In June, we introduce a new series on Jesus’ parables. Jesus often described his kingdom using parables. For each of the next seven issues, we will discuss a different parable. We’ll explore questions like: What does this parable reveal about the kingdom? What does it tell us about the role of the Church in the kingdom?
Read the parable of the sower article here.
By Al Kurzawa, Pastor
Morwell and Seaford, Victoria, Australia
Did God leave us anything to do?
Have you ever volunteered and shown up to the job ready with gloves and tools in hand, only to find out that the work was already completed? You’ve set aside time to help only to be told to relax because everything is already done. The parable of the weeds (Matthew 13:24–30) and Jesus’ explanation of the parable (verses 36–43) can leave us feeling this way after our first read through. A quick recap shows who does all the action in this parable and it’s not us. We find Jesus has already sown the good seeds, the enemy has sown the weeds, the servants ask a couple of questions, and in the end the harvesters (the angels) collect the weeds at harvest and burn them. If we assume we are the good seeds, the people of the kingdom, we are left with only two passive things to do: shine like the sun and whoever has ears, let them hear. I guess we all got dressed up in our overalls for nothing!
In most of Jesus’ parables, there is an “aha!” moment after we have spent some time wrestling with it. Following some rough and tumble grappling we find in this parable both the good news of the kingdom and a formidable and challenging opportunity for us as citizens of that kingdom. The good news is that the Son of Man has sown the good seed, and he has sown that good seed throughout the entire world.
Between the parable of the weeds and its explanation are the parables of the mustard seed and yeast which clue us in that the kingdom can seem small and hidden, but it is always growing and permeating the entire world. This is a good reminder that it is not for us to judge or decide who is or is not a citizen of the kingdom. The wheat and weeds are so similar and intertwined that we can do much damage if we try to make those judgements when God has told us he is the one that will take care of the sifting. We are to serve all our neighbors, all those we encounter, as good seed that has been sown by God. All humans are made in the image of God.
Even though most of the action seems to have been performed by others in this parable, the Son of Man does give us something to do. And this action is a lot tougher than it first appears. The man tells his servants, “Let both grow together until the harvest.” Let’s geek out on the Greek for a minute. The word “let” in this passage in the Greek can mean permit, suffer, let, or forgive.[i] Let them grow together or possibly suffer together. How does it challenge us when we think of it as “suffer together?” Is this the call to action in this parable for us as citizens? If we love our neighbor as our self, if we love one another as Jesus loved us, if we pray for our enemies, if we live as the beloved children of God, then at times we will experience suffering in this lifetime.
We may be experiencing suffering right now. When we open ourselves up to serving others, caring for others’ needs, loving others, then we also allow ourselves to be vulnerable and open to suffering. Here we were thinking all the hard work was done with the seeds already being planted and the angels taking care of the harvest! But we find in this simple term, “let, permit, suffer together,” our calling and challenge as citizens of the kingdom as we participate in Jesus’ mission to the world by serving those around us.
We are comforted knowing the kingdom will reach its fullness and the harvest will come. Jesus assures us that through our suffering and our participation in his plan of “let them grow together,” God is at work in mysterious ways that only He can accomplish. Our acts of service and our shared suffering for the kingdom will be transformed into moments of glory that will shine like the sun in the fullness of the kingdom. He who has ears, let him hear.
[i] William D. Mounce, Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament. Accordance electronic edition, version 4.6. Altamonte Springs: OakTree Software, 2011. See also Robert Farrar Capon, Parables of Kingdom, Grace, and Judgement. (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company), 90ff.
Dear Pastor Kurzawa, thank you for this thoughtful blog. Trusting Jesus and the angels to do the harvest work frees me to grow/suffer with my fellow humans. The Holy Spirit enables me to participate with Jesus in loving, trusting, and rejoicing with others, regardless of life’s circumstances.