Wheat and Weeds

Weeds. Grass rooting in the flowerbeds. Clover. The untiring dandelion. The skulking, nameless stalks that mimic zinnias and daisies until they suddenly loom large. A

gardener’s eyes scan for them continually. Their experienced hand, ready to pull with just the right twist to bring up the root, too. Muscles from hand to arm to shoulder to waist all responding to the war of the weeds. Gardeners wage this war for the beautiful flowers they aim to protect. But there is no denying that gardening is an exercise in control.

In the reading this week from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus gives us the image of God as a mad farmer, scattering good seed everywhere. They begin to grow but so do those nasty weeds. So, the question is raised – What should we do about the weeds? Just let the weeds grow among the wheat, Jesus says, leave the weeds, lest you inadvertently pull out good wheat. Wait until the harvest then you can sort out the weeds.