Remember the Garden!

Jesus spoke in parables.  He used simple stories.  I marvel at how he took something as magnificent as "the kingdom of God or kingdom of heaven" and set it within the simple framework of everyday life experiences.  

Have you read any parables lately?  

The parable about the wheat and the tares has always been an interesting story to me.  It is in some respects annoying to many Christians.  Diagnostics and healthy discernment notwithstanding, Christians and churches alike can grow anxious over any number of things within and without the kingdom of God.  We grow impatient and allow our anxiety to walk us headlong into a chronic state of panic over a vast array of things that can result in staying the Holy Spirit's work in our midst.  We spend our days ruminating about everything that is wrong, or about to be wrong, in the world and in the church.  To borrow from a farmer friend, "You can get so busy with the weeds that you forget there is a garden in the middle of it!"

Do you remember what Jesus said about this in the “parable of the field” recorded in Matthew 13:24-30, 37-43?

24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Later Jesus has to explain the parable to his disciples.  Here is what he said:

“The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

By the time Matthew's readers received this parabolic reminder, 30 years of preaching, ministry and church history water had gone under the proverbial bridge.  Most of the book of Acts has happened and then some.  In other words, a lot of living, struggle, and suffering.  House churches were in duress. people who were once faithful weren't around anymore.  "Progress" wasn't a word peopled used then.  (Should we use it today?)  They wrestled with big questions:  Is this worth it?  Is suffering going to worsen?  Do we need to make the gospel more adaptive to culture?  In short, they were getting anxious.  And, this parable was a reminder to them to stick to their guns and, in a word, continue being who Christ had called them to be.  Just be wheat! Just keep bearing fruit!

Like I said, this parable is annoying.  It is annoying because it doesn't explain everything about life and ministry that we want to know.  Nor does it give us a magic wand to fix every problem in the world or in the body of Christ.  What it does give us is some much needed perspective on what we need to focus on every day, namely, being disciples. 

We can get so lost in analyzing the darkness that we forget the wisdom in the song "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine."  And shining is the best thing any of us can do!  Weeds of every kind are going to grow. Jesus said so. But, so does the seed of the kingdom!  Planting, watering, and tending the field is the best thing we can do every day.  As the song says, "This is my Father's world!"  Have a great day in the garden!

Randy Daugherty

Stephenville, Texas