Deep down, we all like happy
endings.
That’s part of human nature.
And this parable of the wheat
and the weeds
Seems to have a happy ending.
Seems to have a happy ending.
Justice is served.
The righteous end
up shining like the sun
In the kingdom of their Father.
In the kingdom of their Father.
But I have to admit, I find
this parable troubling.
Even when I’m feeling like I’m
part of the wheat.
The wheat is gathered into
the barn.
But the weeds are burned.
The righteous shine like the
sun.
But the evildoers wail and
grind their teeth.
This is not the happiest
ending imaginable.
Certainly not for the weeds.
And not even for those of us
shining like the sun
In the kingdom of the Father.
In the kingdom of the Father.
We’re in the presence of God,
and maybe we’re in such ecstasy
That nothing else matters.
That nothing else matters.
But might our joy be dulled
by the distant sounds
Of wailing and grinding?
Of wailing and grinding?
Might we miss a family
member, a friend—a loved one?
And weren’t we told to love everyone?
Wasn’t that a chief
requirement for getting into the kingdom?
I’m glad that in organizing
today’s scripture readings
The Church includes some reassurances.
The Church includes some reassurances.
They help to balance the
stern warning of the parable.
They suggest that, if for no
other reason, God might deliver us
For the glory of his own name.
For the glory of his own name.
Other passages are sometimes
joined with today’s Gospel.
And they’re even more
assuring.
They assure us, God is kind
and merciful, good and forgiving,
Lenient to all.
Lenient to all.
He judges with clemency.
His children have good grounds
for hope
That he will permit
repentance for their sins.
So we can hope that all of us will make it to
heaven.
We can trust that heaven will
be all that Jesus said it would be.
And we can do more.
We can work to build the
kingdom of heaven.
We can get down in the
weeds—and deliver God’s message.
By our words and actions, and
by our example.
Maybe that message will touch
a beloved weed.
(I imagine that we all fear
we have at least one beloved weed)
Touch it with the right word,
or the right act, at the right time.
Maybe it will infuse the
weeds with a little bio-engineering antidote,
A little gene therapy.
A little gene therapy.
An impossible dream?
Maybe so.
But we can also try our best
to pray for an
Unquestionably happy ending.
Unquestionably happy ending.
Pray that when the angels
come to bundle the weeds for burning—
None are found.
That God, for whom all things are possible,
Will have already transformed them all into wheat.
None are found.
That God, for whom all things are possible,
Will have already transformed them all into wheat.
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