Today
we would call it an act of agricultural terrorism. Someone had
planted weeds in the midst of a wheat field. This probably did
not actually happen. In fact the parable of the Weeds and the
Wheat doesn't have anything to do with farming. Jesus knew, however,
that those in His audience would understand His story which addresses
the problem of whether or not anyone should be removed from human
society for any reason and who has the right to decide who should
go.
The problem is as old as creation itself. Justice supposedly
requires that bad guys get punished and good guys get rewarded.
The problem with this is deciding who is good or bad and the
really big problem is determining who gets to make this decision.
In Mark 10:18, Jesus responds to someone who calls Him good by
saying, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God
alone."
Those who believe they are good and are doing what they believe
is right want those who they believe are wrong to be punished.
We see this theme everywhere. In the sequel to Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory entitled Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka hands out punishment
and reward to children who disobey or keep Willy's orders.
In real life things are not so simple so we see way too many
instances of good people suffering while those doing wicked things
are apparently prospering.
Jesus seems to be saying our job is to concentrate on being
what God created us to be while not rushing to judgment of others
for that is God's job to do alone and in God's time.
Jesus was certainly not so naive as to believe that everyone
should be left alone to do as they please.
This story comes from the July 2 issue of Homiletics magazine
(page 30).
The poet Samuel Coleridge had a conversation with a
man who believed that children should receive no formal religious
instruction. Instead, they should be free to choose their
own religion when they reached adulthood.
Coleridge did not openly disagree, but he later invited the
man into his rather unkempt garden. "You call this a garden?" the
visitor exclaimed. "There is nothing but weeds here."
"Well, you see," Coleridge replied, "I did
not wish to infringe upon the liberty of the garden in any
way. I was just giving the garden a chance to express itself
and to choose its own production."
Sounds absurd, doesn't it? That depends entirely upon
who you are and what your perspective of the situation happens
to be. Whenever we self-appoint ourselves as judge, jury and
executioner we can do anything we please and proclaim it is both
right and just. Examples are numerous.
White men and women found it easy to deny the humanity of Native
Americans. Hitler declared Jews were a threat to the world and
of no value. Nearly every society has a caste system whether
it is declared or not. Racial profiling still occurs whether
or not we want to believe it is true.
The fringe element of fundamentalists in every society all
declare they are right and that that entitles them to take whatever
actions they deem appropriate against those they have declared
to be evil. This also often happens with those who would not
be classified as belonging to a fringe element of fundamentalists.
Again the question arises as to who gets to decide.
Organizations like the Ku Klux Klan often have some of the
most learned and prominent citizens of the community as members
of their organization. We would no doubt be surprised if we knew
how everyone truly feels about such matters as abortion and homosexuality.
While some very publicly state their positions on both sides
of the issues most just quietly maintain their thought which
are often extremely judgmental. In their minds they have decided
who should be included and excluded which is precisely what Jesus
is telling us not to do.
I do not believe Jesus is saying everything is acceptable.
That extreme interpretation would do an injustice to Jesus. Jesus
is not saying we should just let murderers, rapists, ruthless
dictators and the like have their own way. He is saying we cannot
just eliminate anyone we don't like or with whom we disagree.
Part of this parable's meaning has to do with patience.
God is patient with the unjust. That may well be good news for
many, who themselves call out to God to render proper punishment.
This story comes from the July/August issue of Emphasis magazine
(page 27). It should caution us about being too smug believing
ourselves to be much better than others.
John Norbury, an Irish lawyer who favored the Protestant
cause, was once riding with a colleague, a staunch Roman Catholic.
When their carriage passed a gallows with a corpse dangling
from it, Norbury said, "If we all had our just desserts where
would you be?" The colleague, who didn't like Norbury
much, replied, "Alone in my carriage!"
Many people seem to feel that justice dictates extreme treatment
for others. Still others believe themselves to be so pure and
blameless that they believe they are entitled to live free from
the burden of those who are obviously beneath them. We see this
in common folk, CEO's, celebrities, religious leaders and
leaders of nations.
In the July 17, 2005 issue of Synthesis, these
comments are found.
Sinners judging others sinners is a dangerous business.
It is a deadly herbicide that destroys community. Spray enough
of it around and the whole field is poisoned sometimes for
generations to come. We in the Church have often been quick
to label and exclude. We may well need to re-discover the wisdom
and truth of Jesus' parable that we are not the ones to judge
except to keep our streets safe and see that a reasonable civil
order prevails in our society.
Again, I add, who gets
to make the determinations?
Continuing in Synthesis:
The community of faith includes those who, though professing
faith, still do evil. But the prerogative of judging the
quality of someone's relationship to God belongs to God alone.
Matthew was not opposed to discipline in the community (18:15-20);
but final judgment belongs to God, who knows the depths of
the human heart. If there are those whose actions are a trial
to us, we still have no right to exclude them from our fellowship.
To do so would harm the fabric of the community even more than
it would the offender.
The line we have to determine is whether or not the other person's
actions or beliefs are truly harmful or if they are, in our opinion,
something with which we merely disagree. All of us would do well
to pray for wisdom to know the difference between the two. |
