The Parable of the Weeds
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.
“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’
“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’” ~Matthew 13:24-30
"The world is a messy, mixed-up place, where good and bad co-exist. In life there is not a wheat field over here and a field of weeds over there; rather, they are all mixed together.
How do we know, in life, who’s a weed and who’s wheat? It’s not as easy as you think to tell saints from sinners. Appearances can deceive. True story: one day a man, dirty and disheveled, shows up at the church door. He has a dog on a leash, a mangy, emaciated mutt. The man tells a story of woe that every pastor has heard a hundred times, “I lost my job . . . I’m hungry . . . loan me some money and I’ll pay you back, honest.” Partly out of sympathy, and partly to get rid of the guy, the pastor gives him a ten-dollar bill. The man walks across the street to a convenience store that sells beer and wine. The pastor, watching from the church window, kicks himself for being a sucker. A few minutes later, the guy walks out of the store, clutching a brown paper bag. He sits down on a bench and opens the bag, which contains dog food. And he feeds his hungry pooch, putting the animal’s needs before his own. It’s not always easy, in life, to tell weeds from wheat.
Oh, and a week later the man returned to the church and paid back the ten dollars.
“Do not pronounce judgment before . . . the Lord comes,” said Paul (1 Cor. 4:5). Don’t be too quick to pull weeds."
(Lou Lotz, Of Weeds and Wheat, Words of Hope February 27, 2011)
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That's a really good one. I must admit to judging people - deciding who is and isn't a Christian when I really don't know - and it isn't up to me to decide!
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