Weeds and Wheat Entwine

“Let them grow together until harvest” (Matthew 13: 30)

Parables are concrete.  Sower, fields, wheat, weeds.  These well-worn sights are not the stuff of dreams.  But Jesus’ companions were unsure.  Hemmed in by the crowd, they couldn’t hear past the chatter around them.  Follow me, says Jesus, and he closed the door to escape the crowd.  The disciples did not pretend to get it.  Confused, they asked questions.  Jesus listened and carefully explained.  Together, they reached the quiet place of understanding. 

Some growers pounce on every weedy intruder.  Their gardens sparkle.  In God’s fields, weeds and wheat entangle.  The rows are tousled as plants sway in the breeze.  This garden is unkempt, like our lives.  Time passes and we sort it.  Grains ripen and bend toward the sun.  Our merciful sower stretches out the growing season.  Not until harvest does judgment unfold. 

Jeremiah was heartbroken.  Jerusalem was conquered and the temple razed.  War and exile pounded them like dust in the wind.  Even priests and prophets foraged for food like desert creatures.  Through tears, Jeremiah begged God to heed their cries.  Wheat and weeds entwine.  “Yes, we have sinned.  Again we turned to idols.  But, Yahweh, remember your covenant.  For your name’s sake, let mercy flow like rain.”

Jeremiah died in exile.  Others returned after years in foreign lands.  Some communities scattered throughout the Middle East endured since ancient times. 

God, do not weigh our failings.  For your name’s sake, send help quickly.