The parable of the weeds amongst the wheat. After Jesus has told us the parable, ten verses on we see his disciples asking him to explain the parable to them. Which he does.
His explanation is quite straight forward really, and one that speaks of the harvesting of souls at the end of time. I like this parable as it is very clear and very relevant.
As Christians we need to take heed of the words that are written and to mull them over, also to pray because this parable applies to each and every one of us and the way in which we choose to live our lives.
Obviously, as Jesus states the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, Gods’ children, and the field is the world in which we live. The weeds also inhabit this world and grow and flourish with the rest. We all grow together, and sometimes it would be very hard to tell apart the wheat from the weeds, the good from the bad, or not so good. That is why it will be God with his angels who will bring in the harvest, on that final day of reckoning.
Have you noticed that most news that reaches us through the media is bad news? Bad news sells, to such an extent in fact that in some cases we can become almost immune to the sheer horror of it. Watching for example the famine taking hold in the third world countries while we are still eating our evening meal. Or following the trial of the Soham murders while shouting at our own children.
Are there so many different shades of grey? Do we judge by one standard and administer justice by another? We see war and killing as common place and yet harbour grudges against others. We are not above reproach, we should remember that while we are living among weeds we are not immune to their touch.
We are called to live in this world as children of God and to make a stand for his Kingdom and for his values of justice, peace and of truth. Our task is a very hard one, it is not easy to remain unaffected by the evil that surrounds us.
For the past eleven years I have always tried to be true to the gospel truth, to never preach anything but the word of God and not to use the pulpit as a soapbox for my own ideas but to remain relevant in my expounding. In the light of this passage and of recent world events I believe we need to ask ourselves some very important questions and to do some serious soul searching.
Questions like: Was it really appropriate to remove Saddam Hussein by force, evil though his regime was?
Or questions that affect us even more directly and the way in which we choose to live our lives. Should an openly practising homosexual be ordained bishop? Should this action be allowed to split the Anglican Communion? Where do we stand?
Only you can answer this question for yourselves, but I would urge you, read your scriptures, pray, pray and pray again. This subject has and does severely test me and I’m continuing to pray.
Ask yourselves What price inclusivity?
What price liberalism?
Sitting on the fence is not a spiritual option we are told in Revelation Chapter 3 verse 15 If you are neither hot nor cold I will spew you out of my mouth. One of my favourite verses as I can often blow very hot or cold depending on the circumstances. But to remain neutral is to be ineffectual, and indesicive and to become vulnerable to the wind of change where ever it blows for good or for ill.
We must take spiritual responsibility for ourselves, for our salvation, and decide in all good conscience what we believe. There will be no firm confirmation of our answer this side of eternity but at least we are doing our best for God, as we see it.
We are in this world to grow, as Christians, to spread the good news, to extend God’s kingdom. Let us put our energy into doing just that because we don’t know when the harvest will be, or who will be gathered into the Kingdom. God is the God of surprises, the God of love, and we his children are called to follow him, in love and in truth.
Jan.