Proper 11A; Matthew 13:24-30; 7/19/2020
Jim Melnyk: “Be Slow to Label”
The new Rector finds
herself kneeling before a flowerbed during a parish spring workday. Now this isn’t
just any old flowerbed – no, it’s the flowerbed from you-know-where! It hasn’t
been weeded in years – at least that’s what it seems like as the priest attacks
the job with great vigor, pulling up crab grass and prickly bushes without a
second thought. And then it happens. The Rector comes upon a plant – well,
several plants – and cannot even begin to figure out what they are. On the one
hand, they certainly look like weeds, but on the other hand, they look like
they might have been planted intentionally rather than just having sprung up on
their own.
They’re scrawny,
flowerless, and spread throughout a couple of areas in the garden. They are
weeds. Well, they sure look like weeds, and no one new to a parish wants to
pull up someone’s memorial flowers. One after another the other workers are
polled, but nobody seems to know. Just as the Rector wraps a gloved hand around
the stalk of a plant one of the more learned parishioners yells out, “Stop!” Turns
out the plants are in fact flowers purposely placed in the garden, and they
have a meaningful connection to one of the saints of the parish who no longer
tends gardens on this side of eternity. Whew!
Weeds or flowers? They
turn out to be flowers planted intentionally – flowers that come summer will
add beauty to the flowerbed beside the church. Flowers almost lost to some
premature judgments about weeds and flowers – a lesson that just may stick with
that priest for a while.
In today’s parable
everyone knows there are weeds along with the wheat in the farmer’s fields. In
fact, some scholars believe those in the story even know the weed by name –
Darnel, a poisonous plant which while still young looks amazingly like wheat. And
if scholars are correct about the weed being Darnel, early on it would have
been difficult to spot the problem. But by now, the weeds have matured enough
that they’ve become recognizable by the workers, who offer to weed them out.
Implicit to the
story are some practical reasons for not pulling up the weeds. First, the
plants resemble each other enough to cause a significant risk that even the
most experienced laborers could pull up the wrong plants. And second, since
weeds often mature at a faster rate than wheat, the weed’s roots can wrap
around the roots of the surrounding wheat. This means the weeds cannot be
pulled up without the possibility of uprooting a significant portion of the
crop.
And although it
might still make more sense to risk pulling up the weeds before they can damage
the wheat, that reality wouldn’t meet the Teacher’s needs. Parables by their
very nature offer a surprising and often confounding twist. What do we do with
a field full of both weeds and wheat? “Not what you think,” says Jesus, “Not
what you think.”
The possible theological
implications hinted at in this story are more complex than the agricultural
questions of the parable. Matthew gives us a parable not found in the other
gospels, which may lead us to ask “Why? Why this parable?” Matthew seems to be dealing
with what has become the age-old question of how the church – how the people of
God – can be both holy and sinful at the same time – and how we live with, or
fail to live with, such complexity in our lives, and in the lives of our
communities.
That “wonderful and
sacred mystery” we call the church – or the community of the faithful – turns out
to be a “wonderful and sinful mystery” as well. We might see this parable as
Jesus taking a stand for including his doubters and detractors, along with tax
collectors and sinners, as kingdom kin. We might see Matthew’s purpose for
including the parable as a way of addressing friction in his community of Jesus
followers. Either way, later in this gospel Matthew records Jesus telling the
chief priests and the elders in Jerusalem that tax collectors and sinners will
be the ones leading them into the kingdom – leading them in! Getting there
first and perhaps forming a welcoming committee for the religious elite.
Jesus seems to be
saying, “Just chill out for a moment folks! Don’t be too quick to label
something [or someone] good or evil. Judge too quickly and you may just kill
some promising growth as well.[1]” The
landowner tells his servants, “It’s not your job to judge between the two.” “It’s
not your job,” Jesus tells his listeners. “It’s not your job,” Matthew tells
his fledgling faith community. “It’s not our job,” the parable seems to tell us.
As one commentator puts it,
“Life is ambiguous
and motives are often difficult to discern. Wheat and weeds can look alike. If
you pull up the one you risk damaging the other.”[2]
Those listening to
Matthew’s Jesus might possibly find themselves remembering a few lines from
what we now call The Sermon on the Mount – the part where Jesus cautions his
listeners against judging one another at the risk of bringing judgment upon
themselves.[3]
Now it may sound
like I’m going to contradict myself here, so bear with me for just a moment. To
be sure, there are times when sitting back and waiting not only doesn’t make
sense, but can be harmful or even deadly. When society, or even the church, treats
fellow human beings in a harmful way, we need to be willing to stand in the
breach with those who are being harmed – with those whom the world of power
seemingly seeks to weed out of our presence.
Consider the
significant loss our nation experienced this weekend with the death of Congressman
John Lewis. John stood in the midst of great violence on behalf of God’s people
who were being denied the dignity of full personhood – especially in the south.
When he stood as a 17 year-old seminary student alongside Dr. King among others
at the Edmund Pettus Bridge, he was willing to risk his life for others. Politicians,
police, and an angry mob saw nothing but weeds to be eradicated standing before
them. My guess is that Jesus would have seen a bumper crop of waving grain. Those
wielding water cannons and attack dogs, however, stood in judgment of a
righteous cause.
The author of
Ephesians tells us, we are to speak the truth in love so that we may continue
to grow into the full stature of Christ[4]. And
I believe standing with fellow human beings in danger or pain is more about honoring
and supporting them than it is about standing in judgment of those who seek
their harm.
Our Baptismal
Covenant challenges us to love one another and to work for justice and peace in
active ways which save rather than destroy. We are challenged to seek and serve
Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as one like ourselves. Consider the incredibly
patient grace of God implied in both our Baptismal Covenant and in this
parable. “Let both of them grow together until the harvest.” Yet even when the
weeds are bundled for the fire, they will serve the farmer’s purpose; for it
takes both wheat and fire to make the bread which sustains our very lives.[5]
And when we next have the grace to gather at the Holy Table once again, to receive the body
and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we should remember that we partake of wine
made from grapes that have been crushed, and bread made from grain that has
gone through the fiery furnace.
When we seek to love
one another as Christ loves us who knows what might happen: Tax collectors and
sinners entering the kingdom – entering the communion of God – before the
religious elite – possibly even before Deacons, Priests and Bishops – before
good Episcopalians? Well, that’s just plain crazy! But it’s the gospel, too!
Think about the
overwhelming grace of God implied in this parable. We don’t have to be eternal
judges! It’s not our job! As the love of God grows within us we learn to love
one another – and we learn to proclaim the Good News of God’s love for all
creation – a creation which waits with yearning, and with groaning, for the
fulfillment of God’s love.[6] Yes,
there may be times when we are called to challenge one another – but we are
called to do so in love. In the end I would much rather stand before the mercy
of God accounting for my love than on the merit of my judgment of others.
At times we may well
look like weeds to one another – we all mess up from time to time – we’re all
part of that wonderful and sinful mystery we call the church – but that sort of
judgment isn’t our calling. Trusting the grace of God we proclaim the truth
that is the love of God for all creation. Our calling to treat one another
as children of God, each created in the very image of the One who calls all
people into the kingdom of heaven.
Good stuff that needs to be said.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jim.
Many thanks!
ReplyDelete