Writings: Pulling Up Weeds

By: Dr. Gregory S. Neal

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.”

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 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?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 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.’”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed 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. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.The Son of Man will send his angels, and 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. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43)

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Pulling up weeds. My mother loves to pull up weeds. There are few things she enjoys more than squatting down in her garden, taking ahold of an errant weed, and pulling it up in one sharp tug. She says it fills her with excitement and with fulfillment when she pulls them up: the feeling of the root resisting her tug, and then giving way in a sudden break, gives her a thrill. She says it feels good to get rid of them, and that it bothers her when she sees them and doesn't have the time to rip them up.

There are literal weeds and there are metaphorical weeds. Literal weeds grow in my yard quite well, thank you very much ... indeed, far more readily than the grass and plants and bushes that I want to grow! And it takes work — lots of hard, sweaty, uncomfortable work — to keep the weeds under control. Sadly, it so often seems like the weeds are winning the war. There isn't a day that goes by in the spring and summer months that I don't go out and find some dang weed, popping up and ruining the "well manicured lawn" look that I dream of but so rarely mange to achieve. And something very similar is going on with metaphorical weeds.

There are many ways of understanding the Parable of the Weeds and the Wheat: one of those ways, and the one that happens to be the most straightforward approach, is outlined by Jesus in the second part of the reading this morning (Matthew 13:36-43). The Good Seed are the "Children of the Kingdom;" the Weeds are the "Children of the Evil One." Taken as a whole, this sounds like Jesus talking about people ... specific, identifiable people. And, frankly, that’s how many understand this passage. There are Wheat and there are Weeds, and all of us are either one or the other. Those of us who are wheat: we're blessed and will be gathered together to be placed in God's granary. Those of us who are weeds: we're EEE-vil and will be pulled up and thrown into the fiery furnace!

However, there’s another way to look at this parable, one which is fully consistent with the elements of the parable, with Jesus’ explanation, and even with other passages of scripture. The field can be understood not just as the world in general, but as the world of our experience and existence. The world is US. The good seed can be understood as those good characteristics — the wheat — that is promised to grow forth from us when we behave as the Children of the Kingdom. The bad seed can be understood as those bad characteristics — the weeds — that threaten to come forth from us when behave as the Children of the Evil One.

The challenge, then, is to be open to God's amazing work of pulling up the weeds: those bad behaviors, actions, desires, and attitudes which threaten to choke our lives. What spiritual weeds are growing up in your field that you desire God's angels to pull up and toss away? Will you hang on to those weeds, or will you let them go?

© 2020, Dr. Gregory S. Neal
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