Farming 2.0 a week late.
This is the sermon from July 20 that I preached at Bethel Lutheran Church. I got behind in posting as I prepare for surgery on my rotator cuff tomorrow. Last week besides trying to get office things in order and worship preperation for several weeks' out, there were numerous pre-op things that needed doing.
The text is Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
The text is Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
Last week I admitted my lack
of skill when it comes to growing plants. I have a black thumb rather than a
green thumb. I have another confession to make. I have a hard time telling
weeds from plants and flowers. After all, some of the weeds are beautiful and
look like something you might want to keep in a garden. And some plants don’t
look as beautiful as the weeds. After all, are the wildflowers we see growing
in fields along the side of the road weeds or flowers?
In last week’s gospel, we
heard about different types of dirt and how the planted seeds were affected by
the ground in which they were planted. That was Farming 1.0. Today, the issue
is that of wheat and weeds that look alike in the early stages of growth or
Farming 2.0.
There are several astonishing
things about this parable that would have made the hearers of it scratch their
heads. First, as we find out later in the story, the sower is a wealthy man of
status who has slaves to do his work. Does it seem a bit odd that the
householder himself should be the one sowing the seed into his field rather
than the slaves doing it?
Nevertheless, the seeds are
planted, but then there’s a problem. There are weeds in the garden.
What’s our response when we
see weeds growing in our gardens? “Pull them out” or “Quick get the Round Up!”
However, the master told his slaves to leave the weeds alone. That too seems a
bit odd. It was a common practice to uproot weeds before the roots got
entangled with the wheat. That makes sense, except the type of weed in this
parable is darnel, which was nearly impossible to distinguish from wheat in the
early stages of growth.
Darnel is organically
related to wheat and is also known as “cheatgrass” or “false wheat.” It has a
vigorous root system, which spreads deeply and widely, intermixing its roots
with the roots of the wheat and greedily sucking up the water and nutrients of
the soil. Darnel produces bad fruit and bad seeds which can kill humans and
other animals. If you are a farmer, you really want to separate out this weed
from the wheat. However, by the time the difference between the wheat and
darnel could be seen, it was already too late. At this point, uprooting the
weeds would damage the wheat.
Once the wheat and darnel
had fully matured, they were easily distinguished from each other. Reapers
would gather the darnel, which could be burned as fuel. Then the wheat would be
gathered into sheaves to be transported to the threshing floor.
In talking about seed, wheat
and weeds, Jesus was not teaching a course on farming, but was speaking
allegorically. Jesus again is the sower of the good seed as he was in last
week’s parable. However, rather than the seed being the word, the good seed is
the children of the kingdom, believers in Jesus. The wheat and weeds are
people. The task of judging between good and evil belongs to Christ. We are not
to judge, but rather work at reconciliation and to forgive. That is why the
Master directed his workers not to remove the weeds. The householder cared so
much about the wheat that he did not want any of it to be damaged.
Sowing describes Jesus’
ministry of proclamation and demonstration of God’s empire and saving presence.
The image of slaves is one Jesus used to describe his disciples earlier in
Matthew’s gospel (10:24-25).
This is a parable about a
field—the world, the church, ourselves. It is about a collective experience.
There is always an inseparable mixture of good and bad, wheat and weeds together.
We should not expect that God is going to come and take out all the bad things
and make everything and everyone completely good and pure. That is reserved for
the last day and is not something we will see in this lifetime. This is not to
say that God doesn’t change hearts and turn weeds into wheat and make the wheat
mixed with weeds wheatier.
Jesus identified the field
as the world, which was the realm of everyday political, economic, social and
religious life. At that time, it was dominated by Roman imperial power. Jesus’
sowing of the good seed concerned another empire, the kingdom of God, which
worshipped a different king and God. Jesus formed the distinct community of his
followers right in the middle of the weeds of the Roman Empire.
Don’t we find ourselves in a
similar situation today? We struggle with choices we have to make like deciding
between: getting a job to support our family or staying at home to spend more
time with the family; or between supporting someone who struggles at work and pulls
down the quality of our team or firing that person; or between the best school
your child has been accepted to or one that is affordable; or between two
different treatment options for a severe illness; or between giving into peer
pressure because you can’t stand being left out or choosing to stick to your
values and risk isolation. You get the idea.
So…are we wheat or weeds?
The answer is “Yes.” We as a church and individually are both. It goes back to
Luther’s teaching about us being simultaneously sinners and saints.
What makes us weedy? How
about when we are upset with someone because of something they have done and we
won’t forgive them. Sometimes the person is unaware of having done anything
hurtful. Another is talking behind
someone’s back when we’re upset with them. Scripture tells us to go to the
person who has offended us and make it right with that person. Then if the
person will not listen, we should bring others into the situation.
What makes us wheatier?
Spend time in the presence of God in prayer and reading scripture. You know how
good friends or couples become more alike the more time they spend
together?...the more time we spend listening to God’s voice and in fellowship
with him and one another, the more we become like Jesus. We get wheatier!
Sharing our faith with others is another way to get wheatier. We should not
keep the good gifts and blessings of God to ourselves! We become wheatier,
healthier Christians through the bread and cup of the Eucharist as well.
We are a mixed bag of wheat
and weeds, much the way we were one or more types of soil last week. We cannot
so easily divide the world into Christians (the righteous) and non-Christians
(evil doers). “Both the Gospel and our experience tell us that such categories
are fluid, co-existent, and difficult to discern at best” (David Lose). Earlier
in Matthew, Jesus declared that his family was composed of those who do “the
will of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 12:50). That description could include a
wide and surprising variety of people. Do we always do the will of the Father?
No.
We are tempted to judge
others though, aren’t we? Aren’t we pretty sure where some will spend their
eternity because they don’t act like we think they should act?
Our presence and job in this
world is not one to eradicate evil wherever we see it. God is the judge. At the
end of the age, the Son of Man will send his angels to collect evil doers.
Remember, God is God and we are not. The final victory belongs to God despite
all appearances. God will bring history to a close with justice and the saints
will be freed from abuse and oppression. This is good news.
This parable is not a
threatening word, but a comforting word. What a relief that God does not call
us to judge all the peoples of the world.
What is God calling us to?
God is calling us to be: to be wheat rather than weeds, to BE the good in the
world, fully aware of how we will be resisted, to live the Gospel, to be the
light when the darkness seems overwhelming, to be the salt when blandness and
conformity are the easier paths.
Do you hear the promise, the
good news in this parable? In confusing, challenging situations, we have the
promise that God will sort things out. Think of yourself as the field. At the
harvest, the weeds in us are removed and what is wheat in us is gathered into
God’s care and keeping.
Let our growth be that of
moving from being weeds to being wheat.
Let us pray:
Dear Lord, our lives are colored by ambiguity and we do
not always know the right or best thing to do. But we do know that your love is
guiding us and that you have called us to live as your people in the world.
When we face hard choices, give us eyes to see the best path forward and the
courage to follow it. When we make mistakes, forgive us. When we are hurt by
our choices, comfort us. When we hurt others, help us to reach out to them in
love. And above and beyond all these decisions, remind us that you still love
us and call us back to this place that we may be forgiven, renewed, called, and
sent forth once more as your beloved children. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
(David Lose)
Resources:
M. Eugene Boring, The New Interpreter’s Bible, Volume
VIII: Matthew.
Fred B. Craddock, Preaching Through the Christian Year
A.
Intervarsity Press Commentaries
Karoline Lewis, http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=3285
Rev. Nanette Sawyer, Greedy Weeds,
questionthetext.com
Comments