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Saturday, March 6, 2010

What are weeds?

My editorial efforts today come as a result of three things combining in my little brain, thereby causing me to decide that "weeds" would serve as a great illustration to a spiritual lesson. One of the three things was the discovery of weeds growing in Carolyn's garden and the subsequent discussing of ways to eliminate said critters.

The second thing was the reading of one of Christ's parables in Matthew about the sower, the wheat, the enemy of the sower and the tares. You'll find this parable in Matt. 13:24-30 and Christ's explanation of it in verses 37-43. We'll discuss this more in depth in just a minute.

The third thing was something I recalled said many years ago by a judge to a defendant at the pronouncement of his sentence. I thought then that it was one of the neatest things I'd ever heard said in a courtroom and, trust me, in my former occupation I've heard many, many statements made in courtrooms. We'll come back to this later on also.

Before we look at the parable I think it wise that we have a good understanding of just exactly what a "weed" is and why their appearance turns bucolic, peace-loving gardeners into raving, hoeing and spraying fanatics. First off, we know and recognize that a "weed" is not a "good thing." Webster says this of them: "A valueless, troublesome, or noxious plant growing wild, especially one that grows profusely or on cultivated ground (now notice the emphasis on the following words) to the exclusion or injury of the desired crop."

Since "weeds" are thus classified as a "bad thing," why are they such? Well, pilgrim, I'm a gonna tell ya why. And I think you'll easily be able to see why this answer is so relevant to our subject today. Weeds are bad because they take moisture and nutrients from the soil FASTER than does the good plants. Plants such as wheat, for example.

In effect, this "chokes" the wheat and thus, the bad plants flourish to the detriment of the good plants. I'll admit that this may be just my opinion but, this description of how weeds work tells me that our society today could use some serious weed eradication because I think the "weeds" are choking out the "wheat," if you get my drift.

Okay, lets look at our parable for a moment and for reasons of space, allow me to paraphrase it for you, but I would appreciate you reading it for yourself and make sure that I report it accurately. In His parable, Jesus used a field that had been planted with a crop of wheat. Only good seeds/plants were sown of course. No one would knowingly sow weeds, would they?

But then, someone came along and planted weed seeds in the field too. Now, only an enemy of the farmer would do such a dastardly thing. When the weeds grew up and were discovered for what they were it was too late to pull them out. Why? Because it would also destroy the good plants, the wheat. However, there was a solution. Just wait until harvest and then separate the good plants from the bad, save the good and burn the weeds.

Now let's look at Jesus' explanation of this parable. He delineates who and what is being compared in His parable. The farmer (or sower) is Himself, the "Son of Man." The field is the world. In looking at the "field" I guess that it shouldn't be a surprise to any of us that weeds exist among us. And, in keeping with His lesson on the "broad vs narrow way" (Matt. 7:13-14), it seems that the "weeds" of our society will be the bumper crop.

Then we see that the wheat, the good plants, are the "Children of the Kingdom." The "kingdom" being the "church" makes the good plants the members of His church. The "tares" (weeds) are said to be "the children of the wicked one." Now we find out who the enemy is that sows the bad seeds among the good. The one who is opposed to the Son of Man. Satan!

Since Satan is the sower of the evil seeds, that makes his followers "his children." It is "his children" that are the weeds of this world in which we live and are as busy as they can possibly be "choking" us out. But, the farmer has "reapers" and they are revealed to be His angels. At harvest time, the Farmer's angels will do the reaping and the separating of the "wheat" and the "weeds." The "wheat" goes to the Farmer's barn and the "weeds" go to a "furnace of fire."

At the "Day of Judgment," more aptly called the "Day of Sentencing," the "weeds" of society will be eradicated eternally. Our secular justice system is supposed to be doing that while we live in this world, but I'm afraid it is woefully NOT doing the job that God authorized it to do as His ministers. (Rom. 13:1-4)

In closing, perhaps there is one "minister" of God who is doing his part in removing the "weeds" of the world from our midst. Let me cite to you the judge that I mentioned at the outset of our lesson and his statement to a defendant found guilty of some very heinous crimes. See if his comments don't fit Christ's parable to a tee.

"You are nothing but a weed, a weed among wheat. And when we have a weed, it's my job to eradicate the weed, because if I don't, you will choke the wheat. Therefore, I'm going to take you off the streets for just as long as I possibly can."

Don't you wish all judges operated in this same manner?

Ron Covey

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