This week we continue to listen to the Divine Word, reminding us of the great Power of God over our Lives. Jesus again speaks to us in parables and today we hear again about planting seeds. But the difference today is that someone plants bad seeds or weeds amongst the good seed.
As you might recall I’ve been gardening. I have really been struggling with my corn plants. Now that they are growing, The corn looks allot like the grass that is growing around it. In the early stages you really can’t tell the corn from the grass. But if we wait we will see that the corn is a much robust and bigger plant. You just got to wait, and leave it alone.
The readings today teach us about God’s Power and His intention to wield it in our favor, namely that we matter deeply to God and there is a great desire by the God who created us to know Justice. We actually here in Wisdom 12:13 God’s “might is the source of justice.” We also hear these powerful words from wisdom, that “those who are just must be kind.”
The book of Wisdom truly gives guidance for our lives and we can be encouraged. As we see the great injustice around us we have to remember that although we seek an end to oppression and degradation we must be kind, that is to seek the Good. For God is Good and seeks the goodness, justice and right for all people!
Let us turn to the parable today in Matthew 13 The Good Seed sown and the Bad. A sower plants seed in hopes of a great harvest. But not only any seed is planted but it is good seed. As he has sought to raise a good crop from good seed someone comes and sows bad seed amongst the good. The immediate response is to pull up the bad. But they are similar and indistinguishable.
This dichotomy exists in and around us, our lives, our families, our societies have this struggles between doing what is Good and that which is evil. Often we want to rid ourselves of those elements within us and without that we deem bad or evil. But today we here a strong message, leave it alone, God’s got this! Namely in God’s time and in God’s way he will root out that which is evil, for he has already conquered evil and God’s who is the ultimate good reigns.
The desire on the part of the servants is much like ours. If we have someone or a situation that we might experience we may want to remove it. Look at Paul in his letter to the Romans 7:19 “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do-this I keep on doing.” Having been born again and made a new creation our ultimate desire must be for the good. For we must be those Good seeds that God has planted to impact our world.
“He who sows good seed is the Son of Man,
the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom.
The weeds are the children of the evil one,
and the enemy who sows them is the devil.” Mt:13,28
God is the author of Good. We see this as we go back and look at the origins of God’s design and plan for creation and for us. God created all that is for Good.
Genesis 1:31,
‘God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.”
How does this powerful parable become applicable to our lives. As we protest and stand for justice. We do so with kindness, not in violent rage, but making the voice of equality and dignity heard. But enacting laws that call forth equality and justice for the common good, namely the good of all. It is only when all know and experience Justice that justice will truly reign.
When we find hateful and deceitful persons seeking our demise, if we remain steadfast seeking the good and trusting in God, we can say, “God’s got this!”. So do Good not looking for the outcome. When you build and people try to tear it down, go on keep building, When your accepting and receiving others and people try to reject the good your doing, go ahead and keep on accepting and receiving. When you come into a situation that you can build up, there are those whose only goal is to tear you down and see you fail, go ahead build it up and make it better. You see it was never about them it’s always about God.
Paul gives us the guidance for the last part of our reflection this weekend. God is God’s goodness has given us the Spirit to lead us and guide us in goodness. When we are weak and we have no way out seemingly, it is the Spirit of God that reminds us that God’s Got This!
“The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones”