(Audio)
"Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field."
This parable was not primarily about predestination. It is true that some of the plants we now see growing will prove to be from the good seed sown by the Son of Man. And yes, it is true as well that some plants will prove to be weeds fit only for burning. But the actual point Jesus made was that it is basically impossible to identify which is which before the harvest at the end of the age. Therefore this parable has more to do with dealing with this unavoidable ambiguity in the world in even in the Church herself before that time.
This parable was not primarily about predestination. It is true that some of the plants we now see growing will prove to be from the good seed sown by the Son of Man. And yes, it is true as well that some plants will prove to be weeds fit only for burning. But the actual point Jesus made was that it is basically impossible to identify which is which before the harvest at the end of the age. Therefore this parable has more to do with dealing with this unavoidable ambiguity in the world in even in the Church herself before that time.
The fact is that attempting perfection in the sense of constructing an earthly Church consisting only of those who are perfectly pure is impossible. We may mean well, but even we still sometimes exhaust the soil to a greater degree than we bear fruit. We may simply be branches in need of pruning. But it is yet possible that even we ourselves may not be among those who will shine like the sun of the Kingdom of the Father. Since no one can have absolute certainty about himself while he yet lives how much less so regarding the destiny of others? No one can be excluded as worthless or without hope until the last day reveals it. We tend to be eager to go weed hunting in the world as a way to distract us from ourselves, people with boards in our eyes on the hunt for those with specs in theirs. It is a deeply flawed approach that not only won't benefit the Church or the world but will ultimately injure us and keep us from the growth that we still need.
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
It is true that there is evil in the world that goes above and beyond mistakes and innocent errors. There is in fact a force hostile to God at work, trying to sabotage his works. We do well to remember this rather than approach life with a naive optimism, only to be disappointed when not everything is sunshine and roses. But while remembering it, we keep in mind that the evil we face cannot be identified with any specific individuals, even those who seem openly and directly hostile to us and to the plan and purpose of God. Our warfare is not finally against them, or any who are flesh and blood, but rather against the devil who has co-opted their freedom and is using them for his purposes. Our warfare requires love for our earthly enemies in order to defeat the spiritual powers who oppose us.
"To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head" (see Romans 12:20).
It is impossible to ignore the constant thread of salvation history in which God called his people back from their sins to himself. No one was ever so fixed in his position that an appeal might not win him back to the side of goodness, truth, and beauty. We see such a response from Jeremiah on behalf of the people, many of whom seemed to be weeds, but with whom he yet identified himself.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Jesus, too, only makes sense in when recognize that he came to offer us a choice, one which he ensures we have sufficient freedom to make. He did not come merely to categorize the righteous and the wicked. Rather, he came to invite all men to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth, just as his Father desired. How different the mission and ministry of Jesus would have looked if it was predicated on preaching to people only in order to seal an eternal destiny they could not control. He never told anyone they were so good, so well situated, that there was not work that remained for them to do. He never told anyone that they were too broken or compromised to change. Rather, he always made sure that speculation about matters known with certainty only to God never got in the way of the work that remained to be done. It is only in this context that the plea in today's psalm makes sense:
The weeds are the children of the Evil One,
and the enemy who sows them is the Devil.
It is true that there is evil in the world that goes above and beyond mistakes and innocent errors. There is in fact a force hostile to God at work, trying to sabotage his works. We do well to remember this rather than approach life with a naive optimism, only to be disappointed when not everything is sunshine and roses. But while remembering it, we keep in mind that the evil we face cannot be identified with any specific individuals, even those who seem openly and directly hostile to us and to the plan and purpose of God. Our warfare is not finally against them, or any who are flesh and blood, but rather against the devil who has co-opted their freedom and is using them for his purposes. Our warfare requires love for our earthly enemies in order to defeat the spiritual powers who oppose us.
"To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head" (see Romans 12:20).
It is impossible to ignore the constant thread of salvation history in which God called his people back from their sins to himself. No one was ever so fixed in his position that an appeal might not win him back to the side of goodness, truth, and beauty. We see such a response from Jeremiah on behalf of the people, many of whom seemed to be weeds, but with whom he yet identified himself.
We recognize, O LORD, our wickedness,
the guilt of our fathers;
that we have sinned against you.
For your name's sake spurn us not,
disgrace not the throne of your glory;
remember your covenant with us, and break it not.
Jesus, too, only makes sense in when recognize that he came to offer us a choice, one which he ensures we have sufficient freedom to make. He did not come merely to categorize the righteous and the wicked. Rather, he came to invite all men to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth, just as his Father desired. How different the mission and ministry of Jesus would have looked if it was predicated on preaching to people only in order to seal an eternal destiny they could not control. He never told anyone they were so good, so well situated, that there was not work that remained for them to do. He never told anyone that they were too broken or compromised to change. Rather, he always made sure that speculation about matters known with certainty only to God never got in the way of the work that remained to be done. It is only in this context that the plea in today's psalm makes sense:
Let the prisoners' sighing come before you;
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
with your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise.
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