Right then, on to the next parable to be covered in our summer series on Matthew’s Kingdom of God parables: the parable of the weeds. For those at Community Church this will be viewed on Sunday 5th August. Comments and personal reflections most welcome.
The Parable of the Weeds
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’
Questions for reflection:
What is the reaction of the servants to the discovery of the weeds: surprise, even accusation? Or is there even a touch of comedy here?
‘Let both grow together’. Given the mix in life and the world how do you see this lack of separation: as a puzzle, a threat, a sign of even-handedness and generosity, an irritant….What do you view your own inner mix? How close is the cry ‘It’s not supposed to be like this!’ to your own feelings?
The burning metaphor has been strongly used in some quarters over the years (to put it mildly). What might Jesus’s point be I wonder?
Andrew (guest blogger)
Tags: Parables
The thing that stood out to me most, was how the farmer let the weeds grow with the wheat. It doesn’t seem like the most logical way to do it (but then I’m not exactly a farmer).
I think Jesus is explaining why God hasn’t made everything perfect yet - perhaps it’s because He cares so much for the wheat. It’s good to be reminded that he has a plan
What stands out to other people?
Hamish,
Yes, I think this is the surprise - “no, let them grow together” - and so where the force and centre of the parable is found. Invariably it seems that Jesus is trying to point out both how we see, manage and evaluate the world and also his alternative and real way of seeing and participating in life on earth.
Chris’s comment on the Net “Is it our job to separate the wheat / chaff? Is it our job to pass judgement ” comes to mind also.
Thanks,
Andrew
Thanks guys for the comments.
Apparently it wasn’t common practice to leave the weeds until harvest … so says Robert Farrar Capon in his book on the parables anyway. So Jesus seems to be making a point about good and evil being allowed to grow together. It it because he is giving us the max time to change? to repent? to pull the weeds in our lives up ourselves? to judge ourselves, rather be judged?
Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ comes to mind: an apparent ‘weed’ who Frodo wants to root out, but who turns out to have an important role in the story of the ‘wheat’.
The parable describes God’s kingdom as something obvious and objective: wheat doesn’t look like the weeds that also appear in the fields with it. However, it’s not always quite that clear cut in spiritual terms i think… In my eagerness to get rid of what’s clearly (to me!) not of the kingdom, how certain am i that i’m not actually damaging the real thing in the process?
I’m reminded of Gollum from ‘the lord of the rings’: an apparent ‘weed’ who Frodo wants to root out, but who turns out to have an important role in the story of the ‘wheat’.
The parable talks of the kingdom and what’s not the kingdom in fairly obvious, objective terms: wheat growing in fields tends to look very different to most weeds. However, it’s not always like that in spiritual terms! Am i certain enough about my perspective on the kingdom that i’m not going to damage some aspect of it by trying to remove what i perceive as all potential obstacles to it? Do i have all the information? It’s tough to try to live with this tension between wanting to get rid of what seems to be in opposition to God’s purposes and leaving it to him. The ultimate end of the weeds is indicated by the fire: it’s a metaphor! - something that you do to weeds so that they’re not going to cause any more issues.
The parable seems to refer more to the kingdom in relation to the world rather than the kingdom in relation to individual lives…
Although this isn’t the main aim of the parable i think, it seems to limit our role to pointing to, encouraging, fostering, and signifying the coming and present kingdom, leaving the end results (of which the parable assures us) to God.
thanks for your comment Bob - sorry for the delay in posting and replying … for some reason my rather zealous anti spamming software put your comment into the spam section!
Great comment too … I think there is a very strong message here about not judging and taking things into our own hands …
Apparently the weed did actually look very similar to the wheat, until both were fully grown when the difference became obvious. It means that if it had been attempted to pull up the weeds, some wheat might have come up too… So your point is well made.
Thanks.
i think this parable is saying that every one does things wrong in their life time, but only when it is time to pass on will they be judged, if they have done wrong they will be burned, if they have led a good life, then they will be granted eternal happiness
but then again im not the best at religion at school