The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” vss. 41-42
Matthew 13:36-43
The parables of Jesus were short, pithy descriptions of life in the kingdom. Generally they had one main point but were occasionally difficult to understand. In Matthew’s gospel, a few have allegorical descriptions attached which expanded the original meaning. In the parable of the weeds in the field, the main point was the withholding of judgment, but the explanation turns it into a fiery prediction of judgment for evildoers, a message which seems contrary to the gospel of grace. The inclusion of these verses introduced readers to the popular notion of hell, a belief that on Judgment Day all sinners will be thrown into a great fiery furnace, a teaching that has enjoyed widespread support through the years. We seem to love believing that one day evildoers will burn in hell for what they have done. Some even try to use the fear of hell to scare their loved ones into righteous living. Many careful readers of scripture have come to accept the main point of this parable while refusing to keep on believing in a literal hell. They believe that the image is obviously allegorical, and there is no reason to believe that God intends a fiery end for any of us!
Thought for the Day: What do I believe about hell?
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