Thoughts for the Day

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Three days ago we looked at the Parable of the Weeds as found in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 13.24-30) and now we see Jesus explaining its wider meaning privately to his disciples. We saw that the story of the poisonous weed growing secretly among the wheat until harvest offered some profound insights into the existence of good and evil in our world, and of the need to trust in God’s timing that there will ultimately be a time of judgment.

Jesus now looks at some other key elements of this parable, that are not so obvious:

1. The one who sows the good seed is Jesus, the Son of Man (a title he has used before).
2. The field represents the entire world.
3. The good seed symbolizes the children of God's kingdom – those who live according to His will.
4. The weeds represent the children of the Evil One, sown by him to disrupt God's work.

The parable teaches us that both good and evil will grow side by side until the harvest at the end of time, when God will separate them, rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked.

But the parable also reminds us that the Church contains saints and sinners, and asks us to think about how we can cultivate good seed within ourselves. It challenges us to be sure we are not allowing the weeds of sin to take root in our lives. Through prayer, acts of love for others, and worship we can nurture the good seed within us.

Lord Jesus,
we see evil and goodness in our world
but sometimes forget we are not perfect.
Help us to weed out the sin in our own life,
and strive to live according to Your will
rather than our own selfish desires.
May we strive to draw closer to You
and in doing so reflect Your love to the world.
Amen.