Matthew 13:34-43: a reflection

34Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them, 35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.” 36Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.” 37He answered them, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. 39The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. 41The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those who do iniquity, 42and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

When Jesus explains his parable of the weeds sown among the wheat, he describes a world in which good and evil grow together until the final harvest, when God will sort them out. The good seed and the weeds, the children of the kingdom and the children of the evil one, grow together in the field of the world; and they are not separated now, but left to grow together until the harvest at the end of the age, when the angels will gather and separate them. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. This tells us something about the present age: that good and evil grow together in the world, mixed, not yet separated; and that the final sorting belongs to God, at the end, not to us now. We live in a mixed field, where good and evil grow together; the separation is God's to make, at the harvest. Good and evil grow together now; God will sort them out at the end. The final separation of good and evil belongs to God, at the harvest, not to us now. We live now in a mixed field; God does the sorting at the end.

Notice what Jesus teaches about the present age: good and evil grow together, and the sorting is God's, at the end. The weeds and the wheat grow together in the field; they are not pulled apart now, but left together until the harvest. This tells us that in the present world, good and evil, the children of the kingdom and the children of the evil one, are mixed together, growing side by side, not yet separated. And it tells us that the final separation belongs to God, to be done by his angels at the end of the age, not to be done by us prematurely now. We live in a mixed field, and we are not called to do the final sorting ourselves, to root out all the weeds now; that is God's to do, at the harvest. This calls for a certain patience with the mixed state of the world, a trust that God will sort it out in the end, rather than a demand that all be separated now. Good and evil will grow together until the harvest; God will make the final separation. To leave the final sorting to God, at his harvest, is wiser than to attempt it prematurely ourselves. The mixed field is the present reality; the separation is God's future work. We wait for God's harvest to sort what is now mixed.

That is worth taking to heart, for good and evil grow together in the world until God's harvest, when he will sort them out; the final separation is his, not ours to make now. We can be troubled by the mixture of good and evil in the world, and be tempted to demand or attempt a final separation now, rooting out all we judge to be weeds; but Jesus teaches that good and evil grow together until the harvest, when God will do the separating. The final sorting belongs to God, at the end, not to us prematurely. This calls for patience with the mixed field, trusting God's harvest. Do not demand or attempt the final separation of good and evil now; good and evil grow together until God's harvest, when he will sort them out. Trust that good and evil grow together in the world until God's harvest at the end of the age, when he will sort them out, rather than demanding or attempting the final separation yourself now, as Jesus taught that the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest, when the angels will gather and separate them; for the present age is a mixed field, where good and evil grow side by side not yet separated, and the final sorting belongs to God, to be done at his harvest, not to us prematurely, so that we are called to patience with the mixed state of the world, trusting that God will make the separation in the end, rather than attempting to root out all the weeds ourselves now, which is God's future work and not our present task.

Lord Jesus, when you explain your parable of the weeds sown among the wheat, you describe a world in which good and evil grow together until the final harvest, when God will sort them out. The good seed and the weeds, the children of the kingdom and the children of the evil one, grow together in the field of the world; and they are not separated now, but left to grow together until the harvest at the end of the age, when the angels will gather and separate them. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. This tells me something about the present age: that good and evil grow together in the world, mixed, not yet separated; and that the final sorting belongs to God, at the end, not to me now. Show me what you teach about the present age: good and evil grow together, and the sorting is God's, at the end. The weeds and the wheat grow together in the field; they are not pulled apart now. This tells me that in the present world, good and evil are mixed together, growing side by side. And the final separation belongs to God, to be done at the end of the age, not by me prematurely now. I live in a mixed field, and I am not called to do the final sorting myself. This calls for a certain patience with the mixed state of the world, a trust that you will sort it out in the end. Take that to my heart, for good and evil grow together in the world until your harvest, when you will sort them out; the final separation is yours, not mine to make now. I can be troubled by the mixture of good and evil in the world, and be tempted to demand or attempt a final separation now, rooting out all I judge to be weeds; but you teach that good and evil grow together until the harvest. Keep me from demanding or attempting the final separation myself now; help me trust, Lord, that you will sort out what is now mixed at your harvest, being patient with the mixed field rather than attempting your future work as my present task.