6th Sunday after Pentecost, July 20, 2014The Gospel

Gospel: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” . . . .

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

Reflections: In his sermon, Penner focused on the teaching on the afterlife in the gospel. Fundamentalist and literalist churches focus on the End Times. There is a consequent tendency to be preoccupied with sin and judgment—and for human beings, that generally comes down to being judgmental.

In contrast, Anglicanism tends to focus on this life and to pay less attention to the afterlife. But End Times should not to be ignored; after all, Jesus talked about them. However we might envision it, oweveFinal Judgment means that we are accountable for the whole of our lives. And we can all bear self-examination. Quoting someone whose name I don’t remember, Penner observed, “We don’t need to be reborn; we need to grow up.” The teaching of Hell “confronts us with the importance of our actions,” and our reliance on “cheap grace.” Nobody can tell us how to live, but we can ask ourselves whether we will regret ways in which we have wasted God’s gifts. 

Further Reflections:  

In this gospel passage, again, the disciples ponder Jesus’ parable for a while before Jesus gives them a hint. I don’t think that is an accident; I am convinced that the questions we carry in our hearts (sometimes even unconsciously) prepare us to receive the answers. In fact, struggling with the questions may be far more valuable than comprehension. Why is this? Answers that are immediately obvious demand nothing from us. A persistent question, on the other hand, helps us grow to the size of the answer. And when the answer is God—well, I suppose that’s what Mystery means.