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

 

 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 up 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 taught,  "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 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."

 

  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 up 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."'"  Today's lectionary reading skips over the beginning of chapter 13 (Matthew 13:1-23), in which Jesus told the parable of the Sower, and introduced parables as a way to teach and preach in His ministry (see this reading, and this one, give at the beginning of May).  It's important that we review the foundational parable of the Sower, because today's parable builds on the parable of the Sower.   Here Christ shifts His attention from the Sower who sows the seeds of the gospel, to the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.  Tares are weeds that closely resemble wheat, but their grain is indigestible for human beings.  My study Bible notes 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, so the devil fashions lies to resemble the truth.  This is an illustration of heresy, something that seems like the truth but deviates from it, or perhaps is what we might call a half-truth.  My study Bible also notes that the devil sows while men slept -- indicating that heresy and lies creep in where people are apathetic.  Additionally, we are told that this explains why the Church neither condemns nominal members, nor judges those who are outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  Just as wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, my study Bible says, so also many people who might ultimately find salvation would otherwise be lost if condemned before Christ's judgment. 

 

 We have observed over the course of the past few readings, as Jesus disputed with the Pharisees who have now begun to plot against Him, a dire warning to those whose hearts and minds are so closed as to rule out the capacity for repentance.  These men rejected the healing miracles of Christ, calling them demonic, or asking Him to produce a "sign" on demand for them.  As this 13th chapter of Matthew begins, Jesus turns to teaching the crowds in parables.  A parable invites the hearer to think more carefully, to pay a particular kind of attention.  Oftentimes a parable will create reflections within us, pinging upon memories, or giving a particular kind of light to some circumstance in our lives, opening up insights.  And the same parable, heard at different times, will bring different reflections, or add a different kind of light to yet another detail that becomes important at that time.  All of this is related to how we see and how we hear spiritually, related to our capacity to open hearts and minds to the truths Christ is telling us, to His word, and to Him.  The parables invite us to open our hearts to the deeper truths hidden in the simple stories of every day life for an agrarian society, where planting, sowing, and harvesting were familiar to everyone.  But today's story of the wheat and the weeds give us additional characteristics to notice in the context of Christ's disputes with the Pharisees and scribes.  They teach us that it's important to pay attention, that we're responsible for the truths we're offered.  It also teaches us that we need to look closely, to discern, to be aware of what is truth and what is a half-truth, and not to be complacent or apathetic.  If our digestion depends upon looking closely at the difference in a crop of grain, then we need to think about what our minds will "digest" and about the outcome of something good and nutritious or something that really doesn't feed us well.  Jesus gives us the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (or Weeds) to teach us that we need to look closely, to evaluate what we see and hear, and to hold firmly to the truth He gives, because it is the standard by which we judge what else is offered.  St. Paul writes, "All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify" (1 Corinthians 10:23).  We might start with this understanding of discernment, if only to grasp that what sounds good on the surface might not actually be helpful or good.  The parables teach us that Christ wants those who will be awake and alert to the spiritual truths He gives us, and also for us to be paying attention.  Those who respond care enough about what He offers to open our minds to His truth, and grasp it well enough to separate truth from misleading appearances.  Let us not be asleep or apathetic to what goes on around us.

 

 

 

 

The servants said to him, "Do you want us then to go and gather them up?" But he said, "No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them"

 

 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 up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the 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 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus explained the parable of the Sower (see earlier readings from Tuesday and Wednesday):   "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

  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 up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the 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 comments that this parable builds on the previous parable of the sower.  Here, it says, Christ gives attention to the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.   As falsehood came after truth and false prophets came after the true prophets, so also the Antichrist will come after Christ.  The weeds first appear similar to wheat in this parable -- and so the devil crafts lies to resemble the truth.   That the devil sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic, my study Bible adds.  This parable also explains why the Church neither condemns nominal members, nor judges those outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  As wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, there are those who might ultimately find salvation but would be otherwise lost if condemned before the judgment of Christ. 

 

 Today's parable given by Christ seems to round out some of the recent teachings we've read in the Gospel of Matthew lately.  There has been a lot of emphasis by Christ on where our hearts are, on the importance of loving God past the minimum, so to speak, and past the kind of legalism of the Pharisees that couldn't see the spirit of the law for the letter.  Most recently, we've been introduced to parables through the parable of the Sower, speaking about Christ's word that He sows among us and what we do with it, what kind of ground it falls upon in us, how it's nurtured, or not.  We've focused on faith and our endurance in faith.  But here there's another fullness offered that takes us into a new dimension about faith, and that is how important it is that it not be "rooted out" by putting too fine a point on perfection.  Every care must be taken so that those who do have faith are nurtured as much as possible, even to the point of tolerating the seeds of the enemy if that is necessary in order to prove the faithful.  It's a reminder of the story in Genesis about Abraham's dialogue with God in Genesis 18:16-33.  This is the story in which God reveals a plan to bring justice to Sodom and Gomorrah.  But Abraham starts questioning God first:  "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?"  When God indicates that would work to spare the city, Abraham begins to bargain:  "Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?"  When the answer comes that God would spare the city, Abraham bargains God all the way down to but ten righteous people, and for those ten God would also spare the city.  So in this story about refraining from uprooting the unrighteous for the sake of the faithful, we also get a similar answer that teaches us about the preciousness of faith -- or perhaps we should say, the preciousness of faithful people.  Clearly, to God, these precious faithful are worthy of sparing all for their sake.  When we get impatient with the world for the things we see that we feel are wrong, we should take heart and ponder this story.  What, really, would our lives be like if we all got instant justice?  Have there been times when you have made a mistake, or lapsed in your faith?   At the present stage of my life, my mistakes are uncountable, and the things I once believed that I now think were wrong are also uncountable and past my memory capacities!  In short, we should be thankful for God patience, and the mercy that gives us more time and a space to reconsider.  Life may seem at times very difficult because of all the wrong things we see in the world, the things that make people's lives difficult and harsh, the wicked and evil things people can do to one another.  But God has a wisdom and a foresight beyond our own, and we should be thankful for that mercy, and the breathing space to grow and come to maturity.  Above all, we should understand this as a way to nurture the faithful, for real justice might also shock us for the things we don't know and are hidden from our understanding.  Let us be grateful for the wisdom of God, and the judgment that comes in the fullness of time, and not before it.

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

 

 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 up 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 

 

In chapter 13, Jesus has begun to speak to the multitudes in parables.  He began with the parable of the Sower.   Then the disciples asked Him why He speaks in parables, and He explained His use of parables to them.  Finally, in yesterday's reading, He explained to the disciples meaning of the parable of the Sower.  He taught them,  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

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 up 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."'"  This is called the parable of the Wheat and the Tares.  It builds on the previous parable of the Sower (see above).  Tares are a kind of weed that resembles wheat.  My study Bible comments that here Christ gives attention to the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.  As falsehood came after truth and false prophets came after the true prophets, my study Bible says, so the Antichrist will come after Christ.  Just as the weeds first appear to be similar to the wheat, so the devil fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  That the devil sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  The parable also explains why the Church neither condemns nominal members, nor judges those outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  Just as wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, many people who might ultimately find salvation would otherwise be lost if condemned before Christ's judgment.  

Let's note that Jesus prefaces His parable (and subsequent parables) with "The kingdom of heaven is like . . .."   He's indicating that He is teaching about the reality of the Kingdom He brings into the world, and what we read in the Gospels is, in fact, the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.  That is, it is the great announcement to the world about the reality of this Kingdom that He brings.  The word translated as "gospel" was already in use long before it was used for the message of Jesus.  "Gospels" or εὐαγγέλια/evangelia in the Greek were announcements made about kingdoms in the worldly sense, such as the announcement of Caesar, what great military victories he had, and what great things he would do for the world.  So this announcement is about another Kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, and what that kingdom is like, what it will bring into the world and to its nominal members.  In today's reading, Jesus teaches us about the good crop, and the seed sown by an enemy.  My study Bible offers two different perspectives on this parable, as the Church and her theologians have come to view and to understand various meanings.  One thing is clear, that the distinction between these two types of fruit or crop is hard for human beings to make.  The tares only are truly understood in their effects:  a weed which is not good for human consumption.  In this sense, we can compare it, as my study Bible does, to word and truth that Christ teaches; heresy (as the most effective and misleading lies do) resembles truth in some sense.  Often something that sounds good turns out to be anything but.  We need the experience of spiritual understanding to comprehend the difference.  My study Bible points out that Jesus says the seed of the enemy was sown "while men slept" -- that is, when we are apathetic or not paying attention.  Sometimes we're taught not to pay attention, because it's more convenient.  An acceptable lie doesn't seem to make waves, when the truth just might ask us for something different, or demand our attention in ways that are uncomfortable.  What is clear from the parable is the difficulty of sorting the false from the true, and how the false resembles the true, but is actually sown by an enemy, one with bad intent.  But clearly true judgment comes at the time of the harvest, a metaphor for the judgment that is to come.  If we understand "seed" to be the word (as expressed in the parable of the Sower), then we also might come to understand that the spiritual fruits we produce depends upon what kind of seed is sown in the heart, and takes root within ourselves.  Thus our own diligence becomes more significant; that is, our wakefulness and alertness to what is true and what is false, our own concern as opposed to apathy.  Let us notice how Jesus' parable illustrates at once a principle of tolerance and also of discernment.  The weeds and wheat will grow together until the time of the harvest, so as not to disturb the good wheat.  At that time it will be the job of the reapers to separate them.  But it is up to us to understand the parable and develop a watchfulness about what is actually harmful, but looks like good wheat.  Elsewhere Jesus has taught us that we shall know "by their fruits" (Matthew 7:15-20).   Let us learn from His teaching.

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.