The old joke is told of the Scottish pastor who, in the throes of a Bible-thumping, barn-storming sermon, declares, “They will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” At this point a little old lady in the front pew shouts out, “But pastor, I don’t have any teeth left!” “Do not worry, Mrs. McPherson,” consoled the pastor, “Teeth will be provided.”
The apocalyptic ending to this week’s gospel text points to the Day of Judgment, in images reflective of Daniel 3:6, 11, 15 and 20. It is at this end point that God will sit as judge over all humanity. Until then, Jesus’ parable explains, Christians are to tolerate the presence of weeds amongst the wheat: children of the evil one amongst the children of God. Clearly this does not mean, in the words of Cole Porter, ‘anything goes.’ This is not a charter for lawlessness. As Luther would later argue, the Law is needed to constrain the Old Adam in us, thus making community possible. The Law also reveals our sinful self to us in ways we might otherwise overlook, rationalize, or explain away. Instead, this parable warns us against trying vainly to decide who is a genuine Christian and who is not; against judging the quality of the discipleship of each other; of reaching an erroneous conclusion as to who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out.’ After all, the weed in question (zizanion) looks so much like wheat as it grows that even a horticultural expert could make a mistake, and rip up good wheat in an attempt to rid the field (the Church, community, world?) of weeds.
However, our tolerance (and patience!) is not solely based upon our lack of gardening skills, but upon deeper realities. To understand the first of these realities, I share this example, from the email signature line of a good friend of mine, which reads: “It’ll be all right in the end. If it’s not alright, it isn’t the end.” One layer of interpretation of this old saying refers to people and not just to life. Repentance is possible from anyone at any time. We cannot say when someone has run out of time, or is now beyond forgiveness, or has exhausted God’s mercy. Yet, that is what we would be doing if we were to be the ones actively weeding the crop in the field of the Lord.
Thus, we are not called to be gardeners. However, this can be more positively stated by reminding ourselves of what we are indeed called to be. As disciples we are called to be servants of each other, tending to the needs of each other, loving and forgiving each other as God in Christ Jesus has loved and forgiven us. Truly, it is difficult (indeed impossible!) to fulfill that calling, to live out that calling in the world, if instead we are focused on judging, condemning and exiling others.
If Matthew’s Gospel was indeed composed in Antioch in the latter half of the First Century, as many scholars believe; and if that urban community was rich in diversity, as urban centers tend to be; and if that rich mix of people became even more diverse with the fall of Jerusalem and the influx of Jewish diaspora in 70AD, as it likely did; then Matthew’s community was particularly attentive to the Parable of the Weeds. As the old saying goes, when the farmer steps out into the yard before breakfast, the hen is interested but the pig is committed! So, in Matthew’s community this parable addressed something pressing, practical and vital, and not merely theoretical. Upon reflection, the same can be said of our time and place, can it not?
