In Matthew chapter 13, the kingdom or Realm of God is compared to a field with both wheat and weeds growing together. The weed described in this parable is believed to have been the “bearded darnel.” It’s described by some as a “devil of a weed,” and without any purpose. The roots of the bearded darnel surround the roots of the productive plants, taking their good nourishment and water. And to make matters more difficult, the darnel looks almost identical to the good wheat.
Jesus teaches his followers by telling stories from everyday life to reveal the wisdom of God’s reign on earth. Jesus taught the way of God’s kingdom by telling down-to-earth stories that would be understandable by the peasant audience. Many of them were tillers of the soil. These parables are the gift of the Holy Spirit for those who have been touched by the Spirit to understand.
What are the weeds that threaten our current world? Actually, not too much difference to the weeds in Jesus’ day. They are the weeds of greed, power, racism, patriarchy, sexism, bigotry and violence. These are the types of weeds that still entangle the roots of most human institutions. Those weeds must be pulled up but as a word of caution, do not pull everything up. As the old saying goes, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!” Both 16th century Protestant Reformers, Martin Luther and John Calvin, butted heads over this issue.
Theologian Walter Wink once said, in place of self-righteous weed-pulling, we can engage in naming, unmasking and exposing the powers that be. We can become whistle-blowers for God in so many ways.
Can one good strand of wheat save a garden of weeds? There is a true story about how it has happened. In the 4th century AD, Telemachus was one of those Christians who left Rome because of its pagan worship. Telemachus became a hermit in a desert until he heard the Christian faith was now legal in Rome. But he found the new Rome was just like the old Rome, nothing much had changed except Church buildings being constructed. Telemachus was especially shocked the gladiatorial games to the death were still going on under a Christian Emperor! One day, Telemachus, inspired by the teachings of Jesus, ran to the middle of the gladiatorial stadium and begged the audience to stop this violent madness. He was laughed at by the audience and they threw stones at him. Telemachus was then killed by a gladiator's sword. After that, from the audience, SILENCE. What have we done, they ask themselves? After that, the Roman Emperor banned the gladiatorial games - FOREVER. Yes, even one good stalk of wheat can make a difference among weeds. I would’ve thought Americans would have their “Telemachus Moment” also, after that horrible school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, but here we are 11 years later, with little done. The choice was between a Roman Culture or a Jesus Culture. We have the same choice today between an American Culture or a Jesus Culture. “Which Side Are You On” says the old mining workers’ song.
Our lives as followers of Jesus must be focused on our steady and active witness to God’s radical and enduring love, especially in a world in which sometimes weeds are misidentified and the signs of God’s reign are not always seen.
Rather than putting on gardening gloves and pluke out what we have doubts about, we are to be the wheat to do good. To provide the good seed and seek justice, even in a field where weeds are the main growth. Instead of being sidetracked by what we think as noxious weeds, what if we pull our energy into being wheat instead of pulling up weeds?
As with many of the parables of Jesus, he used the symbols that people of his era could understand. I’m sure as the Christ, Jesus could’ve told his disciples about Quantum Theory, astronomy and real science, but what good would that do them? So Jesus’ stories were focused on a worldview that made the assumption that supernatural activity was real. The dominant belief was that forces of Good and Evil, Light and Darkness, are real and will influence the world until God’s final victory. In the parable the landlord or farmer is the Christ. The field is the world. The good seeds are the children of God’s kingdom. The Enemy Weed Planter is the Devil and the Weeds are the Devil’s children.
One thing to understand, that is not mentioned enough in most churches, is the 400 years between the last book in the Hebrew Bible (Malachi) and the first book in the New Testament (Matthew). During that 400 years, the Jewish faith experienced a kind of reformation somewhat like the Christian Church did centuries later. Ideas from the Persian, Greek, Roman and other religions had some influence on Judaism, and later, the Christian religion. One example is in 2nd Peter chapter two, verse four. Where the English word “hell” is used, the actual Greek in the earliest manuscripts used the word “Tartarus.” Tartarus was the place the Greek god Zeus sent the Titans to for eternal punishment. The term was often used in Greek mythology.
In Matthew 13: 38, where Jesus tells the parable to his disciples, he does inform them the “field” is the world. The Greek word here is “ho-kosmos.” While Bibles do translate the word as “world” it does have a more powerful meaning as Cosmos. Cosmos in both Greek and English stand for something far larger than planet Earth. It is the entirety of the universe. Maybe this is why the Apostle Paul states in Colossians, chapter one, the gospel has been proclaimed “to every creature under heaven.” And who knows? The Good News, could already have been proclaimed to the ETs on Zeta Reticula. Well, Betty and Barney Hill did say the aliens that abducted them in 1961, were from Zeta Reticula and it's a real planet in the Milky Way Galaxy. But the important thing to remember is the message of Christ is literally cosmic in its sweep.
Psalm 86 should be read from the viewpoint of threatened people. It becomes a creed-like witness to God who is merciful, gracious and has steadfast love and faithfulness for all. This desire to serve as a faithful witness to God will inspire any church community. The words of Jesus offer the path what witnessing is all about, to offer comfort and advice in the midst of trauma, challenges and threats.
It is easy to read this parable as addressing the “evil ones” being tossed into the flames at the end of the “harvest.” But maybe that’s not the only way to understand it. The 16th century Protestant Reformer, Martin Luther, said we are both sinful and justified. If Luther was correct, this parable might be more of a promise than a warning. It’s possibly a promise that God’s refining symbolic fire will burn away all sin so everyone can be within God’s presence and love at the end of the present age.
AMEN
