Weeds and Seeds

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

In this parable, Jesus says that an enemy came in in the night and sowed weeds among the seeds. The servants ask if they should get rid of the weeds and the master suggests they grow together until the harvest, otherwise the good plants might be pulled up with the weeds.

It is an intriguing parable about what to expect on judgment day when, as Jesus explains, the weeds will be thrown into the fire and the righteous plants will shine like the sun.  And in some sense it is troubling because we get into the hellfire and damnation view of God's wrath in this parable.

Perhaps if we think about the decision of the master to let the weeds and seeds grow together, we might unearth some further meaning and help us to deepen our understanding of this parable.

The fear of the master is that the good plants will be pulled up together with the bad weeds if they are plucked too soon.  They should wait until harvest to be separated.  So, there must be some thought that at this stage it is OK for the weeds to be out there in and among the plants growing in good soil.

Is there some degree to which we are supposed to be mingling with weeds? And dare we ask if there some part of us that  fits the 'weeds' category? And is it bad to let both darkness and light mingle together in their journeys for a while, feeding off one another? It can really send your mind off in a lot of different directions. At what point does God think evil should be plucked away from good? When is that 'harvest' exactly? And what is the determination for what is a bad 'weed' and a good 'seed,' anyway?

And, while we're on the subject of weeds, we may as well go ahead and admit right up front that the word 'weed' itself has become synonymous with our great state of Colorado. Whether we like it or not, you say the word, 'weed' here and it no longer means a dandelion growing on your lawn. It means that shop in Boulder where you can buy an eighth an ounce.  And honestly, there could be a whole other sermon on whether 'weed' in and of itself is seen as good or evil and it is absolutely seen in both lights, and for valid reasons.

But that is a sermon for another day. This one is about the intermingling of the darkness and the light of our lives and how this apparently can be a part of the grand design of life. And it is about the way we grow and learn and don't grow and don't learn from both darkness and light. And why, in this parable, it seems important to the master to leave them growing side by side, at least for a time.

And it is about how a time will come when the weeds and good plants will be harvested and sent away one from the other. And the fire will consume the bad and the righteous will shine like the sun.

What is your experience with plucking weeds from the garden or just letting them grow alongside? Which makes the most sense to you?  What do you think Jesus is trying to teach us in this parable?

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