Readings: Jer. 7:1-11; Ps.84; Matt. 13:24-30
Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia
WHAT SHALL WE DO WHEN OUR GOOD WORKS ARE INTERTWINED WITH THE EVIL OF THIS PASSING WORLD
Oftentimes, when we reflect on the ugly events that happen around us, we wonder why God, who is so good and all-powerful, permits the evil we see and experience in the world He created. And sometimes, the evil ones are so cruel that we wish that God should just wipe them away from the face of the earth and when this is not coming forth, we complain and even doubt the power of God over this evil.
The answer to this ugly phenomenon is found in the parable of today’s Gospel passage. Here the sower has sown good seed in his field for a healthy wheat harvest. But in the dark of night, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. What Matthew most likely refers to as weed is darnel or cockle, a harmful weed that closely resembles wheat and is common in Israel. The difference between darnel and real wheat is evident only when the plants mature and the ears appear.
So, when the servants notice the weeds, their first response is to question the quality of the seed. Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from? When the master replies that an enemy has sown the weeds, the slaves are anxious to take care of the problem, to root those nasty weeds immediately. But the master restrains his servants, saying that in gathering the weeds they would uproot the wheat along with them. He orders them to let both grow together until the harvest. Then he will send out his reapers to collect and burn the weeds and to gather the wheat into his barn.
In this parable the one who sows the good seed is Jesus, the field is the world, and the good seeds are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Jesus does not, however, say whom the servants represent.
Perhaps they represent the disciples or anyone who has questioned why God allows evil to grow and thrive and wishes to take matters into his or her own hands and root out the evil around them. But this will not be easy because it is not so easy to tell the weeds from the wheat as their roots are intertwined below the ground. Thus, rooting out the weeds would uproot the wheat as well, doing more damage to the crop than leaving the weeds to grow.
Dear friends, most of us are victims of the evil weeds and darnels of this passing world. But are you a good seed or the evil weed of this passing world? What shall we do when our good works are intertwined with the evil weeds of this passing world? Today, as we wish to remove these weeds in our lives, Jesus wants us to learn how to be patient and trust God in times of trouble and tribulations, for he alone knows the best time and how best to deal with the evil ones. For when that time comes He will gather all evildoers and throw them into the furnace of fire.
But the problem is that we are not patient with the Lord, we often behave like the Israelites in our first reading today, who have failed to listen to God, for we have chosen to dwell in sin and are intertwined with the sinful weeds of this world.
Thus, we heard the prophet Jeremiah saying: Amend your behaviour and your actions. Put no trust in delusive words. Yet here you are, trusting in delusive words, to no purpose! Stop doing evil and learn to do good so that you will be saved. Therefore, we must learn to be patient with the Lord especially as we struggle with the troubles and tribulations of this passing world.
LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, our hearts are full of weeds of different corruptions and evil planted by the evil ones. As we wait on you, may you guide and protect us from the malice of the evil ones. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Have a fruitful weekend.
