There is a startling parable in today’s gospel,* valuing weeds and seeds. It follows the parable of the Good Sower, also about seeds, but with more focus on the soil, the ground that does or does not help the seeds take root. But in this second story, Jesus is clear about the good seeds and the bad weeds and how they need to grow together. Clearly, he says the weeds must not be pulled, however bad they are. Why? Because the good plants might come up, too.
As I look at my July garden, the weeds are in full strength and seem to grow faster, and more dominant, every day. It is a daily struggle of provocation. I want them OUT. And I feel guilty when I procrastinate, and they take over. The weeds are right in my face, now also provoking questions about Jesus’ teaching.
Apparently protecting the life produced by the good “seeds,” the beloved children of God, is the Creator’s first priority. Jesus insists, they must not be uprooted. No matter how the evil weeds thrive, their destruction is not worth the risk of sacrificing the precious life of the good. The lives of the beloved, deeply rooted in divine love, will eventually be harvested, whatever threats they must endure in the world. In the end, at that angelic harvest, the “weeds” of evil will be separated and destroyed.
I am comforted by insistent, persistent protection of Love in this message. The divine commitment to keeping the beloved children safe and their roots undisturbed is non-negotiable, even to the point of allowing evil to grow in the field of the world. These pandemic days, with so much death, anger, fear and violence, evil seems more real than ever. When I lean into the powerful strength of Love’s protection, I move into deeper awareness of divine mystery. And deeper trust.
Other scriptures come to mind. “Even darkness is not dark to you,” the Psalmist wrote. Paul assured the community of Romans that neither death nor life nor anything else can separate you from that protective, indestructible Love. He also encouraged them saying everything works together for good for those devoted to God. These scriptures, among others, cause me to wonder about the mystery of embedded in this parable – the possible value of weeds. They certainly thrive in the world, in obvious and seductive ways. And I know they live in me. I understand the risk and the evil they represent. Yet the question keeps coming, what value might they have?
Right away, it is obvious that there are many kinds of weeds. They provide challenges and provoke clarification. There are many species of alluring temptations, selfish behaviors, abuse of power and control, and insidious paths of darkness. But darkness, we remember in faith, has possibility. It is a place of fecundity and a field for sacred action. For God is in all things.
My prayer is that that a renewal of the daily spiritual practice of examen, or examination of consciousness, will illumine areas of unfreedom seen in the weeds. This goes well with the practice of holding the newspaper in one hand and the Bible in the other hand. Both practices are vital now for personal and community growth, national and global health. Then, new freedom in the Spirit will intensify hope for the righteous to shine in the kin-dom of God. That is the abundant harvest Jesus promises. He says it will come from the field in which seeds and weeds thrive together. For a time.
*Matthew 13:24-30,36-43
–Ann Dean, Dayspring Church
Reflection Questions
- Have you thought about how weeds might be valuable in your life as a
beloved child of God? - What weeds in the world, or in your own soul, might be calling you to
prayer? - Do you have a friend or community to support you in spiritual
discernment?
