Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 on biblegateway.com
Verse 24He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; Verse 25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. Verse 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. Verse 27And 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?' Verse 28He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' Verse 29But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Verse 30Let 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.'" Verse 36Then 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." Verse 37He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; Verse 38the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, Verse 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Verse 40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. Verse 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, Verse 42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Verse 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!
Devotion
Life is a bewildering mix of wheat and weeds growing together—good and evil standing side-by-side, and it’s tough to tell which is which. Jesus’ parable of the weeds among the wheat informs us of that fact, but its main purpose is to help us know how to respond by comparing the response of the slaves to the response of the householder. The slaves would concentrate on that which is evil—they would make a judgment as to what the “weeds” are and get rid of them. The householder’s response is to concentrate on what is good or potentially good, withholding judgment on what is “wheat” and what is “weed.” Weed pulling comes by different names today, but it can be any method one uses to judge someone (or even oneself!). Instead, Jesus is saying, “Let the owner of the field do the judging!” For our part, let us keep pointing to Jesus himself as he tends his field with love and grace.
Prayer
Gracious God, although it’s tempting to focus on the “weeds” in our lives, grant us the wisdom to focus instead on your transforming love. Amen.