"Jesus told them another parable, 'The kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and left. When the plants sprouted and produced grain, the weeds also appeared. Then the servants of the owner came to him and said: Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? Where did the weeds come from? He answered them: This is the work of an enemy. They asked him: Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds? He told them: No, when you pull up the weeds, you might uproot the wheat with them.'" - Matthew 13:24-29
After Jesus taught this parable, His disciples asked Him to explain it to them privately. Jesus told them that He is the sower, the field is the world, the good seed are the people of the Kingdom, the enemy is the devil, and the weeds are those who listen to the devil. Isn't it so interesting that when asked if the weeds should be uprooted, the sower says no because it could uproot the wheat with them? Don't we ask God to take away the bad people and the bad situations from our lives? Don't we feel that we could serve Him better if we didn't have so many temptations around us? Jesus' answer to this is no, because it could bring us more harm than good!
This might seem totally absurd to us, but if it weren't for temptations, how would we be tested? Challenges make us stronger because we prove ourselves in overcoming them. Problems test relationships because they strengthen the bond that holds them together. In the same way, when the wheat survives living among the weeds, it is proven to be good and strong and worthy to be harvested by the sower. If the evil were to be taken out of our lives, we would have no character, no strength in us. We would be weak. Most importantly, temptations keep us grounded in the Lord. If from time to time we see how weak we are to the these temptations, this keeps us humble by reminding us that we are not good of our own accord, we are good because the Lord helps us along. This lack of humility that results from nothing to test us is the most dangerous part of uprooting the weeds before the right time. It would damage our souls. Look at the temptations you face and the evil around you as a blessing in disguise. While these things definitely bring us down and can be harmful to us if we let them, by remaining strong in the Lord through prayer, they can bring about our salvation and make us worthy of truly being children of God.
Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You have planted me in the field and weeds grow all around me. Help preserve me from harm. Nourish me with Your Holy Spirit and grant that I may be counted as a child of Our Heavenly Father on the day of harvest. In Your Name we pray, amen.
Lumineux: Letting God's Light Shine
No comments:
Post a Comment