Loving God, your patience is sometimes hard for us to grasp, and your mercy always tempers your judgment.  Teach us to trust you in all things, relying on the power of the Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Recently I was shopping for groceries and noticed an interesting scene as I was leaving the store.  An Indigenous couple was also leaving, but they were stopped by two police officers and another man who blocked their way.  I wondered if this was an example of racial profiling, or if they had actually stolen something.  Had they done some harm, or were they just identified as “looking suspicious”?  I had insufficient information to answer these questions.

         In a totally different scenario, remember those Snap Dragons that were handed out on Mother’s Day?...  I planted mine in a flower pot and have been trying to get rid of the weeds around it.  One day I realized that some of the weeds I had pulled had flowers attached to them.  Apparently, some of the greenery that I thought were weeds were actually part of the plant.  Apparently, I am not qualified to determine which plants are weeds and which are not.

         Most of us likely have similar stories of times when there might well be a difference between how we identify people or things and what their true identity might be.  We are not always able to see past the surface in order to sort out the good and the bad.  We see what people look like, and we might see some of their actions, but only God sees the heart.  And only God has the patience to let both weeds and wheat “grow together until the harvest” (Mt. 13:30).

         Today’s parable is one of those where most of us find it just as surprising as those who first heard it.  Whether we have planted a garden or worked the land on a farm, we know what is likely to happen if the weeds are left alone.  Most farmers would never do what the parable suggests for fear of the weeds choking out their crop.  Because of this, it is truly amazing to hear about a farmer who wants to leave the weeds alone and wait until harvest.  This is how Jesus gets our attention.

         Without a doubt, there have been times in the history of the church when people have tried to weed out those who do not belong.  The Spanish Inquisition comes to mind, or even the Salem witch trials.  Pretty soon, almost everybody is under suspicion, as those who are in power attempt to play God.  It is easy to forget that Jesus did not weed out Judas Iscariot, or Peter, or those who would run away, from among his disciples.  Had he done this, there would have been nobody left!

         The reality is that, just as with those first followers of Jesus, most of us are both weeds and wheat.  We are both saint and sinner.  We are capable of doing some really good things by the power of the Holy Spirit, and we are capable of lying and cheating and stealing.  Our judgment is not always good judgment.  We would do well to be careful about pointing the finger at others.

         At the same time, when we pay attention to the Scriptures, there are some times when waiting until the harvest is not appropriate.  In 1 Corinthians, Paul addresses a situation where a man is now living with his father’s wife (5:1).  Whether we call this adultery or incest or simply not right, Paul identifies it as sexual immorality.  In the same chapter, greed, idolatry, stealing, and drunkenness are mentioned as things that were happening in Corinth and do not belong in the body of Christ.  When somebody is openly sinning and hurting others, the situation needs to be addressed.

         In fact, in the gospel of Matthew, an entire process is laid out for what to do if a member of the church sins against you.  It is a process that is intended to result in confession, forgiveness and reconciliation.  However, if the offender remains unrepentant and will not listen to the congregation as a whole and the wisdom of the gathered community, they are to be removed from that congregation (Mt. 18:15-20).  This is not a process to be entered into lightly, and it requires a willingness to forgive from the person who has been wronged.

         In each of these cases, it is actual harm that is being done that is not to be tolerated, and not just “looking suspicious” or a suspicion of guilt.  In the vast majority of cases, we are counseled to allow God to be the judge.  Many of us are impatient, and we want to get right in there and pull those weeds, just like the servants in the parable.  However, God is patient, “not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9) – and only God can see what is in a person’s heart.

         Ultimately, it is good news that God gives us time to grow up into Christ and grow into our baptismal identity as children of God.  For, the one who will judge the living and the dead is the same one who loves us and who gave his life for ours.  For our part, we are invited to put our trust in Jesus, to wait with patience, and to leave the judgment up to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lectionary 16(A)                              Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

July 23, 2023

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2023 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved