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 yesterday's reading, Jesus gave the explanation of the parable of the Sower to His disciples.  He told 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." ' "  My study Bible comments that this parable builds upon the previous parable of the sower.  Here Jesus gives attention to the enemy, who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.  We should make clear what a tare is: it is a kind of semi-wild plant, a weed that looks like wheat, but it is very difficult for human beings to digest, toxic, and therefore unfit for consumption.   (Some suggest it is darnel.)  My study Bible explains 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 his lies to resemble the truth.  That the devil sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  Additionally, my study Bible comments that this parable explains why the Church does not condemn nominal members, and neither does it judge those who are 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. 

 

Interestingly, there's another aspect about the type of weed described in today's parable that serves as a metaphor for heresy, and that is that this crop which looks like wheat acts like a kind of parasite.  Its seeds survive by growing among wheat, and falling into wheat harvests.  According to the article cited above, because of modern harvesting techniques, this weed has virtually been eliminated in most of the developed world, but still exists among wheat crops elsewhere.  Church Fathers have long described evil or the demonic as parasitical, as that which does not have true value or substance, but is sustained nonetheless in creation until the end of the age and the judgment of Christ.  Thus, we have another important parallel to the parable.  It's essential also that we understand that so often lies are half-truths, misleading statements or beliefs disguised as truth and given for human "consumption."  In fact, half-truths are also lies.  Like the weeds or tares in the parable, they resemble truth, but they deceive.  They act parasitically among those who would seek true faith, misleading and deterring others from finding Christ who seek Him.  This is why, throughout the history of the Church, Councils were called to debate theological questions, and to identify heresy so that people would be aware of them and understand the falsehood embodied therein.  Just as children from time immemorial have been warned of the dangers of seduction of various kinds, of evil intent lurking in a welcoming disguise, so lies and half-truths are things we need to be wary of -- to understand and to avoid because of their consequences.  We live in a modern world in which there are many good things seemingly promised by false or misleading values.  Consumption of every ostensibly good material thing doesn't necessarily fill the soul with happiness; wealth is useful but it doesn't suffice for the things that come only from God that feed the soul.  Nothing substitutes for our path to God, and yet heresies, lies, and half-truths would deter us with false promises.  "Enter by the narrow gate," Jesus taught, "for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it" (Matthew 7:13).  Perhaps the representation of false promises is best illustrated in addiction of all kinds, wherein whatever the addictive substance -- be it drugs or gambling or another type of consumption -- seems to promise comfort, or something good.  And yet it leads to a kind of slavery, a hell of its own (see John 8:34).  These are the weeds that grow among the wheat, the things that distract us from what is for our own true good.  Of course, this parable is one that also illustrates judgment, the understanding that we live with the wicked or evil, like "sheep in the midst of wolves," and in this light also serves to make us aware that we need discernment and caution in life ("be wise as serpents and harmless as doves"; Matthew 10:16).   Jesus will offer us an explanation of this parable a bit further along in chapter 13, so readers will be able to understand what He teaches the disciples about it.  Let us for now simply think for ourselves that the picture Jesus paints of our lives and our world is one in which we are not going to have a life that is "perfect" in the sense that all enemies or all bad or evil things will no longer exist.  On the contrary, He's calling us -- perhaps alerting us together with the disciples -- to the lives we're called to live in His name, and by following His word, the good seed.  Our calling is to live as His followers in this world, the one He paints through this illustration of the parable in today's reading.  We are called to an awareness of ourselves, who we are as His followers, and what He asks us to produce, even in the midst of life in which we grow side by side with tares, the bad weed that resembles the good wheat.  The kingdom of heaven has given us the good seed.  It's ours to make the best of it by cultivating the good crops it may produce in us, despite the tares. 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father

 

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 13:36-43 

 

In chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has introduced parables in His preaching to the multitudes (beginning with the reading from Tuesday last week).  He taught the parable of the Sower, then gave an explanation for why He speaks in parables to the disciples, as well as an explanation of the parable of the Sower.  Then He taught the parable of the Wheat and the Tares.  On Saturday, Jesus taught the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  All of these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."

 

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear!"  In the reading from Friday, we reported my study Bible's lengthy note on this parable.  One thing we can note clearly about this parable is the way Jesus refers to seeds as that which produce the ultimate fruits that identify what kind of plant grows.  That is, since He explains this as a parable about human beings, we understand sons here to refer to the children, or fruits, that spring from the seed.  What that implies for each one of us is that whichever kind of "seed" we allow to be planted within ourselves (that is, in Scriptural language, the ground of the heart), what is produced for us becomes identity.  If the "bad seed" is implanted in ourselves, we grow to become sons of the wicked one, in Jesus' language.  The good seeds of the Son of Man grow sons of the kingdom.  We are ultimately malleable, in Jesus' imagery, and what we take in determines who we become.  Let us be aware that the language implies inheritance, and those who are members of a particular house:  sons is meant for all of us, of any gender, as it gives us a sense of identity or name of a house to which we belong and which we carry with ourselves.  The idea of identity is similar to what we find in the teaching of St. Paul on sexual immorality.  Just as Jesus says here that the seed we take in and harbor determines whether we are sons of the kingdom or sons of the wicked one, so St. Paul teaches that with what or whom we associate in the body also creates identity for us (see 1 Corinthians 6:12-20).   In this context, we must recognize that we are united with Christ in Baptism.  So there is a sense of the plasticity or malleability of identity that is important in these teachings.  Our identity is not rooted in some permanent sort of fixture that never changes, and neither should our sense of inheritance be so either.  The Gospels stress repeatedly that it is not enough to be descended from illustrious forbears to take on the identity of those righteous people; what is essential is that we be like them, we do as they did.  Using similar imagery from agriculture, John the Baptist preached to the multitudes:  "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  In our modern lives there is a great deal of emphasis and interest in ancestry and genetic codes.  This gives us a type of orientation that would seem to imply that identity is not malleable or changeable, but fixed.  But in the viewpoint of Scripture, even the body is subject to that with which we interact, the things with which we choose to feed ourselves, whether we speak of something physical, emotional, spiritual, mental.  We need to understand that what we choose to dwell upon or spend time upon can become a part of identity, forming and shaping the self.  What we choose to admire or idolize makes a difference.  Let us take seriously this repeated understanding that we grow to be "like" that with which we feed ourselves, what we take in and focus on, and consider how a garden or farm needs constant work, pruning, uprooting of what we don't want, and vigilance to remain in its most beautiful and healthy state.  

 

 

 

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.

Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field

Trinity or The Hospitality of Abraham by Andrei Rublev.  1411 or 1425-27.  Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 13:36-43

We have been reading through chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel, in which Jesus begins to preach in parables.  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Jesus taught this parable of the wheat and the tares in the reading for Friday of last week.   It built upon the parable of the sower, the first parable given by Christ.  In chapter 13, Jesus is teaching in this new way, now that the crowds are so large there are many who come simply from curiosity, because His ministry has reached such proportions and is so well known.  But in private, He explains the parables to His disciples.  First He explained why He was teaching in parables, and then He explained the parable of the sower to them.  Here in today's reading, He explains in private this second parable given, that of the wheat and the tares, in which the tares are weeds that resemble the wheat, but which fool the eye, as they are not edible nor nourishing as the wheat.

If we think about wheat, we get an important image for the Gospels.  This is the image of the Eucharist, as the Eucharist is fashioned from wheat -- through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, traditional faith teaches us that Christ is present for us in the Eucharist.  Communion, then, is an image of the Incarnation of Christ, in which the divine Son becomes incarnate human being as Jesus, and walks among us to give us the word.  Many early Church Fathers have given us the understanding that the Incarnation itself happened so that God could make the offer to us that we might become more "like God."  St. Clement of Alexandria writes, "Yea, I say, the Word of God became a man so that you might learn from a man how to become a god" (Exhortation to the Greeks, 1).  So prevalent was this understanding among the early Fathers of the Church, that it forms the very foundation of the Councils that were to come, and thus the basis for our faith.  In the image of the wheat and weeds, Jesus gives us a prefiguring sense of the importance of the word He brings, and in its explanation to the disciples He emphasizes the difference between those who would be sons of the kingdom and those who would be sons of the evil one.  Both grow together in our world, and this is the state of the world.  But in this parable He gives us an image of the final judgment, what is important to God, and the manifestation of the Kingdom.  There is a discernment to be made, a judgment which will come at the end of the age, a lifetime to walk a walk in which we attempt to find true communion with Christ through His word, and be a "son of the kingdom."  The end of the age is an eschatological image which is simply too far away for us to really comprehend or even know what it is about or will look like.  But nevertheless, Jesus introduces the disciples (and us) to this understanding for a reason.  He gives us not simply a choice, but a path, a "way." (When Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" in John 14:6, that word for way in Greek also means "road.")   In this parable and its explanation, Jesus is giving us a sense of the great difference the interior choice and orientation makes, whether our communion is with God through Christ, so that we may become more "God-like" as "sons [meaning heirs] of the kingdom" or whether we are separate from such a true path.  All the value and worth, as given in the images in this parable, is in being that good wheat, that which will form this communion with God, and grow us as children of the kingdom.  That which we love, that with which we seek union, is that which we will become.  This is a clear and consistent understanding of the teachings of Christ.  While the day of judgment and the end of the age may be things so far away from us that we are not even capable of imagining or fully understanding them, nevertheless our present lives in the here and the now have meaning.  Every little step, the internal choices we make, are important enough to Christ that He would give us this parable and its vivid imagery to think about.  What do we love?  Do we take His word into our hearts?  Does Communion as a concept mean something to you?  In the image of the Eucharist, do you find the food that encourages you to "take in" His seed and to become more like Him, a "son of the kingdom"?  Each of these images brings us closer to the understanding that what it is we love in our hearts forms a kind of orientation and choice that may be a basis for every other thing we choose.  We can always stop to pray for God's will for us.  We can always pause to consider our love for God and remembrance of God.  We can honor God with love in our hearts.  We can learn to live, in the simplest moment, in a way that honors this choice in the heart, this basic orientation of identity.  The way that Jesus puts it, it little matters what everyone else is doing all around us, what we find that will distract us from this orientation, and all the ways that others don't necessarily care anything at all about it.  Nevertheless, we are assured through His interpretation of the parable that the small cares of the heart do indeed make a great deal of difference -- in fact, all of the difference to Him and to the angels of heaven, the kingdom He plans.  What we need to understand from the parable is that this end of the age which Jesus foresees is made up of the small moments of our lives.   Each moment may seem insignificant, even our lives may seem so.  We might be frequently tempted to ask what difference our particular lives make, unless we're convinced we're "important" in some worldly sense.  But it is not so to Christ, for the good wheat is that very thing which will make up His kingdom.  When we're tempted to think our momentary choices don't matter, let us remember this parable and the love that He asks us to return.  It is in that communion that His kingdom is built, His word or seed takes root, and upon which even the end of the age will rest.   We may stop to wonder why the Gospel gives us the explanation of this parable after Jesus has told two more (see Saturday's reading, above), the parable of the mustard seed and that of the leaven.  In the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus teaches about the tiniest seed that grows into a tree which harbors "birds of the air," an image of angels.  The icon above is an image of the hospitality of Abraham, in which he "entertained angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:1-2).   This is also known as an icon, or image, of the Holy Trinity.  The story of Abraham, too, is a story of judgment and the action of angels, a teaching about intercession, of small acts of hospitality, and of the power of even a single faithful person (see Genesis 18).  Angels figure in today's reading prominently, as those who will reap the harvest at the end of the age.  Let us understand the power of the smallest choice in the "smallest" of lives, which may truly harbor angels "unawares."  It does indeed, in the images of Christ and the teachings of Scripture, make a great deal of difference -- all the difference in the world.

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.

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 yesterday's reading, Jesus explained to His disciples the parable of the Sower (given in Tuesday's reading).   He said, "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."'"  My study bible says that this parable builds on the previous parable of the sower (see Tuesday's reading).   The focus here is on 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 (see Jesus' warning at 7:15-20), so the Antichrist will come after Christ.  Just as the weeds first appear similar to wheat, so the devil fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  As the devil sows while men slept, we are to understand that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  It gives us an important example, also, why the Church does not condemn nominal members, nor does it judge those who are outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  As wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, many people who may ultimately find salvation would otherwise be lost if they were condemned before Christ's judgment.

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus indicated the presence of the wicked one, who comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  Here, my study bible says, in this next parable that He gives, He emphasizes the work of the enemy, the wicked one.  The significant thing to notice here is the emphasis on truth, the truth that is in the word that is sown.  Tares are plants that resemble the wheat, but don't produce the grain that nourishes people.  The resemblance is meaningful, because this is the way that falsehood works.   In this description found here in the parable, Jesus teaches us that the difference between truth and falsehood -- and even goodness and evil -- isn't often a glaring and obvious contrast.  Rather, the parable teaches that truth and falsehood closely resemble one another.  Unless one is alert and aware, telling them apart is something we won't be able to do.  Again, as my study bible pointed out, we notice that the tares were sown by the enemy while men slept.  As we learn frequently throughout our lives, what sounds good doesn't always turn out to be so.  It's important to think about this parable in the context of the history of the Church that was to follow in the centuries after Christ, and the many universal Councils that were held to decide matters of doctrine and heresy.  Those were attended by hundreds of bishops; no matter of truth was insignificant.  To modern ears, many times the issues of heresy that were discussed at these Councils can seem to be details or even irrelevant, but that is also a falsehood.  Those "details" make all the difference in terms of what our faith means for us, and how salvation works in us.  While we may think of the wicked one, or of evil itself as something glaring and horrible, completely noticeable to everyone, we delude ourselves with a false assurance that we would know it when we see it.  In Jesus' parable, the wicked one comes while we're sleeping, not in obvious ways.  The tares resemble the wheat, and furthermore they are sown so closely within the field that it is impossible to separate them without damaging the wheat.  The subtlety of this process is exceptionally remarkable, something we are meant to notice and be well aware of.  What is false is not necessarily easy to spot.  It creeps in while we sleep, or are unaware.  The falsehoods produced really closely resemble the good things we need for nurturing and for life.  This isn't an easy task to discern the difference.  Nor are the tares going to be removed; instead truth and falsehood live side by side, intermingled in our lives.  If we're looking for evil, we won't find it in obvious ways.  Instead, Jesus teaches us throughout the Gospel -- and especially as the time of His ministry comes ever closer to the Crucifixion -- that our work as good servants is to be awake, alert, ready for His Return.  We are always to be vigilant about doing the things that we know He wants us to be doing, the work of good servants.  We're to be mindful at all times of Who we serve and what that means we live in our lives, our awareness of Him should accompany all our choices.  We will be distracted by all the tares that are always with us until the harvest.  Let us remember how we are to focus, and keep His word in mind at all times.

Let both grow together until the harvest

 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 Jesus' words to the Pharisees, as He continued to rebuke them for their blasphemy of the Spirit (Tuesday's reading), after they accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub.   (See Wednesday's reading also for the substance of His rebuke to them.)   He said, "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."

The lectionary skips over Matthew 13:1-23, as Jesus introduces preaching in parables into His ministry.  In this passage, Jesus tells the crowds the parable of the Sower, also explaining in private to His disciples the meaning of the parable and why He has begun preaching in this style.   He gives us the understanding that the struggle for faith is an individual one;  He is the sower who sows the seeds, but faith depends on the "ground" within us upon which those seeds fall.  Parables are "word-pictures," taking images from every day life and giving people truths about spiritual life.  As we can see from yesterday's reading, above, Jesus speaks of the heart and the condition of the heart.  Parables teach truths hidden in stories; for some, spiritual mysteries may be revealed, for others it is not so.  Everything depends on the condition of the inner ground of the heart.  The parable of the Sower tells us of the things which get in the way of the progress of our faith, giving us universal examples of the things which may hold us back or help.  It's a turning point in the ministry, along with His rejection by the Pharisees and His statement that "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."'"  This parable builds on the parable of the Sower.  But here Jesus shifts the attention from the condition of the heart of the listener 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 true prophets, so the Antichrist will come after Christ.  Tares are a kind of wild plant (a weed) that closely resembles wheat; so the devils fashions lies and sophistries which resemble the truth.  My study bible says that as the devil sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  It adds that this parable explains why the Church does not condemn nominal members, nor does it judge those outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  Just as the wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also many who might ultimately find salvation would ultimately be lost if they would to be condemned before Christ's judgment.  We are reminded, in a certain sense, that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus preached that God "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (5:45).

Jesus is really introducing a new way of thinking here.  Salvation and faith are not about which "people" one nominally belongs to, which nation one is a part of.  His faith is to go out to all of the world, and His community -- even His kin, His family -- will be those consisting of "whoever does the will of My Father in heaven."  He makes it clear also that there will be enemies of His truth, enemies of this faith, even enemies in the spiritual realm, influencing the journey of faith.  These weeds or tares will be another obstacle to faith, the sophistries that will abound even as His truth is preached.  And this is the condition of our lives and of the world for which we must be prepared and which we must accept as part of the journey, part of our lives.  In the view that Jesus gives us, there is no such thing as a worldly place that is "pure," in the sense that there will be no struggle against heresy and sophistry, the things which are spiritually misleading.  It is a clear indication that our jobs are not to judge everyone else nor to in some ways eliminate those who think differently, but rather an emphasis on our own capacity and responsibility in a world that offers us struggles and obstacles, in which there are forces that wage a kind of spiritual battle for human hearts and minds.  It also reminds us of Judgment, which comes at the end of the age -- not our jobs, but God's.  It emphasizes the focus on care of the heart, on our own struggles to discern truth from falsehood, and the importance of teaching as given by the example of Christ Himself:  fearless in teaching the truth, but not working through manipulation.  What is essential here is our notion of purity; we're not going to live in a pure or perfect world.  What we do seek is "purity of heart" -- a love of God in our depths, and a constant work at our faith which is a journey, the journey of a lifetime.  Christ calls from us awareness, self-consciousness, a work at discernment, remaining awake and alert for the Master's return.  This is the setting of the world, and our place, our job, in it.  We're to be good servants and stewards, nurturing and guarding our hearts and minds and helping others to do so through that struggle for faith.   In that struggle, we always have His love and and presence with us, His Helper the Spirit, our prayers to the Father.