'He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn (Mt. 13:24-30).”’
Patience and tolerance are two benchmarks of the Christian life. Followers of Christ live side by side with those who resist God’s goodness and do evil. Both must coexist until they stand before the risen Christ in judgment. Until then Christians should use God’s grace to discern good from evil which can be difficult sometimes. The same evil forces that existed during Christ’s time on Earth continued to pit themselves against the Church throughout history. In spite of evil forces, Christians should be able to lead others to Christ by their words and actions.
Almighty God, you have chosen us out of the world and by your grace we shall see your goodness even amidst the anxiety of everyday life. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on you so we will not fear, and grant us patience and tolerance during our sojourn in this foreign land until we come to your everlasting kingdom. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
Jose M. Casciaro, Santiago Ausin, Gonzalo Aranda, Claudio Basevi, Vincente Balaguer, Francisco Varo, James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy & Thomas McGovern (Eds.). (2017). The Navarre Bible - New Testament. Dublin 8, Ireland: Four Courts Press.
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