The Enemy Among Us

Life would be so much easier if we did not have to be concerned about the evil all around us – if we were surrounded only by those that we love and they love us in return – those that believe all the same things that we believe so that there are no disagreements and contention to deal with – those that accept us just as we are and don’t feel the need to change us and vice-versa – if everyone we care about and want in our lives were Christians living by Christian principles.

But…..unfortunately, that just isn’t reality – at least while we exist here on this earth.

Matthew 13:24-30 (ERV) says:  “Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, ‘God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’  The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’  The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’  He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”

When I was studying this passage recently the phrase “Let the weeds and the wheat grow together…” caught my attention and I thought about it for a bit.  The reasoning for letting them grow together is addressed in the previous sentence where the man told his servants not to pull up the weeds “…because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat.”  I did a bit of research and found that when plants and weeds grow together that their roots will become entangled and intertwined underground.  So in trying to remove the bad, the good would be disturbed or even destroyed.  It would be better to just let the enemy stay among them – at least for the time being.

As Christians, we have a responsibility to exist in our world with whatever is around us – good and evil.  Jesus praying to His Father said this in John 17:15 (AMP):  “‘I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one.’”  There’s a full recognition there that as long as we are in this world the evil will be here also, but we can claim God’s protection. Other verses that help direct us about how to live with the enemy among us are:

Romans 12:2 (NLT):  “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

1 John 2:15 (VOICE):  “Don’t fall in love with this corrupt world or worship the things it can offer. Those who love its corrupt ways don’t have the Father’s love living within them.”

James 1:27b (AMP):  “…keep oneself uncontaminated by the [secular] world.”

In other words, we can’t let that evil living beside us change us, contaminate us – we must stay focused on our Godly life.

Further down in that same chapter, verses 36b-43 says:  “…His followers came to him and said, ‘Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.’  He answered, ‘The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels.  The weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire. It will be the same at the end of time.  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will find the people who cause sin and all those who do evil. The angels will take those people out of his kingdom. They will throw them into the place of fire. There the people will be crying and grinding their teeth with pain. Then the godly people will shine like the sun. They will be in the kingdom of their Father. You people who hear me, listen!’”

Some of the commentary that accompanied these passages had this to say about this parable:  “The parable of the weeds shows that in this world the people of the kingdom live side by side with the people of the evil one.  The parable of the weeds emphasizes that we are not to try to make a separation between believers and unbelievers in the present. That is entirely the Lord’s business.”

When the end times arrive – God will take care of business.

However….while we aren’t to copy the behavior of the enemy among us, or allow it to corrupt or contaminate us, we still have a responsibility to that enemy.  2 Timothy 2:24-25 (GNT):  “As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth.”  It should always be our goal to help those that don’t know God to repent and be saved – then that enemy becomes a brother/sister in Christ.

Out of curiosity, since we do have a responsibility to try to reach the unsaved (the weeds – the enemies), I did a search asking “Can weeds be redeemed to be something better?”  This is what it came up with: “Yes, absolutely.  By definition, a weed is simply a plant growing in a place where it isn’t wanted. When we shift how we look at them, these aggressive survivors can be redeemed into valuable assets for your garden, your soil, and even your kitchen.”

Living with an enemy among us is not the most fun or comfortable thing.  But, if we’re to take our responsibility seriously – to be sent by God to the world – to fill our pulpit – to help the lost find their way, we must learn to accept them as a part of life.  Instead of bemoaning it, we should rejoice as we look for ways to fulfill our Christian obligation and help those weeds – our enemies – be redeemed.

(I recognize that the referenced passages from Matthew refer to what will happen in the end times and the consequences to be faced – wonderful for God’s children and horrific for the enemies of God. But I don’t think it ever hurts to have a reminder that we, as children of God, have an obligation, at all times, to the enemies that live among us.)

Written by Karran Martin – October 30, 2026

[All bold emphasis is mine]