WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
July 20th 2008
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“A Lesson in Gardening Part II”
Matthew 12:24-30, 36-43
After spending days preparing the soil, planting the seeds, and watering the ground, all in the hope that something will grow, I am always anxious to see if all that work will come to nothing. In fact, after about a week I will even get down on my hands and knees placing my face close to the ground in the hopes of catching a glimpse of some new life. At the first sign of green growth breaking above the surface, I always want to get up and do a little dance. After the long winter even the slightest hint of green can bring real joy. But that joy does not always last long. After all, I am never sure if that green plant is a sign that my labor has produced growth or if it is simply a weed. It is in that moment I realize the hard work of gardening has only begun.
Jesus takes us back again into the work of gardening. However this teaching this week is primarily about the theme of judgment. It is a teaching which places face to face with this troubling issue. Its’ difficulty lies mostly in what the followers of Jesus have done with themes of judgment. In fact, I bet it is safe to say that this judgment text has been used by others to condemn some of us, if not all of us. As a result we may feel the need to avoid such passages. Since we have heard the welcome and love of God in Jesus Christ it can seem like there is a tension between that teaching and this passages about judgment. But I believe that we should not, and cannot give up on these passages simply because others have gotten it wrong.
The greatest reason that this passage has been misused is poor interpretation. It begins when we place ourselves inside the story in the wrong location. This is even more complicated because when we hear stories about gardening or farming they are images that are just familiar enough to us that we believe they are proscriptive. But they are not. Instead, Jesus uses parables in the attempt to bring the radically unfamiliar and use what we know to make it accessible. So when we hear the story we place ourselves where we are most familiar. In other words, we place ourselves in the role of judge. So in order to avoid that mistake let us review the passage carefully.
The owner of the field has sent someone, the son of man, to send out the message into the world. After soil preparation, planting of seeds, and watering all in the hopes of growth, the hope is mixed with despair over the presence of weeds. The workers, the members of the household of God, are alarmed at what has happened. They are concerned and even begin to have some doubts about whether the owner of the field has actually sowed good seed. It is out of their anxiety that they want to get to work. They approach God and offer to form a task force on weed removal in order to bring peace, unity and purity to the fields. All their actions reflect anxiety and lack of trust. And into this anxiety God says: ‘Relax, that is not your job, I have it handled.’ It is clearly a message that needs a more prominent place in the live of Jesus’ followers.
Within this parable there are a number of important theological assertions that we need to grasp. The most prevalent are these three: 1) Evil is real in the world but that evil will come to an end. 2) God’s kingdom works alongside and even in the midst of evil. 3) And finally, it is not the responsibility of Jesus’ followers to pull weeds or even to decide what constitutes a weed. I believe understanding the three major theological assertions in this text will serve as an important corrective to any interpretation of this parable.
1) It is clear in biblical literature that evil is a reality as old as time. While it is troubling truth, it does help to remind us that just because Jesus has come, the world is still a place of corruption, sin, and death. These sorts of passages point to that truth and to the truth that evil will not have the last word, despite appearances to the contrary. The good news is that evil will come to an end. In much of literature called the Apocrypha, this sort of imagery was well known. And it was this aporacphal literature which would have been familiar in Jesus day. In fact, the images of angels, and reapers bringing judgment was not simply judgment in general but specifically directed against any oppressive power; governors, kings, and even the religious leadership. It was an expression of the pain of oppression and the belief, the sure hope, that God does hear these cries, and that oppression will be brought under God’s judgment.
2) It is assumed in this parable that the work of God’s kingdom will work alongside the presence of evil. In other words, no matter how much we try to ‘purify’ the church we can never exist apart from evil. The roots of wheat are intermingled with roots of weeds. It is an image that ought to keep us humble since it means we all have the propensity for evil. When the servants come to the owner they are highly anxious. ‘We must do something about this!’ they cry. And all the while God says: ‘Do not worry about it simply go about your work.’ It is a scene which is meant to keep us going on the days when the weeds seem to overwhelm everything we do.
3) Finally, the work of the disciples then is to; trust that evil will come to an end, remember our roots are never pure, and continue to work for the day when sin, death and evil will be no more. However, this is the hardest part of this passage. We have no role, absolutely no role in the judgment. It is not our problem. Unfortunately we keep ignoring this critical part. In every age the followers of Jesus have believed that if we could just purify the church and its congregations we will bring about the judgment. And of course it was always easy to determine who the weeds are, and they never look like the ones proclaiming judgment.
Our responsibility is to tell the story that there is an end to evil and that judgment is not the work of Christians. And, when faced with this reality, our time now is not to become fixated with the end times. Instead, we are to live joyfully and boldly, as we work for justice. Let us put the fear of failure behind us and cling to the promise that the one who comes in judgment is the one who comes to set us free. Now more than ever we live in a time when the world needs to hear that sin and death do not have the last word. We have bearers of a story that invites all to come and follow the way of life.
So let us go from here continuing to prepare the soil for growth. Let us, plant seeds of good news and watch for growth in our own lives and in this community. As we go, may we always keep in mind that unlike our own backyard gardens, we are not responsible for weed-control. Let us be bearers of this story and never forget that Christians, despite news to the contrary, have not been called to be judgmental. Amen? Amen.
July 20th 2008
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“A Lesson in Gardening Part II”
Matthew 12:24-30, 36-43
After spending days preparing the soil, planting the seeds, and watering the ground, all in the hope that something will grow, I am always anxious to see if all that work will come to nothing. In fact, after about a week I will even get down on my hands and knees placing my face close to the ground in the hopes of catching a glimpse of some new life. At the first sign of green growth breaking above the surface, I always want to get up and do a little dance. After the long winter even the slightest hint of green can bring real joy. But that joy does not always last long. After all, I am never sure if that green plant is a sign that my labor has produced growth or if it is simply a weed. It is in that moment I realize the hard work of gardening has only begun.
Jesus takes us back again into the work of gardening. However this teaching this week is primarily about the theme of judgment. It is a teaching which places face to face with this troubling issue. Its’ difficulty lies mostly in what the followers of Jesus have done with themes of judgment. In fact, I bet it is safe to say that this judgment text has been used by others to condemn some of us, if not all of us. As a result we may feel the need to avoid such passages. Since we have heard the welcome and love of God in Jesus Christ it can seem like there is a tension between that teaching and this passages about judgment. But I believe that we should not, and cannot give up on these passages simply because others have gotten it wrong.
The greatest reason that this passage has been misused is poor interpretation. It begins when we place ourselves inside the story in the wrong location. This is even more complicated because when we hear stories about gardening or farming they are images that are just familiar enough to us that we believe they are proscriptive. But they are not. Instead, Jesus uses parables in the attempt to bring the radically unfamiliar and use what we know to make it accessible. So when we hear the story we place ourselves where we are most familiar. In other words, we place ourselves in the role of judge. So in order to avoid that mistake let us review the passage carefully.
The owner of the field has sent someone, the son of man, to send out the message into the world. After soil preparation, planting of seeds, and watering all in the hopes of growth, the hope is mixed with despair over the presence of weeds. The workers, the members of the household of God, are alarmed at what has happened. They are concerned and even begin to have some doubts about whether the owner of the field has actually sowed good seed. It is out of their anxiety that they want to get to work. They approach God and offer to form a task force on weed removal in order to bring peace, unity and purity to the fields. All their actions reflect anxiety and lack of trust. And into this anxiety God says: ‘Relax, that is not your job, I have it handled.’ It is clearly a message that needs a more prominent place in the live of Jesus’ followers.
Within this parable there are a number of important theological assertions that we need to grasp. The most prevalent are these three: 1) Evil is real in the world but that evil will come to an end. 2) God’s kingdom works alongside and even in the midst of evil. 3) And finally, it is not the responsibility of Jesus’ followers to pull weeds or even to decide what constitutes a weed. I believe understanding the three major theological assertions in this text will serve as an important corrective to any interpretation of this parable.
1) It is clear in biblical literature that evil is a reality as old as time. While it is troubling truth, it does help to remind us that just because Jesus has come, the world is still a place of corruption, sin, and death. These sorts of passages point to that truth and to the truth that evil will not have the last word, despite appearances to the contrary. The good news is that evil will come to an end. In much of literature called the Apocrypha, this sort of imagery was well known. And it was this aporacphal literature which would have been familiar in Jesus day. In fact, the images of angels, and reapers bringing judgment was not simply judgment in general but specifically directed against any oppressive power; governors, kings, and even the religious leadership. It was an expression of the pain of oppression and the belief, the sure hope, that God does hear these cries, and that oppression will be brought under God’s judgment.
2) It is assumed in this parable that the work of God’s kingdom will work alongside the presence of evil. In other words, no matter how much we try to ‘purify’ the church we can never exist apart from evil. The roots of wheat are intermingled with roots of weeds. It is an image that ought to keep us humble since it means we all have the propensity for evil. When the servants come to the owner they are highly anxious. ‘We must do something about this!’ they cry. And all the while God says: ‘Do not worry about it simply go about your work.’ It is a scene which is meant to keep us going on the days when the weeds seem to overwhelm everything we do.
3) Finally, the work of the disciples then is to; trust that evil will come to an end, remember our roots are never pure, and continue to work for the day when sin, death and evil will be no more. However, this is the hardest part of this passage. We have no role, absolutely no role in the judgment. It is not our problem. Unfortunately we keep ignoring this critical part. In every age the followers of Jesus have believed that if we could just purify the church and its congregations we will bring about the judgment. And of course it was always easy to determine who the weeds are, and they never look like the ones proclaiming judgment.
Our responsibility is to tell the story that there is an end to evil and that judgment is not the work of Christians. And, when faced with this reality, our time now is not to become fixated with the end times. Instead, we are to live joyfully and boldly, as we work for justice. Let us put the fear of failure behind us and cling to the promise that the one who comes in judgment is the one who comes to set us free. Now more than ever we live in a time when the world needs to hear that sin and death do not have the last word. We have bearers of a story that invites all to come and follow the way of life.
So let us go from here continuing to prepare the soil for growth. Let us, plant seeds of good news and watch for growth in our own lives and in this community. As we go, may we always keep in mind that unlike our own backyard gardens, we are not responsible for weed-control. Let us be bearers of this story and never forget that Christians, despite news to the contrary, have not been called to be judgmental. Amen? Amen.
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