Read: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

It has become increasingly unpopular within our culture today to talk about sin, hell, and judgement. For many well-meaning Christians, the ‘gospel’ means ‘good news’ and seems to imply that we leave out the harsh and negative bits of the Bible. Whenever I teach or preach from the Old Testament I will often hear from people who are uncomfortable, suggesting I should spend more time in the New Testament where everything is pleasant and lovely.

But what if I told you that Jesus spoke more about sin, hell, and judgement than He did about righteousness, heaven, and forgiveness. In fact, this is a major theme in the Gospel of Matthew because it is where we see the most of Jesus’ direct teachings. Jesus did not shy away from these topics, He pressed into them. 

The teaching on the final judgement could not be more clear than Jesus’ parable and subsequent explanation of the “Wheat and the Tares” (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43). Here, Jesus describes the seed of the gospel that produces good fruit, the seed of the devil that spawns weeds, the struggle with both growing up side by side, and then the final day of judgment where the wheat is gathered and separated from the tares (weeds) which are thrown into a fiery furnace. 

Jesus’ teaching isn’t coming out of left field, it has deep roots in the Old Testament. His disciples would have understood His parable because they were anticipating a day of judgement. They expected to see Jesus establish His rightful rule and reign on earth during their time with Him. They were not expecting that He would die on a cross. Yet, Jesus knew that one could not simply put a new patch on an old tunic, or new wine in old wine skins (Matthew 10:16-17). If Jesus was going to bring anyone into His kingdom, avoiding the judgement, they would have to be made new. 

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Soon after sin was introduced into God’s creation, Adam was told that ground would be cursed, producing thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:17-19). On the surface, we can see how this should be interpreted literally. This is a breaking of the blessing of the Garden of Eden where Adam had been flourishing from his cultivation of the plants. The introduction of weeds would make everything more difficult. But the curse was more than just an added layer to his work experience. It demonstrated how sin would infect every area of life. 

Metaphorically, the cursing of the ground would parallel the rivalry between good and evil. We get our first glimpse into this in the story of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16). The repeated emphasis of the ground is noteworthy here. Cain brought an offering of fruit from the ground (3). After killing Abel, God speaks, “The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground” (10). And then mirroring the consequences for Adam, He continues, “And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength” (11-12). Here we have the first of many examples throughout the book of Genesis where sibling rivalry serves as a deeper understanding of sin’s curse. Throughout the history of the world, the wheat has grown up with the weeds.

This is seen even more clearly when we get to the story of Noah, whose name means, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands” (Genesis 5:29). That’s a rather long meaning for a name with only four letters. “Noah” literally translates to “rest,” but Noah’s father clearly had a specific idea of what that rest would entail. He was hoping that Noah would reverse the curse. 

Now, we all know the story of Noah, the ark, and the flood, but his name and its meaning plays an important role in the story. The flood was a foreshadowing of the coming Judgment. The ark was a typology of Christ, who would rescue us from the final judgment. Technically, the flood did wipe out all of the wickedness in the world, fulfilling Noah’s name. But it didn’t last for long. The story of Noah ends with him in shame and one of his sons, Ham the father of Canaan, bringing down another curse and another line of weeds growing alongside the wheat. This curse would continue to plague God’s people throughout the rest of the Old Testament narrative as the Canaanites would become the greatest rival to the people of Israel. 

DURING THE TIME OF JESUS

It shouldn’t be a surprise, then, that during the ministry of Jesus, people would have been expecting the Messiah to talk about the final judgment. The problem was with who Jesus was condemning. John the Baptist first called out the religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, when they came down to observe his ministry, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance…Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:7-10).

Jesus would constantly rail against the religious leaders and even gave an entire speech recounting their hypocrisy in the seven woes to the Pharisees (Matthew 23). But observe closely what Jesus said when condemning His own countrymen who refused to repent, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you” (Matthew 10:21-24). 

The disciples would have been shocked to hear that their fellow Jews would be condemned in the final judgment. They would have been taught that this judgment was only for the wicked Gentiles. Yet, Matthew records a remarkable story of a Roman Centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant. Take note of how Jesus responded, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:10-12).

Jesus made it plain and clear that, without faith, no one would withstand the final judgment. That is why Jesus had to go to the cross and die for our sins, so that He could preserve for Himself a people who would be washed by His blood and clothed in His righteousness. This is the only hope to avoid the final judgment. 

FROM THE APOSTLES TILL TODAY

All of these themes are carried on by the rest of the New Testament authors who themselves don’t shy away from the teaching of the final judgment. It serves as a warning against falling away, compromising the faith, or neglecting to warn others of the wrath to come. All of these admonitions are there to provoke us to seek first the Kingdom of God. Everything else in this life will pass away. If we take the final judgment seriously, we need to take inventory of where we are spending our time, talents, and treasures.  

This point could not be made more clear than in the final book of the Bible, Revelation. Here we see the final judgment described in apocalyptic detail. This is when the wheat and the tares are finally separated. Those who are found to be faithful to Jesus join Him for the marriage supper of the Lamb, but those who refuse to bow the knee and confess Jesus as their Lord, will be thrown into the lake of fire. 

When it comes to understanding the final judgment, we cannot begin to make sense of it until we look at the teachings of Jesus. Jesus completely upended everyone’s opinions about the final judgment in His day. His death on the cross was unexpected. Yet, when we understand what Jesus was doing and that He has promised to come again, we can begin to make sense of the theme of the final judgment introduced in Genesis 3 and carried all the way through the book of Revelation.

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