By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
….Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
…..“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”
…..He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
(Read Matthew 13:24-30,36-43)
Here is another parable of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is another story of a farmer sowing. And there were two kinds of seeds planted and two sowers planting each kind, one in the dark. The farmer dug the ground and planted his seeds. When that was done, there was nothing more that he could do. So he turned his attention to all other jobs which must be done in his farm. But in the night, his enemy came and planted weeds alongside the good seeds. Both seeds grew and bore grains in the same lot. And Jesus said, “Such shall be the Kingdom of God.”
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This parable was probably told during the first year of the teaching ministry of Jesus. His work had begun, but there were difficulties. Many Jewish religious leaders were against him. Some of the ordinary people followed him because they hoped he could do miracles for them. Even the disciples must have sometimes disappointed – seeing these people who are “pretenders”. Jesus had told them that the Kingdom of God is at hand, repent, and believe in the Gospel. But the way it was going it was doubtful. And it must have been hard to believe that God would one day rule over mankind. The disciples must have become as impatient as some of the people. At that time there were in Palestine movements of nationalist Jews against the Roman colonial government. Some of these people believed that they must openly proclaim God as their ruler and king. But they could only do this if they threw off the authority of the Roman emperor. It was probably in this kind of situation that Jesus told the parables of the kingdom of heaven. In this parable the chief message is: “The seed has now been sown, that is, God has truly began to rule. He really is at work among people in a new way, although you find it hard to believe this, and so with the work of the devil… but everything is under control, God is on top of the situation.”
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Christ compares the church, the people of God, to a field where wheat and weeds grow side by side until the harvest. Only then are the good are separated from the wicked. In the world around us good and bad people mix like wheat and weeds growing in the same field. This prompts the question asked by many upright and impatient believers: Why does God who is good allow evil to flourish? They want to see vice rooted out immediately. Such an attitude too readily forgets that every human heart contains a mixture of good and evil. We are sinful people and should be conscious of our failings. Life is more complicated than drawing clear cut lines between sinners and saints. The church is not an exclusive community of the virtuous. It is here because we are sinners looking for salvation. The patience and tolerance extended by God to our personal sinful situation is to be shown to those whose faults are known to us.
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Recently in the news the International Criminal Court has decided to pursue its investigation on the extrajudicial killings committed during the Duterte administration war on drugs. Former President Rodrigo Duterte and others involved are being investigated by ICC for alleged “crimes against humanity”. While we abhor the evil effects of illegal drugs to the Filipino people, the impunity of how it was conducted resulting to the deaths of thousands is to be condemned. The drug trade is a problem that the public recognize, it was also clear that the Duterte camp hyped up the problem as a key part of its presidential campaign strategy. According to one news columnist, ‘savvy marketing experts projected the Philippines as a near narco state that needed the skills Duterte allegedly demonstrated in Davao to control the drug trade. In any case, the opposition to drug war was based not on its need but on its brutal implementation.’ As a result, thousands were killed by the authorities who acted as judge, jury, and executioner on site. Hence, the ICC accused former president Duterte and his war on drugs implementers of ‘crimes against humanity’. The wicked together with the innocents were weeded out. Judgmentalism has never been the long term solution. Thank God the evil isn’t ripped out. Where would we be if that’s how God worked? In a peculiar image of gardening, Jesus’ cross becomes the hoe. He takes the weeds upon himself.
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But Jesus did not confront the powers of evil with impending judgment. “Let both grow together – until the harvest.” That’s when the judgement occurs. Jesus did not rip out the weeds; neither did he ignore them. Instead, he confronts evil with the reality of a time of accountability. We in the church have been taught lessons of morality; equality, justice, and freedom. What do we do when we see such standards violated? Jesus’ example is instructive. The farmer acknowledges the reality of the weeds. He doesn’t try to rip them out. Neither will he ignore the weeds. Such should be our response to the evil we see. We don’t live in a perfect, ethically pure Christian community or nation. Nor does everyone in our community live their lives in the same way. There are evil forces at work tempting us to take the easy way out, be greedy, hurt someone if we have to, use people to acquire success. We cannot afford to ignore those evil forces as they work in us or in others.
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The emphasis in this parable is on exercising patience and showing tolerance until God makes his great gathering on judgement day. In the meantime, as members of the church, we all share the task of revealing the patience of God by forgiving the faults of others. Many of us will find this challenging, as we may be harsh or judgmental by nature. It’s all so easy to categorize people and pin the label ‘sinner’ on them, forgetting how appearance are so often deceptive.
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As God’s children, we too are sent to the world as sowers commanded by Jesus in the Great Commission: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20). If we are sent to the world to plant, what kind of seed are we sowing? This reminds me of this story circulating in Facebook: There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best grown corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.
“Why sir,” said the farmer, “Didn’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”
So is with our lives… Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all. So is our being farmers called to sow the seed in the world. The question is, are we the good farmer or the enemy? Examine the seeds you are sowing.
Let us pray.
God of the seasons, we praise you for the season of green an growth. We thank you for your life-giving power manifest in the seeds that sprout and grow, for the gift of faith planted within us that is nourished by your compassionate care. As you grow within and among us, stretch us to reach beyond the borders of our daily works to touch others with your life-giving love. Bless with your healing mercies those who are ill, those burdened with worries, those whose hope is running out. Comfort and console all who grieve the loss of loved ones and restore the patience of those who wait upon your guidance. When things are not going our way, gracious God, we claim to know better than you. Evil hems us in and changes our lives. And you, Oh God, know evil better than we. You are patient and less judging than we. Thank you for Jesus’ teaching and for his embodiment of your will and way in our world. Draw us to you, through Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Minister’s Annual Manual 2001-2002).**
