It is a great pleasure in the middle of these summer months to sit back and listen to stories. We began last week in Matthew’s Gospel Chapter 13 where he gives us seven parables. These stories make our Lord’s teachings about the kingdom of God more memorable than a straightforward narrative which would not have as much of an effect.
It is not likely that a gardener or farmer would follow the householder’s example in today’s Gospel. A man planted good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds throughout the wheat. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
Left unchecked, weeds will compete with plants for water, sun, and nutrients. In the best case, the good plants will not bear as much fruit. The worst case, they will wither and die. Good farmers keep their land as free of weeds as possible. The servants of the master’s house wanted to go and pull out the weeds. However, pulling up the weeds that are intergrowing with the plants may damage the crop, but allowing them to grow together just gives them more opportunity to damage the crop.
Jesus, on the other hand, reveals to his disciples, parables are not meant to be taken literally. God, the wise and merciful judge, is patient with the weeds, allowing them to grow to completion at harvest time. Growth implies change. Change brought about by the Holy Spirit, who comes to the aid of our human weakness, is transformative. Through the human growing season, our lifetime, there always remains hope for even the most weak and sinful of weeds. If our God is that merciful, compassionate, and forgiving, so must we be toward one another. As Matthew often ends his stories, “he who has ears, let them hear.”
Love, Peace, Joy
Fr. Bob
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