Seventh Sunday after Pentecost , 19th July 2020

Psalm 139.1-11, 23-24

O Lord, you have searched me out and known me:

you know when I sit or when I stand,

you comprehend my thoughts long before.

You discern my path and the places where I rest:

you are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word on my tongue:

but you, Lord, know it altogether.

You have encompassed me behind and before:

and have laid your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me:

so high that I cannot endure it.

Where shall I go from your spirit:

or where shall I flee from your presence?

 If I ascend into heaven you are there:

if I make my bed in the grave you are there also.

If I spread out my wings towards the morning:

or dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Even there your hand shall lead me:

and your right hand shall hold me.

If I say ‘Surely the darkness will cover me:

and the night will enclose me’,

The darkness is no darkness with you,

but the night is as clear as the day:

the darkness and the light are both alike.

Search me out, O God, and know my heart:

put me to the proof and know my thoughts.

Look well lest there be any way of wickedness in me:

and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Matthew 13.24-43

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;  but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 
So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 
And 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?” 
He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” 
But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 
Let 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.” ’ 

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,  I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”
Then 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.’ 
He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 
Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! 

 Reflection: 

 I’ve tried many times over the years to grow a vegi garden, but generally the job of weeding becomes too much and I have succumbed to having a garden with weeds as well as produce. Strangely enough, I still have been able to harvest a reasonable amount of food. Usually, as the tiny lettuce or parsley shoots broke the surface, weeds would also sprout up among them. If the weeds remained they would take some of the goodness from the soil. But I soon learnt that if I pulled out the weeds too soon, I would remove some of my precious seeds. Someone once told me that a wise farmer or gardener bides their time till it becomes easy to separate the unwanted weeds from the good seed.

In today's Gospel Jesus builds on the parable of the sower, which we heard last weekend. He now focuses on the weeds which, threaten the healthy growth of the Word of God. I have to wonder, what should we do about them? And I wonder, what can we learn from the experienced farmer?

The seed in the parable itself is certainly good –it's the Word of God. But the weeds are harmful; they choke the growth of the good seed. Some weeds would tangle their roots around the small seedling and so could not be pulled out without removing the good seed. Worse still, some weeds are poisonous or noxious despite looking quite attractive. If you are familiar with fire weed it looks doesn’t look very nasty, with a petite bright yellow flower, but allowed to seed in a paddock it soon takes over and chokes out the crop or feed for the animals. Often what came from bad seed had to be separated from what came from good seed, but that could only be done after the harvest. 

If we transfer this parable into ‘real terms’ for our everyday, questions arise- Who are the enemies, who sow the poisonous weeds? Perhaps they are people who threaten the life and growth of the Good News in Christ's followers. Unfortunately, they can be not only outside the Church, but also within it. Reality is that each one of us is a mixture of good and evil. At times, we all set a bad example or do things that we would rather not do- like Paul was saying in Romans ch7 -The things we want to do we do not do and the things we do not want to do we do. Reality is that we have all sinned and fallen short of the mark. Therefore, if we look to only welcome those who are perfect, we would exclude everybody, even ourselves!

If we only let the good/ perfect seed in, the Church would be empty. But Jesus knows that His Church would surely contain sinners. So, instead of instantly destroying them, He is patient; He does all that He can to seek the lost sheep, to bring the sinner to repentance. 

I had a friend/ a mentor who once said to me ‘Anne, we are all on the journey and somewhere along the way we will be right’. This may pertain to the bigger questions of life but we all have times when we are misguided, or not sure which way is the best way. How do we discern God’s leading and how do we understand the truth? Certainly, some things are black and white there seems no question but there are an increasing number of ethical questions confronting us these days- some of these are subtley sneeky and we may not hear God clearly if we don’t think carefully. What about the question about whether its Ok to take a pen from a bank or some extra serviettes from a fast food restaurant. Or what about if someone tells a joke that is a little offensive should I speak up? And if I’m at a sporting event or a concert and there are spare seats in a better section, is it Ok to move to them? Ethical questions and temptations are in our lives more often than we realise and sometimes the answer is not just black and white. Perhaps that is why we should seek to practice and soak ourselves in God’s word to make sure we have it in the forefront of our mind in all we do. 

I’ve had many years of experience with gardening and usually I can look at a patch of plants growing and immediately see what shouldn’t be growing there. But I remember one day last summer and I was in the garden weeding with one of my grandsons. His young hand would go to almost every plant, ready to pull- Is this a weed? He repeatedly asked. It takes experience and teaching to learn what is a weed and what is a good plant. Sometimes we need to leave them grow together knowing this will bring the best result in the end.

In the meantime, I wonder, what should be done with these enemies? They are people who sow materialistic and ungodly values of modern society the weeds, the darnel of the secular. (Darnel usually grows in the same place as wheat, and was a problem back in Jesus day. It thrives in similar conditions and was a serious weed of cultivation until modern sorting machinery enabled darnel seeds to be separated efficiently from seed wheat. ... to make it worse, it bears a close resemblance to wheat until the ear appears.) 

This could lead us to the question of why is there evil in the world? Why is there sometimes this subtle infusion of bad amongst the good. And, why do bad things happen to good people? Why do the innocent suffer? These are amongst many huge questions, not just of faith, but of life itself. These are also some of the questions this parable raises and doesn’t fully answer. Thankfully though, the parable does offer a promise that may prove in the end, more helpful.

The reality is that there is evil in the world. Jesus describes the one who sowed weeds among the wheat as an “enemy,” and that is what evil is, the enemy and opponent to God’s wish that all people enjoy abundant life. That may not seem like much of an answer or anything particularly new, but remember: God does not desire suffering. Evil and unjust suffering in the world, stand against God’s desire and will as the enemy. I suggest that it is not that God wants to test us although our wrestling usually makes us stronger. 

Thankfully, we have the promise, the good seed… In the end, God will make what is wrong right, sort out the weeds from the wheat, and bring all things to a good end. This doesn’t bring the immediate relief we may be seeking but it does promise that our patience and endurance and struggle in the meantime is not in vain. 

We, living in a world saturated with good and evil, must show great discernment in distinguishing the wheat from the weed. As Christians we are obliged to protect those who are most vulnerable from harmful ideas, images and false teaching. I always have great concern as to the media and now days the internet and the good and bad content we find there- but that’s for another sermon! 

Meanwhile God is patient for now with those who undermine the Good News and can cause so much harm. Eventually He will sort out and punish such people; and the victory, the Kingdom of God will continue to grow and the Good News of the Kingdom will have the victory. Praise be to God. Amen.