- He saw people who needed a word -- a touch -- an encouraging thought -- a healing of body, mind, and spirit -- and even though Jesus went to every town and village -- He couldn't get to everybody

            -- never forget, Jesus was a man -- as the incarnate deity -- as God clothed in flesh, Jesus was limited in what He could do -- as a man, Jesus couldn't be everywhere at the same time -- He couldn't do everything -- touch everybody -- heal every heart -- He couldn't meet every need
            -- oh, He tried -- He about wore Himself out trying to touch hearts and change lives -- the Scriptures tell us that He would come into a town or a village and be surrounded by people needing Him -- and that He would heal them and talk with them and love them until early in the morning -- until all had been seen -- He'd reach the point where He would have to go away to the mountains or to a garden to rest and be recharged and reenergized before He could start again
            -- and I think it probably frustrated Him -- I think that's the point of this passage -- I think that's why Chapter 10 opens with the sending forth of the 12 apostles to minister -- I think that's why Jesus says here that the "harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few"
            -- Jesus looked out on the crowds and saw them for what they really were -- He saw flowers that needed gathering -- and He knew that He couldn't do it alone
            -- that's why He had the apostles -- that's why He has us -- Jesus needs workers to go into the fields and minister to flowers who think they are weeds

            -- notice verse 38 -- Jesus doesn't tell the disciples to just go on out into the field and get started -- but to pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His field

            -- why is that? -- why would He direct the disciples to pray rather than to go? -- well, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense

            -- you see, when we look at the field with our human eyes, we see weeds -- when we see others -- when we meet others -- immediately, we judge them -- we place a value on them based on something that we deem of worth -- their looks -- their intelligence -- their wealth -- their fame -- their job -- their position -- their talent -- something

            -- and, if they are equal to us or better, then they have value -- they're a flower
            -- but, if they don't meet our standards -- if we don't deem them attractive enough -- or smart enough -- or wealthy enough -- if they don't have talent or fame or an important job -- if they live under a bridge -- then immediately we dismiss them -- they're nothing more than a weed
            -- and don't try to say that you don't do this -- you do -- and I do -- and so does everybody else -- everybody, that is, but Jesus

            -- and that's why He says to pray to the Lord of the harvest first -- so that we will see with God's eyes rather than our own -- so we will hear with God's ears rather than our own -- so we will love with God's heart rather than our own

            -- Jesus says to pray to God first so that we can see the flowers instead of the weeds -- and then He bids us to "Go," and to be His hands and feet and to share His message and His love with the world

III.  Closing

            -- since 1940s, the Ad Council has been the leading producer of public service announcements here in America -- they have produced thousands of ads -- but the "Don't Almost Give" campaign was probably the most powerful ads they ever produced
            -- one ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of concrete stairs -- the narrator says, "This is a man who almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money" -- after a brief pause, the announcer continues -- "Almost gave -- how good is almost giving? -- about as good as almost walking."
            -- another ad shows a homeless man curled up in a ball on a pile of rags -- one ratty bed sheet shields him from the cold -- the narrator says, "This is Jack Thomas -- today, someone almost brought Jack something to eat -- someone almost brought him to a shelter -- and someone else almost brought him a warm blanket -- after a brief pause, the narrator concluded, "And Jack Thomas? -- Well, he almost made it through the night"
            -- another ad shows an older woman sitting alone in a room, staring out a window -- the narrator  says, "This is Sarah Watkins -- a lot of people almost helped her -- one almost cooked for her -- another almost drove her to the doctor -- still another almost dropped by to say hello -- they almost helped -- they almost gave of themselves -- but almost giving is the same as not giving at all"
            -- each ad ends with this simple, direct message -- "Don't almost give -- Give"

            -- Jesus would have put it a little differently -- He would have said, "You see that person over there you think is a weed? -- that man who can't walk -- that homeless man who needs a meal -- that older woman who needs a friend

            -- they're not weeds -- they're flowers -- they are beautiful and valuable in My eyes -- now go and tell them that and give them My love"

            -- our challenge this morning is to see with new eyes -- to see with eyes of faith -- to look out on the crowds -- on the sick and the homeless and the lonely -- on the Susan Boyles of this world -- and to love them with the love of Christ -- to tell them that they're not weeds but that they're flowers, and that God not only loves them, but He likes them, too -- to tell them that they are wanted -- that they are needed -- that they are welcome in God's house with God's people -- and if they won't come to us, then we must go to them

            -- what flowers have you overlooked this week? -- what flowers have you cut down because you thought they were weeds?

            -- as we close, I want to invite you to ask God to give you His eyes this week -- to give you His heart this week -- so that you can see the shining splendor in the grass -- the flowers of God's kingdom -- and I want you to talk to them about the God who loves them just as they are

            -- let's pray