This week we begin a summer series entitled, Tell Me A Story. “Tell me a Story” is a simple way to reference Jesus' use of parables to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.
Jesus told 36 different short stories in the gospels. Telling stories is one of the most powerful means that leaders have to influence, teach, and inspire.
What makes storytelling so effective for learning? For starters, storytelling forges connections among people, and between people and ideas. Stories convey the culture, history, and values that unite people.
Today’s story comes from Matthew’s gospel in the 13th chapter. On one incredible day Jesus would share seven interrelated parables as well as an eighth unrelated one.
These were not ordinary parables. Jesus would call them the “The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven.” A mystery is a spiritual truth understood only by divine revelation. It is a sacred secret known only to those on the inside who listen, learn and obey. So let me tell you a story...
<Read or re-tell the scripture in two parts>
24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.
27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ 28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
A little while later...
36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”
37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man[d] is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world,[e] and the harvesters are the angels.
40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Jesus’ parable makes clear that any attempt to root out the weeds will only do more damage to the crop. This has played out far too many times in congregations and denominations, with some determined to root out anyone who does not agree with the “right” interpretation of Scripture, liturgical practice, or stand on a particular issue. There are also those who pronounce judgment on people outside the church — on people of other faiths, for instance — declaring them to be destined for eternal damnation. Whether judgment is focused within the church or outside of it, it does serious damage to the church and its mission.
We often live with the assumption that if we do all the “right” things and be kind to everybody it will all work out. But that's a fairy tale. It's an illusion the slaves in today’s parable live. “Master,” they ask the farmer, “did you not sow good seed in your field?” Of course he did. They know he did. That’s why they are so surprised when they discover the weeds. The weeds have shattered their illusion. This isn’t supposed to happen. “Where, then, did these weeds come from?”
There is an urgency to their question. They want to know what happened and who is responsible. So do we. That’s what we want to know when we discover weeds in our fields. We want an explanation and someone we can blame, hold accountable, and even punish.
Not too long ago, I had a couple show up on a Saturday looking for a church. They said they were fleeing a church they felt was crumbling due to leadership issues including not following the bible. They expressed their frustration in the things done and said. They were hurt and felt battered. They talked of withholding tithes and publically raising questions about leaders and leadership decisions. As they quizzed me on my beliefs, our structure and the vision for the future of The Center, I began to wonder if they were looking for a community of faith to join and heal or if they just needed a place they could to be in control of. And that's a normal reaction when we don't understand and don't trust God. We try to get control. We strive fix, manage and control what God has so obviously overlooked. In so doing, we put ourselves in the lead chair and more disappointment takes place.
Jesus will always be the ultimate leader, prophetic, evangelist, teacher and shepherd at The Center. As such, we should never be surprised by the weeds as they expose themselves nor should we give them much attention.
Jesus didn’t. He said,
“An enemy has done this,” he says. That’s it. He doesn’t explain it. He doesn’t identify or name the enemy. He doesn’t give instructions to find, drive out, and punish this enemy.
Behind our desire for an explanation and the name of the culprit is a truth many of us neither like nor want to accept. It’s one of the challenges of today’s gospel. The gospel always challenges the way we think, see, act, and live. It’s a challenge that arises every time we face the weeds of our life and world.
According to Jesus, our lives and our world are a field in which good and evil, life and death, joys and sorrows, that which we want and that which we don’t want grow and live side by side. The wheat and the weeds stand together in our world and in each of our lives.
The good news for us is that despite the weeds, in and around us, the kingdom is still here. The weeds do not overcome or choke out God’s kingdom. It may not be the fullness of the kingdom we will one day experience but it still exists in the here and now.
But what about those weeds? What do we do about them? Surely we should do something. Not according to Jesus. “Let them grow together until the harvest,” he says. That makes no sense. How can we let them be? The weeds are bad and the wheat is good. We must do something. We need to take a stand, draw a line in the sand, and establish some boundaries.
“Don’t you want us to pull up the weeds,” the slaves ask their master. “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.” These aren’t just generic weeds. The parable speaks of a particular weed called zizania. It’s sometimes known as darnel or false wheat. It grows with wheat. It looks like wheat. Its roots intertwine with the roots of the real wheat. The difference between the two is not always readily apparent.
It seems the separation between the wheat and the weeds is not as clear cut or black and white as social media, the politicians, and our personal opinions would often have us believe.
Jesus makes clear that we simply cannot be certain who is “in” or who is “out.” In fact, God’s judgment about these matters will take many by surprise (7:21-23; 8:11-12; 21:31-32; 25:31-46). As I have said, eternal judgement is above my paygrade.
Jesus said, “Let them grow together until the harvest,” Jesus shows more interest in growth than extermination. He is willing to wait and to be patient. If we are his followers we too will wait and be patient among the weeds of our life.
For some this seems foolish “So do we do nothing? Just sit and wait?”
No, that’s not what Jesus is saying. There is plenty to do and it will be a challenge. We can help wrongs be righted. Brokenness to heal. Justice to areas of injustice. And we need to pay special attention to the words translated as “let them” in Jesus’ statement.
“Let them grow…” can also be translated as ``forgive them.’ It’s the same words Jesus spoke from the cross in Luke’s gospel when he says, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). Even then, even on the cross, Jesus is unwilling to pull up the weeds.
There is no place in Jesus’ gospel for Christian vigilantism, by word or by action, against another or against ourselves. Instead, Jesus commands love. Love your enemy. Love your neighbor. Love yourself. Love God.
Forgive the weeds? Love the weeds? Remember, I told you the gospel is always a challenge. So, yes, forgive them. Love them. Maybe that’s how the wheat begins to disentangle its roots from the weeds and show itself to be wheat and not weeds. Maybe love and forgiveness are what life in the mixed field of God’s kingdom and this world is like.
