Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
Wheat and Weeds
This parable is found only in Matthew. This is a second “sower” story. The difference in this story is that Jesus is talking about the future, end times. Are you in the wheat class or the weeds class? I personally have heard my share of “hell and damnation, weeping and gnashing of teeth” sermons that make me believe that the answer could be one or the other.
Yes! I believe that Jesus died for my sin, but I sometimes fall off the “good believer” wagon and let the worldview poison my thoughts. Watching the news on TV is a good example of this. When I worked in a long-term care facility, I would advise people not to watch CNN for hours. I would say, “Watching this station for hours is a good way to believe that the world is going to hell in a handbasket. Watch game shows instead.” I personally work on this constantly. Sometimes I leave the room when the news is on. We all live together in the world that God created, wheat (good folks) and weeds (evil folks).
What are our responsibilities in response to God’s grace? In the words of Micah 6:8, “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God.” We can be the example of Jesus to the world. You don’t need to go to a foreign country as a missionary—you can be a missionary right here in your hometown. Be willing to agree to disagree. Love your neighbors—all of them. Pray for the world and all its inhabitants.
Martha E. Griffis, Central Moravian Church,
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania