Mt 13:24-30 – July 23, 2023

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:
“The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man
who sowed good seed in his field.
While everyone was asleep his enemy came
and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off.
When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well.
The slaves of the householder came to him and said,
‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where have the weeds come from?’
He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’
His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds
you might uproot the wheat along with them.
Let them grow together until harvest;
then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning;
but gather the wheat into my barn.”‘”

BACKGROUNDER

The servants in this parable have a problem: they can see the weeds growing in the field. They know that a good field has only wheat growing in it. The weeds may endanger the vitality of the wheat, because weeds absorb the nutrients that the wheat needs.
Jesus says that the weeds were sown by the enemy. The enemy has power in the field, the power to sneak in at night and plant seeds of evil. Jesus may be referring to the power of the Evil One. Though the world does not belong to the Devil, he can be present in dark places here.
What kind of seed can the Evil One plant? He looks for weakness, for vulnerable places in our hearts. Where are you likely to despair? To give in to rage? To cheat or to steal or to lust? Those are the places where the weeds of sin can grow in our hearts.
Today, we hear a warning because Jesus concludes the parable by saying the weeds will be collected and burned. There are eternal consequences to our decisions in this life. But warnings are given to us so that we can look at ourselves honestly, in the light of God’s truth. And being honest with ourselves can also be a chance to change, to uproot the weeds.
Even more importantly, Jesus tells us that the owner of the field is patient. The owner doesn’t allow the servants to uproot the growing weeds. The patience of the owner represents the patience of God. God is in no rush to punish; rather, God is always ready to show us mercy when we sin.
Jesus is also explaining to us that we need to be patient with each other. If God offers second chances, so should we. The mercy shown to us should motivate us to show mercy to others.
No one is beyond God’s mercy, and we too can see someone who may look lost with the patience that God does. We can go on mission to the dark places of the world, because there’s hope for all of us.