Scripture: Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus told them another parable: The kingdom of heaven is like someone who planted good seed in his field. While people were sleeping, an enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and went away. When the stalks sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. The servants of the landowner came and said to him, “Master, didn’t you plant good seed in your field? Then how is it that it has weeds?” “An enemy has done this,” he answered. The servants said to him, “Do you want us to go and gather them?” But the landowner said, “No, because if you gather the weeds, you’ll pull up the wheat along with them. Let both grow side by side until the harvest. And at harvest time I’ll say to the harvesters, First gather the weeds and tie them together in bundles to be burned. But bring the wheat into my barn.”
Thought for the Day: On Sunday, I invited the congregation to spend time in the parables, specifically looking at how the parables seek to uncover the mystery of the Kingdom (of God or of Heaven). In this part of Matthew, Jesus shares multiple parables, including three that speak of seeds. This parable is a bit more complicated, and too often people jump to some strange conclusions about its meaning. There is no question that the parable raises questions about evil and brokenness in the world, but there are no real theological insights on theodicy (theories of evil in the world) that can be drawn from it. Instead, my attention is on the second question asked by the servants, “Do you want us to go and gather them (weeds)?” You would think the answer be an emphatic YES, but the landowner invites for them to wait. How exactly is this like the kingdom of heaven? My take away is the unrelenting ethical responsibility of those who are living the kingdom life – good soil that produces good wheat. The kingdom of heaven has an expectation for the faithful to live side-by-side with the weeds, and I think we can assume that Jesus hopes we don’t become a weed in the meantime.
Prayer: Give me strength of spirit, O Lord of the Harvest, so I may live as a witness to your gracious and patient kingdom. Amen.
FIRST OF THE STUDIES
BEGINS ON WEDNESDAY
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