Mt 13:24-43 Weeds and Wheat
“Lord, do you want us to go and pull the weeds up? Jesus replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest.”
So, are you an optimist or a pessimist? That is, do you believe all the good you see and hear or all the bad you see and hear? When I am asked this question, I simply reply, “I am neither. I am a realist.”
Christians are realists because God is real, and good and bad are real. We do not bury our heads in the sand nor do we cut them off. We live in a very real world were real decisions are made and I can really influence them.
We have all, at one moment or another, been a weed or a wheat. Some of us may still be weeds. But the Lord did not come into the world to condemn the world but to save the world, one soul at a time. He came among the weeds. He cleansed, healed, cured, converted and forgave. A field full of weeds has become a field within a field of dreams, of possibilities, of faith, hope and of love.
Evil exists. That’s for sure. We see it all around us. Some of us actually participate in it! We cannot deny it. We cannot deny that a mother could take delight in a lost child! No one denies evil, neither atheist nor Christian. But the Atheist rebels and says, “You see! There is no God.” But the Christian takes advantage of the protest and replies, “You see! Here is proof that there is enmity between God and man, between God’s love and our love.” The Agnostic is completely lost! He asks, “How do we know there was ever a child?” Oh brother!
The weeds and wheat grow together for a common reason: each one is vying for space! Each one is trying to squeeze the other out of existence! Weeds are wild! It takes little for them to grow. Evil is easily sown. It takes very little for it to grow, mushroom and explode. Evil spreads quickly, like fire. It knows how to stroke our egos, our vain ideas, our dreams of glory!
Wheat must be planted. It takes time to grow. The soil must be cultivated. It appears weaker than the weeds but it is not! Humility appears weaker than belligerent threats, but it is not. Forgiveness appears lame in revengeful eyes, but in reality it destroys enemies and converts them into the best of friends. Love may appear as a fantasy, but selfless love is rewarded with fidelity and commitment – till death do us part!
Now I must choose. Which of the two do I prefer? I can mutate. I can change. I can be a different man. I don’t have to be the same man I’ve always been. I can be a new man. I can convert. When I was a child I used to knock down mailboxes. I would drag race with my friends. I would cuss up a storm! Now, I can say I don’t do any of the three.
Today’s parable is straight forward. The Lord reminds us to not judge anyone! He begs us to not uproot anyone. We are not to write off anyone in our life. Instead, Christ wants us to get in their face like He did! Jesus wants us to love, forgive and show mercy and compassion like He did. Live the Gospel Truth! We are asked to live close to the weeds; to gather more space and to knock them out of existence. We are to love others who do not necessarily love us, so that they can see in us a light that helps penetrate their darkness, the pain that exists in their life. Those who stay close to the Lord will shine brighter than the sun, grow thicker and taller than a mustard plant and stretch across the Universe.
