What Is Good And What Is Evil? And Who Says So?

 

34 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. 35 This was to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet: "I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world." (Matt.13;34-35)

I am putting the cart before the horse in these next few discussions.  I pulled verse 34-35 out of a short series of parables Jesus told in chapter 13 of Matthew’s Gospel.  Because for some strange reason, only recently, have I discovered the profound  importance of the parable.  I have preached on them for years and never actually put, together in my mind, the insight they bring to understanding who God is and what the Kingdom of God truly means to our living here on this earth.

The parable, as I have said before, is a two sided story that is meant to  open peoples mind to a deeper, maybe broader, truth.  I’ll say the parable is meant to open people’s mines, to the importance of knowing God.  Knowing what God wants from all of creation.  And how God works within the world.  And what he expects from us.

I will begin this journey, into the puzzles created by Jesus’ parables, by talking about the weeds sown in the wheat field. A complex parable about our world filled with both good and not so good people; and how the farmer chose to let them all grow together until the harvest.

 My quandary is this verse:  41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,

These are the questions milling around in my brain: What are is the basis, or origin, of sin and evil?  Where does it come from?   What causes evil to occur?  And how do we truly define this evil force that seems to roam the world?  And, how do we rid the world of this evil without ultimately damaging the good around it?  Those are just a few of the things that trouble my idealistic mind about the weeds and wheat.

This parable also has engaged my mind in many circular conversation on ''what if."  

What if the weeds stay and the good seed — the wheat — would have a positive influence  on the nature of the evil weed?  

Or what if the evil weed would eventually win and damage the entire crop?  

Or, what if we — you and I — would ever stop, for a moment, and ask ourselves the question: What is wheat and what is weed in me?  

And, what if the big evils in our world began with the tiny evils we all are guilty of from time to time?    

What if the little white lie, or passive aggressive word, begins small and then  grows into bigger lies and move aggressive actions?   

Where does the big huge evil word, or action, come from?  What are the things that the son of man will be collecting?  

And then,  when will we ever to see the results?  

This parable was told centuries ago.  Yet clearly a story of our world  today.   We live daily with the good and not so good.  With a force of evil that most certainly does roam the face of the earth.  

So I am wondering this morning.  What we can do to say no to such un-good activity?  I am wondering if we have become just too complacent to the activity in our own environment?  Too willing to let slip-by the wrong that is spoken and/or displayed?  Ignoring it as if it didn’t matter.

Let anyone with ears listen! 

24 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' 28 He answered, "An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to him, "Then do you want us to go and gather them?' 29 But he replied, "No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.' “ (Matt. 13)