Weeds and Wheat

Isaiah 44:6-8
6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it; let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. 8 Do not fear or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

Matthew 13:24-30

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.”

Weeds and Wheat

Life would be so much easier if we could tell the difference between good and evil but, in this week’s parable from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus reminds God’s people that we don’t know, nor do we have the capacity to discern what’s good and what’s not. He tells of a landowner who sows good seed in his field but, while everybody is asleep, an enemy comes and plants weeds among the wheat. Jesus does not address where the evil comes from but he acknowledges that evil exists. Whatever the source or the reason, it is real. (We only have to read today’s headlines to know that’s true!). He also cautions that often good and evil look very much the same. That’s the case with the weed that is planted amongst the wheat. Its roots surround the roots of good plants, suck up nutrients and water, and make it impossible to pull out without damaging the good crop.

Like us, the good landowner’s workers wonder where this evil seed came from. They want to know if the landowner’s seed was indeed good. Those are questions Matthew’s community asked about God. They are questions we also are invited to ask. The landowner assures the workers (and us) that God’s creation is indeed good. There has, however, been a violation of that goodness that causes bad things to happen and grow. We live in a broken world. We experience that both within ourselves and from without. Good and evil co-exist in our world, our communities and our hearts.

The landowner’s workers want to immediately separate the good from the bad, but the landowner stops them. The landowner would rather risk some bad in the “here and now” than destroy what is good permanently. The workers are told to be patient and reserve judgment (We are to do the same). They’re to continue doing their jobs. When the time comes, the owner’s reapers will take care of the crop. Ultimately the harvest will be plentiful and beautiful. In the meantime, God’s people, like you and me and like the landowner’s workers, live in the ambiguity of good and evil. Jesus invites us to refrain from condemnation and continue to serve God. We still question and ask, but we don’t jump to conclusions or give up until the whole story has played out.

Ultimately the separation of good and evil is God’s responsibility and we are not God. We are God’s workers. That doesn’t mean we give into the darkness. We too have jobs to do. We are the ones who remember that Jesus is the light of the world. We are blessed to share the good news that, through Jesus, the light shines in the darkness. We don’t control the light. We cannot put out the light. We are, however, connected to Jesus so that our light can so shine that others see God in our good works (Matthew 5:16).

Jesus is telling us that, on this side of life, there are no good answers as to why some people have such brutal lives while others are blessed. There are no satisfying answers as to why there is so much brokenness in our world. There are no good answers as to why people continue to think that they have the right to get their way at the expense of others. Still, it’s important that we wrestle with these questions, discern God’s will, and walk in God’s ways, even if we do it less than perfectly.

As a community of faith, as people of faith, we are claimed, gathered and sent out into the world to share the hope that comes from living the Godly life even when we’re surrounded by darkness. Our hope is founded in Jesus the Christ who taught us over and over again that God is our rock and showed us how to live in God’s ways. It is his victory over sin, evil and death that defines who we are. With Isaiah we continue to say with our words, our compassion, our generosity and our actions, “There is no other rock. I know not one.”

God, our rock, invites us to stand up, speak out and work for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven today. What is God asking of you this day? How is your light shining in God’s good creation? Where is God’s light shining in your life? However you answer those questions, and no matter how much you need God to be your rock right now, there is always hope for the living. Keep asking God to help you to trust in God’s goodness and mercy, God’s wisdom and forgiveness. Remember always that, whether or not you have the faith to trust, God promises that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot and will not overcome it…or you!

Thanks be to God.