Of Weeds and Wheat

One could spend a lifetime analyzing, meditating on, and applying any one of the parables Jesus shared.

As someone who has participated in multiple denominations of Christianity, ending up in the Roman Catholic Church, which many Protestants have written off as no longer Christian, one parable that really speaks to me is of the weeds and the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30), in which weeds are sown in a wheat field, but are not pulled out before the harvest to avoid accidentally uprooting any wheat.

Combined with Jesus' numerous admonitions to forgive over and over again, this builds a picture in my mind of Christianity being filled with imperfect sinners who keep making mistakes, and keep needing forgiveness, along with some who, in the final analysis, turn out to not be Christians, but have to be given every chance to demonstrate that they are.

This is important for me as I look at some of the missteps of individuals the Roman Catholic Church throughout history, including those whom Martin Luther derided for apparently offering indulgences for sale. If all of the Roman Catholic Church could be condemned based on the actions of some "weeds" then it would be a pretty significant variation from this parable and the admonitions to forgive.

Likewise, there have been many Christians in other denominations, including "generic Protestant," who have made some pretty significant stumbles, and the more public, the bigger the fall. But if we violate Jesus' admonition in the Sermon on the Mount not to judge (see specifically Matthew 7:1-6), and reject those who have failed in some way as no longer worthy to be Christians, we've fallen short of one of the most important lessons of the entire New Testament: forgive.

(Copyright (c) 2011, Reg Harbeck, all rights reserved)