His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘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.”’
T he farmer's solution is obviously wiser as it allows the wheat to remain in place and mature before the disruption of harvesting and threshing. Hopefully ripe zizania -- a Greek word meaning weeds, darnel, or tares -- can be easily recognized, separated, and burned. Mixed with wheat it can be poisonous.
The midnight enemy apparently would discredit the farmer's produce by sowing weeds among the wheat, and so gain a market advantage. But the Lord doesn't pursue that side of the metaphor. Rather, he points to the wisdom and thoroughness of the Judgement Day when the Lord's people -- recognized by their just way of life -- will be separated and delivered from the nuisance of wicked neighbors.
In our time, there are many who simply dismiss all hope and expectation of a final Judgment Day. They do not see the human race surviving until its inevitable geological or astronomical end; and if it comes by way of human mismanagement -- a nuclear holocaust or climactic catastrophe -- it will cause no more harm than the death of billions and the end of human history. Some forms of life will survive and the planet will go on its way -- without purpose or meaning -- until the Sun novas. Apparently they would not lament that doom, since they find no purpose in their life to start with.
Christians believe and hope for the Kingdom of God; we expect its foundations to be laid in justice and mercy. We have found by way of trial and error, failed experiments, and collapsed societies, that Godless humankind cannot devise such a world. We may occasionally act with justice or mercy, but never with both; and we're usually tending to the needs of the most powerful. They take what they want, demand more, and threaten often; and we've given them the power to carry out their threats. It's not a good system.
Dear Lord, let your Judgment Day dawn, your Kingdom come, and your will be done! The sooner, the better.
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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.