Wheat or Chaff

Today’s Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 18; 1 Chronicles 6; Psalm 11; Matthew 3

Topic: Fruitfulness

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 3:10-12

¹⁰ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

¹¹ "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹² His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matt 3:10-12 NIV)

OBSERVATION:

These are the words of John the Baptist as he was baptizing people in the Jordan River and some Pharisees showed up. He uses two metaphors (fruit trees and wheat) to elucidate his point that lives spent unproductively in the Lord’s eyes—unrepentant lives—will meet with ultimate destruction. He had been preaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand; the Lord’s presence was physically within reaching distance (Mt 3:1-2). He taught the people that in order to be prepared for the presence of the Lord, they needed to repent—to confess their sins, turn toward God and away from actions and beliefs that separate them from Him. As the people believed, their new commitment was consummated by being baptized in water.   

APPLICATION:

The picture of a wheat stalk growing, being harvested and the chaff being burned offers a poignant reflective question: How much of my life is wheat and how much is chaff? A stalk of wheat takes the energy of the sun, water and soil to grow. When the grain matures it is covered by a protective hull or husk, but it is the grain within the husk that is valuable and useful. When the grain is harvested, the chaff (the un-useful part) is winnowed (separated) and discarded or burned. Sometimes the head of the wheat is mostly chaff and the grain seed is very small or maybe never developed at all. In this case, the life’s energy spent in growing the stalk has been wasted; in the end nothing is left that is useful. When I come to end of my days and the chaff of my earthly existence is burned away will I be found to have led a life that is more chaff than wheat or will a golden kernel of fruit remain?     

PRAYER:

Lord my Creator, I submit myself to You. Thank You for redeeming me from unproductive, un-useful and wasted life. May your presence dwell within me all the days of my life and may I produce fruit pleasing to You. Through Christ. Amen.  -AP