First Lutheran Church

July 23, 2023 + Pentecost 8A

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 + [Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 

And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’ ” …

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

“The Parable of the Wheat and Tares”

Pastor Greg Ronning

Last Sunday we heard the “Parable of the Sower.”  A story about sowing the seeds of the Gospel on a hard path, on rocky soil, in the midst of thorns, and finally good soil.  Next Sunday we will hear a series of parables about the Kingdom of Heaven, including the “Parable of the Mustard Seed,” the smallest of seeds which grows into the greatest of shrubs providing a place for the birds to build their nests.  This Sunday we hear the “Parable of the Wheat and Tares,” a story about a field filled with both good seeds and bad seeds, wheat and weeds, and the dilemma of what to do about it.  A story that reminds me of my garden at home, - more on that later!

So, what’s this parable all about? Let’s begin with an overview of the story.  The context of the parable is a “field” in which a farmer sowed good seed, but an enemy snuck in and sowed bad seed.  And suddenly the field contains both “Wheat” and “Tares” or “weeds.”

“And that’s just the way it is.”  This parable is not about identifying the “enemy,” it does not invite us into endless speculation regarding the problem of evil in our world, the parable is not “all about” figuring out what happened or why.  No, it just describes the field.  And it’s a familiar field, farmers know that, we know that, - weeds just happen, they did back then and they continue to do so now.  That’s life.  Life is filled with both good and bad things.  And we can decide to spend lots of time wondering and worrying “why,” or we can figure out what to do, how to live, how to be faithful, how to move forward, in the midst of the situation, the human condition.  The parable reminds us that life is complicated, and that life is hard.  Wheat and Tares!

So how do we respond?  This seems to be the real question our parable is asking us to consider!  The slaves, the servants, anxiously react to the weeds.  They want to act immediately, they want to get in there and aggressively pull them all out, completely rid the field of any and all weeds!  They’re afraid that if they don’t do something urgently and decisively things will get out of hand, and they will lose control.  And I can relate to their sense of panic, their concern to rid the field of evil. 

However, the Master knows better than to simply re-act to the problem, to re-act out of fear, to re-act without taking time to reflect. He knows there is no quick fix to the problem, that it’s not going to be that easy.  His first concern is not the weeds - but the wheat.  In the parable he mentions the problem of tangled roots; he probably also knows that wheat and tares, as they begin to grow, - look very much alike.  He knows that sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a wheat and a tare, and that his overzealous servants might end up mistakenly tearing out some of the wheat and will probably miss some of the tares.   And I imagine he also sees his fields being trampled in the process.  The wise Master is not quick to act, but rather takes some time consider the situation, to look at it from different angles.

At this point it’s probably not hard for us to find ourselves in the story, to see ourselves in the reactionary attitudes and plans of the servants, to see ourselves caught up in the false constructs of fear.  How often have we wanted to begin to weed out the bad seeds in the places where we live and work?  How often have we wanted to decide who’s in and who’s out?  How often have we been so certain about our ability to identify the wheat from the tares, to judge the good and the bad?  And how often have we done great harm in the process of pursuing what seemed to be a righteous goal?  How often have we misjudged “fledgling wheat” that at one point in its life looked like a “wayward tare?”    How often have we re-acted too quickly, not taking the time to reflect and consider, to listen and pray?  How often have we been “the fools” who “rush in,” too quick and too eager to follow the voice of fear, the voice of scarcity, the voice of the enemy?  How often has our quick trigger kept us from hearing the voice of wisdom, the voice of love, the voice of God?

Earlier this year I planted a small garden in my backyard.  And I soon discovered that I was not a very good gardener.  I prepared the soil, and then planted a variety of seeds.  I planted some here and some there, watered them, and then I waited.  Soon, the seeds began to sprout, and shoots came up out of the earth.  I was excited.  And then Melissa asked me, - what was what?  And I didn’t remember what I planted, and where I planted.  I did not label my rows; I didn’t even keep the seed packets.  I had no idea - what was what!  Over the next few weeks, we played a guessing game.  Is that broccoli?  Did I plant broccoli?  Is that cauliflower?  I didn’t plant cauliflower, but it kind of looks like this picture of cauliflower.  Is that a weed or is that a plant that will become a vegetable?  The only thing I knew for sure was the carrots, - no mistaking carrot tops!   The whole garden was a hot mess. On multiple occasions I wanted to clean things up, thin things out, do some weeding, but once again I didn’t know, I had no idea – what was what.  Eventually the plants began to bear fruit, and we figured it out.  But along the way, I did do some weeding, and I’m not sure what I pulled out.  Wheat or Tares?

So it is that the heart of this parable is the Master’s wise response to his servants, “Let them both grow together until the harvest.”  The Master knows that in the end, that given some time, the wheat and the tares will be clearly revealed for what they are, and thus finally easily separated.

In this parable Jesus reminds that we are not called to execute judgment, but instead we are called only to love.  We are called to water, to nurture, and to care for all those entrusted to us.  We are not to be goaded into a thoughtless and unjust reaction.  We are not to trust in our inadequate ability to decide who’s right and who’s wrong, who is being honest and who is being disingenuous, who is in and who is out. I trust that will happen in good time, and with God’s amazing grace and perfect love, at the harvest. A harvest marked by transformation, a surprising transformation, by the one who is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end, - the one who will reconcile all things, the one who will bring all things to completion, the one who will bring all things together.  In the meantime, we are set free to simply trust in the goodness of God, to be hopeful, to be surprised by that wheat that once looked like a tare, to be - but gracious servants to all.  

Which brings me to my last thought.  As I ponder today’s scripture reading, I can’t help but wonder, or worry, “Am I ‘wheat’ or am I a ‘weed?’”  There are times when I feel like “wheat,” when I feel like I’m bearing fruit, the grain of the kingdom; and then there are times when I feel like I’m a “tare,” a “weed,” an imposter, - only hiding amongst the wheat, bearing no fruit, just taking up space.  I imagine that we all have that inner conversation from time to time.  I imagine that we all - not only judge others, but we also judge ourselves, and perhaps even more harshly than we judge others. 

Martin Luther reminded us in his teachings, "Simul justus et peccator,” that we are simultaneously both sinners and saints.  So it is that we are not the “wheat,” and we are not the “tares,” but rather, perhaps, in this parable we are more like “the field” itself, - a field that has some wheat and has some tares. 

We are a field that is in process, yet thankfully a field that is being cared for by a wise master.  One who is not going to tear us apart and trample over us in order to make us good. One who is not going to judge us too quickly, but rather one who will be gently and patiently working with us, one who will take all the time that is needed.  One who farms from a place of hope and love and not from a place of judgment and fear, gracefully tending to us, tilling the soil within us, and surely bringing us to that day when in the fullness of God’s kingdom; we are all finally made whole, made complete, healed, transformed, and brought into the harvest, the very fullness of God.  

Let those who have ears, hear!  Amen