Whenever I pull weeds, which I've been doing a lot of lately, I reflect on Jesus' parable of the weeds. Here it is:
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. 30 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.’
So, I have an area in my back yard where I have planted perennials that are supposed to spread. They have a beautiful yellow flower. And, I am getting little sprouts of plants around the ones I planted! I am also getting weeds. Today, as I was carefylly working around the plants, I ended up pulling some of the little guys. I could hear the weeds laughing.
So, Jesus had it right about these weeds. They almost seem to sense where these young plants are sprouting.
The violence at the end- burning the weeds- is shocking when one thinks Jesis is referring to people. But, maybe he is referring to behaviors? So, God accepts us as we are. As we transition, the less desirable parts of us peel off.
I'm not convinced there is a hell where one burns into eternity, so the burning weeds referring to going to hell does not speak to me. I prefer to think every one of us transitions to a clean slate when we die.
What do you think?
