Dearest e-votees-
This week's gospel text reminds us that sorting out what is from God and what is not is treacherous work.
Beyond that, it isn't our work. Thanks be to God!
Peace,
Karl
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24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Matthew 13:224-30, 36-43, NRSV
Sometimes we are quick to read this parable of the wheat and the tares as people. When we do this we fall into a binary coarse sorting of all of humanity. Everyone is either good or bad, wheat or tare, saint or sinner, shiny righteous people or hellfire bound sinful people. When we are in this mode we look at others and ask ourselves "Hmmmm. Wheat or tare?" Which seems to fly in the face of the parable saying in so doing we may inadvertently yank out a wheat along with the tares. On perhaps more introspective days we might gaze into the mirror and ask ourselves "Hmmmm. Wheat or tare?" Which puts us back in the garden wanting to have the knowledge of good and evil. When we put ourselves in the place of judging (ourselves or others) we usurp God's place. This is a tale as old as time and it does not have a happily ever after ending.
The truth is that wheat and tares go much deeper than individuals being sorted between the keep and burn bins. There is good seed that has been sowed in us and in others: God's word (as in last week's gospel lesson), promises we are bathed in at baptism, promises that are grafted into our bodies at communion, promises and exhortations that come to us in myriad form through others fashioned in the image of God. These seeds with God's care and miraculous growth bring about wheat into the lives of people. New Adam and New Eve are the fruit of these seeds growing as they should.
Amidst these seeds has been sown weeds. The enemies of God throw these seeds into our lives as well. When we choose to set ourselves up in places fit only for God we sow these seeds in our lives and others. When we try to save ourselves we sow those seeds. When we presume we are on solid ground to save or condemn others we sow those seeds. The lies that spew out of us and into us from others sow those seeds. These seeds with dirt and death of fallen humanity and devilish fertilization bring tares into the lives of people. Old Adam and Old Eve are the fruits of these seeds growing in our lives. They can become hopelessly entangled with what God intended.
We can't and therefore shouldn't even try to pull out the weeds in our own lives or that of others. That is God's work. God's wisdom says let God in God's timing and in God's way deal with tares in our lives. We have seen how this looks clearly on the cross. We may catch glimpses of it as we make our way through this world. We will see it again at the time of the great harvest. In the mean time we can lean hard on the promises of God which never fail to bring forth harvest.
God, give us peace, patience and grace to trust in your wisdom and your grace. You sow good seeds into our lives and know better than we ever could how to best tend to the tares. Teach us to trust you. Give us ears to listen. Amen.
This week's gospel text reminds us that sorting out what is from God and what is not is treacherous work.
Beyond that, it isn't our work. Thanks be to God!
Peace,
Karl
------------
24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38 the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42 and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Sometimes we are quick to read this parable of the wheat and the tares as people. When we do this we fall into a binary coarse sorting of all of humanity. Everyone is either good or bad, wheat or tare, saint or sinner, shiny righteous people or hellfire bound sinful people. When we are in this mode we look at others and ask ourselves "Hmmmm. Wheat or tare?" Which seems to fly in the face of the parable saying in so doing we may inadvertently yank out a wheat along with the tares. On perhaps more introspective days we might gaze into the mirror and ask ourselves "Hmmmm. Wheat or tare?" Which puts us back in the garden wanting to have the knowledge of good and evil. When we put ourselves in the place of judging (ourselves or others) we usurp God's place. This is a tale as old as time and it does not have a happily ever after ending.
The truth is that wheat and tares go much deeper than individuals being sorted between the keep and burn bins. There is good seed that has been sowed in us and in others: God's word (as in last week's gospel lesson), promises we are bathed in at baptism, promises that are grafted into our bodies at communion, promises and exhortations that come to us in myriad form through others fashioned in the image of God. These seeds with God's care and miraculous growth bring about wheat into the lives of people. New Adam and New Eve are the fruit of these seeds growing as they should.
Amidst these seeds has been sown weeds. The enemies of God throw these seeds into our lives as well. When we choose to set ourselves up in places fit only for God we sow these seeds in our lives and others. When we try to save ourselves we sow those seeds. When we presume we are on solid ground to save or condemn others we sow those seeds. The lies that spew out of us and into us from others sow those seeds. These seeds with dirt and death of fallen humanity and devilish fertilization bring tares into the lives of people. Old Adam and Old Eve are the fruits of these seeds growing in our lives. They can become hopelessly entangled with what God intended.
We can't and therefore shouldn't even try to pull out the weeds in our own lives or that of others. That is God's work. God's wisdom says let God in God's timing and in God's way deal with tares in our lives. We have seen how this looks clearly on the cross. We may catch glimpses of it as we make our way through this world. We will see it again at the time of the great harvest. In the mean time we can lean hard on the promises of God which never fail to bring forth harvest.
God, give us peace, patience and grace to trust in your wisdom and your grace. You sow good seeds into our lives and know better than we ever could how to best tend to the tares. Teach us to trust you. Give us ears to listen. Amen.
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