'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
"First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'"
As I understand, there was little difference between the weeds and wheat of the Palestinian farmer's field. They were essentially the same plant; but, perhaps by accident and over the course of centuries, harvesters had first preferred and then cultivated the fatter grain. Just as shepherds had learned to breed the healthier sheep and eat the weaker ones, farmers had discovered cultivation.
In human affairs, it's often difficult to tell the wise from the foolish, and the honest from the criminal. Jesus advises us with a useful metaphor, a good tree bears good fruit. A bad tree bears bad fruit. If you're trying to decide how to deal with certain persons, look at their words and actions, and their consequences. Their stated intentions might be deceptive; their charm can be deceitful; but their fruit tells us how to deal with them.
Ordinarily, we make judgments about people and their actions every day, as we are created to do. I might be open-minded and friendly toward everyone but if I see someone entering the shopping center with an AR-15, I immediately form a low opinion and act accordingly. That person is evil. Wise parents keep an eye on their children's companions and urge them to steer clear of shady, suspicious types. With frequent conversations, they encourage them to aspire to higher goals and better values; and choose worthy friends with the same aspirations.
I suppose our instinct for judgment mirrors our Creator's prerogative to judge our thoughts, words, and deeds; and to prefer human wheat over human weeds. The only proviso being: God's judgement is final while ours is uncertain and subject to error.
I knew a fellow who, taking to heart the Lord's command to be generous, welcomed several bad people into his home. In short order they trashed the place and might have destroyed it had his family not intervened. When the Lord commands us to perform works of charity he speaks to us as a Church, and we do it prudently with appropriate caution while maintaining a resilient infrastructure. No one should presume to be the Lord's Lone Ranger Messiah, sent to show the Church what charity really looks like.
In the meanwhile, as we deal with the weeds amid the wheat, we beg the Lord to give us the Spirit of Wisdom. We see the image of God in every person, and their potential for salvation, joy, and gladness. We pray that they might see it also.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.