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Something to think about…
Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus proposed a parable to the crowds. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where did the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ 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.”
Meditation How tempting it can be after hearing this reading to try to figure out who the “weeds” might be among us! And it can be even more tempting to uproot these weeds ourselves. But Jesus counsels us not to do it. His reason why is rather direct. In our zeal to establish justice as we see it, we might just end up yanking wheat along with the weeds. It’s better, He says, to wait until the harvest when God will sort everything out. Clearly, Jesus is much better than we are in determining wheat from weeds. He alone knows what is inside every person’s heart, and he doesn’t need our help, however well intentioned, to try to sort things out. That is not our job, anyway. Our job is to share His Good News with everyone we can and to learn to love our neighbor as ourselves. He called us to bring his light into the world. What does Jesus see that we can’t? Maybe that gruff, short fused co-worker is stretched to the limit caring for his dying wife. Maybe that neighbor who never waves hello or joins in community gatherings is suffering from crippling shyness and needs just a little more time or a warm invitation. Perhaps that high school kid down the road who just got arrested for drug possession is one prayer away from a powerful conversion. The world is filled with stories that only God can see. Our only concern should be to look after the weeds in our own gardens and not worry about someone else’s. Jesus tells us: “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7). He also tells us, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Rather than judging He wants us to look at each other with His own eyes of compassion and mercy. So let’s all try to be a little more like the Lord, who was quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath (James 1:19). |
