An enemy has done this

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

- Matthew 13:24-30

Yesterday we read that Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees:  "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, "I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who had told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

Today's reading in the text follows upon the Parable of the Sower, which was given in the readings of May 7 and May 8.

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"  My study bible points out that this parable builds on the previous parable of the Sower (see readings of  May 7 and May 8).  But here, Christ gives attention to the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.  My study bible says that as falsehood came after truth and false prophets came after the true prophets, so the Antichrist will come after Christ.  Just as the weeds first appear similar to wheat (the tares are weeds, plants that resemble wheat but do not give its grain), so the devil fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  That the devil (an enemy) sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people apathetic.

Jesus clearly presents the world here as a sort of battleground; or, if not clearly a battleground, at least a place of struggle.  There is a man who planted good seeds, but an enemy who sows what is not good, what doesn't give a good harvest, and which in some way isn't good for people.  It trips us up, it doesn't give what is good and nourishing but makes only a false promise by its appearance.  This is Christ's picture for us of the world in which we live, and even the good ground of our souls.  There is a struggle going on, and it's a struggle for truth.  But so important is that truth, that it is akin to our very nourishment, the staff of life.  The enemy is one who wants to do us harm with falsehood, false fronts that give us nothing for life.  So goes the battle for the soul.  In this understanding, what we choose to believe in is ever so important -- and those who seek to deceive are committing truly a great deal of harm.  Here we come to an important sense of Christ's message and mission:  the things we believe are essential to who we are.  They are of the utmost importance.  Truth isn't just a concept among many to choose from with equal value.   Of incomparable value are human beings to God; therefore how we live, and what we base our lives on, what we truly allow to become a part of ourselves, become essential in the struggle for life and for life in abundance.  All throughout Scripture, a sense of relatedness determines who we are, the things in which we share, how we take on identity.  The emptiness of a life of hypocrisy captures as well this sense that if we ally ourselves merely with an appearance of goodness or sanctity, then we have no true substance upon which to rely -- either when times and struggles become difficult, or when we face our Creator and all facade is stripped away.  He calls us to life and to life more abundantly, in the treasures of the heart.  For this we need a substantial truth which feeds and nourishes and provides what we need for that life.  We need Christ, who calls Himself the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).  We are beings in a battleground, a place of struggle, although it is hidden from our sight -- as the tares were sown while people slept.  Christ is here as liberator, the one who gives us the truth we need.  But our own worth and the struggle for real value is something in which we participate and make choices for ourselves, and so the struggle is ours too.  What this says to us is to give us a challenge, to consider how lightly we hold our own value and how great -- even in a cosmic sense -- that value truly is.   To what do you ally yourself?  How dear is the truth to you?  What is spiritual worth, and how important is it?   Jesus speaks elsewhere of treasure in heaven, even paradoxically also referring to that which we give away (19:16-21).  In future readings in chapter 13, the unsurpassable treasure He will refer to is the kingdom of heaven, which we are also taught is within us. It is indeed an enemy and a thief who would seek to take that away.