A Parable

By Matt

I listened to: A lot of Matthew. It's hard to keep track of the chapters and verses when you're listening :)

In Matthew 13 Jesus tells two parables about folks planting stuff and for the most part they keep the same tenor and vehicles in both metaphors. God is the good sower, the righteous are the healthy plants, and the weeds are those who work for evil. When we look at the second parable told (the one where the sower sows and then his enemy comes into the same field and sows weeds), we get this explanation from Jesus:

"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnaces, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."

So, yeah, that sounds like a definite stance on condemnation! However, it's not clear what separates the good from the bad. All who cause sin? I'm sure that I've done that once or twice. I know I do evil from time to time. Not a good prospect for me. But let's look at the description of the good plants: " . . . and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom." Going back to the beatitudes, those who inherit the kingdom are the poor in spirit, the persecuted, and the martyred. Hmmm.

But also in today's listening was this twice-heard phrase: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice." Jesus quotes that at the Pharisees twice after they go after him for doing something they consider against the Law but Jesus doesn't agree. Apparently it's from Hosea 6:6 and the rest of the phrase goes: "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." Huh. Couple that with the stories that arise from this part of Matthew where folks are believing with great faith in Jesus' ability to heal and resurrect and you have something there: people who act in faith in what God can do are saved. There is an acknowledgment that Jesus is God and powerful and can do the impossible (that makes him mighty) in them. They aren't being "saved" or "accepting Jesus as their personal lord and savior" perhaps, but they are leading righteous lives that makes them good soil for hearing and accepting what Jesus was doing in their midst and allowing that crop to come forth for the harvest.