Sunday July 20th, 2014 6th Sunday after Pentecost Matthew 13:24-30,36-43
"Let both of them grow together until the harvest." (verse 30a)
Under instructions from my wife to dig out some of our east garden, I became stressed. I had done this before, and in my heavy digging I took out good bulbs along with the undesired growth. The parable in our gospel today finds gardeners suffering this anxiety about good growth and bad growth. Trying to read their householder’s mind, they asked, “Do you want us to go and gather them?” (Matthew 13:28) The householder, worried about the accidental uprooting of the good, said no.
Seeing trouble in our world, in our government or in our church, we want to go and root out the bad. Even a leader of a country sometimes believes weeding out bad politicians will solve all their problems.
Our Lord, however, in Matthew 5:44-45 has this advice: “Love your enemies … so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”
Lord, when we are upset with your garden, help us realize yours is the final harvest. Amen. — KC
Contributed by Got A Weed Problem?
Under instructions from my wife to dig out some of our east garden, I became stressed. I had done this before, and in my heavy digging I took out good bulbs along with the undesired growth. The parable in our gospel today finds gardeners suffering this anxiety about good growth and bad growth. Trying to read their householder's mind, they asked, "Do you want us to go and gather them?" (Matthew 13:28) The householder, worried about the accidental uprooting of the good, said no.
Seeing trouble in our world, in our government or in our church, we want to go and root out the bad. Even a leader of a country sometimes believes weeding out bad politicians will solve all their problems.
Our Lord, however, in Matthew 5:44-45 has this advice: "Love your enemies ... so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous."
