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A Spiritual Lesson In Toon Language: Lesson 39

Topic: What Kind Of Plant Do You Want To Be: Wheat Or Tare?

Series: Darkwing Duck

Episode: Easy Come, Easy Grows

Lesson PDF link: 39.pdf

Introduction

This is a surprisingly hard hitting, but necessary lesson on judgment. This is simple enough for kids but good for adults too. As far as the kids are concerned they need to know about judgment in a frank manner, but easy at the same time. For the adult, this will give a good analogy to a hard life lesson namely where the faith walk is or isn't. We are discussing goals in life and setting good ones. We discuss how to grow into Godly young men and women. Good goals are extremely life affirming and choices are life-changing.

I am using the Darkwing Duck episode "Easy Come, Easy Grows." This lesson teaches not to want things in place of God.

Scriptures Used Include: Matthew 13: 24-30; 36-43; 6: 19-24; I Timothy 6: 3-10 (In That Order)

What might you want to be? Why might you want to set this as a goal in life? Today, we are discussing setting a goal in life, however we are also discussing the consequences of a choice. Setting a goal is one thing, but setting good and godly goals is another. When you make choices, are they usually good or bad? Why? Do you ever question someone else's choices? Regardless, why? Sometimes it is good to question things, but when it comes to judging, that's God's job. We are going to find a situation where things are confusing. The situation parallels with our scripture today.

Cartoon Clip #1 "Easy Come, Easy Grows":

Darkwing Duck: "Easy Come, Easy Grows": Direct link for video/webm

What did you see in this clip? It appears there are three things about plants here; we have possible weeds, flowers, and the talk of a supposed money tree. The character named Gosalyn is just about picking up everything in the yard until the money tree. She's trying to get rich quick by pulling out supposed weeds and then taking this tree. This kid is misguided, can you help her; how should she handle her situation?

Just like Gosalyn, we sometimes try to take the easy way out of situations. Furthermore, we sometimes judge others when bad choices happen in their lives. We can't just pick them as if they were a weed by our words and actions.

The Bible states in Matthew 13: 24-30:

Mt 13:24 Jesus told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

Mt 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

Mt 13:26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

Mt 13:27 'The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

Mt 13:28 ' 'An enemy did this,' he replied. 'The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

Mt 13:29 ' 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.

Mt 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' '

The Bible talks about weeds here. They are also called tares in other versions like the King James Version. The plant in Jesus's parable probably was the bearded darnel plant, a very poisonous plant according to scholars. This plant resembled wheat and then choked the life out of the good stuff.

To give a little more detail I am going to show another passage that goes with the last one. This will explain the parable that Jesus told, so that there is no misunderstanding.

The Bible States In Matthew 13: 36-43

Mt 13:36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, 'Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.'

Mt 13:37 He answered, 'The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man.

Mt 13:38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,

Mt 13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

Mt 13:40 'As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

Mt 13:41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

Mt 13:42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mt 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The Bible says that the good and bad will grow together, but then comes the results. The people that choose Jesus are the wheat and the others who choose not to follow Jesus are the tares. It is hard to see which is which. God will judge rightly and says there is a severe punishment for the devil, his angels and anyone who follows them. Following greed like Gosalyn is being like the tare. She has a lot of growing to do in her lifetime and if real would need much prayer. In the cartoon, the money tree turns out to be giving fake money in order to rob the real thing for our villain's selfish desires.

To Finish, I will show another clip. I will show the potential consequences of bad choices. Our villain named Dr. Bushroot is using his fake money to give him what he wants. Let's see what happens.

Cartoon Clip #2 "Easy Come, Easy Grows":

Darkwing Duck: "Easy Come, Easy Grows": Direct link for video/webm

What did you see in this clip?

Evidently, our villain got what he wanted but it didn't turn out well as he was torn apart by the mulcher. He thought that he had a ticket to easy street like Gosalyn. Hopefully, she won't fall victim to a gruesome end because of greed. Our villain still lives (lucky for him as God does judge), but he is pretty injured. Hopefully, our kid friends learned a lesson.

The Bible states in Matthew 6: 19-24:

Mt 6:19 'Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

Mt 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Mt 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Mt 6:22 'The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.

Mt 6:23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

Mt 6:24 'No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

The surest way to in the end be part of the tares is to love something more than God. We need to be on guard against this in our lives and repent of this as we all from time to time are prone to it.

One more thing, did you spot a mistake in the end of our clip? When we quote scripture to someone, we have got to get it right or look it up if not sure. This is also the tare's way - to misquote scripture.

The Bible states in I Timothy 6: 3-10:

1Ti 6:3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,

1Ti 6:4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions

1Ti 6:5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.

1Ti 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

1Ti 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.

1Ti 6:9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.

1Ti 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

As you can see, it is 'the love of money' instead of 'money' that is a root of all evil and most Christians will understand that the love of money is the root of perhaps most evil. Don't be confused and produce a tare's way.

Sometimes people make money when they talk about Jesus, but that is their call in life and their living. However, God comes first and then the living so that they can concentrate just on the mission of God. This is how it must be.

Everyone needs money and services to live, but when this gain comes first it is sin. Don't be like Gosalyn or Dr. Bushroot from our clips today. God doesn't want us to be tares. He wants us to be wheat. In Jesus, there is no condemnation for those who truly follow Him. There is no need to be scared because God always will give second chances, so we aren't tares. The only thing is that you only have one life here on earth. As I said at the top of our lesson time, your goals in your life are your choice and there is nothing wrong with goals, but God must tell you how to use that desire and talent for Him.

So, will you grow into a tare or wheat? How will you make sure that you will become wheat for God's kingdom instead of tares? How will you apply this to your life and help everyone else become wheat as well?