Jesus Explains the Parable of the Weeds

Reflection on the Gospel of Tuesday In The Seventeenth Week In Ordinary Time

Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.

The Disciples are confused, just as the servants of the Land Owner.
Why the delay in removing the weeds?
They do not understand God’s Mercy, Patience and Wisdom.
God knows the heart of every human, yet he is patient with them and gives them every opportunity to reform.
And at times these very weeds are entangled in the lives of the wheat.
The weeds are essential to the Wheat, they being their family, friends etc…
Example: Yahweh overlooked Aaron’s role in the incident of the Golden Calf, for the sake of Moses.

He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;

As John in his prologue states, Jesus the Son of Man was there before time.
He is the Word spoken that created/brought into being all creation.
All goodness and righteousness comes from him
Therefore any action of change for good and positivity in every man is a result of his action.
He is the word heard directly or indirectly; the word good – sharper then any sword, which convicts humanity of the truth.

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the field is the world

Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool (Isaiah 66:1).
In contrast the story of creation brings out the understanding that all creation is fashioned like a temple.
A place for God to dwell in
with humanity, the reason (because he was madly in love with humanity) why everything was created.
The World-Temple is the place where God wants to reside, alongside man
walking with him, like Adam is shown doing in the Garden of Eden.

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the good seed means the sons of the kingdom / the weeds are the sons of the evil one,

Genesis 6:4 makes an obscure mention of “God came in to the daughters of men“
What it simple is saying those who accept God in their hearts and lives, are the Sons/Daughters of God
Those who reject God and do now want him to be part of their lives live in darkness
devoid of full understanding,
because God is all important factor in our lives who makes us complete, in all ways.

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and the enemy who sowed them is the devil

This reference is probably to the devil.
but it can be applied to the first moment when doubt took root in humanity
doubt that God did not have the best interests of humanity at heart
doubt that God was using humanity as a tool.
doubt that God was holding out and not giving humanity proper dignity.
and ever since this doubt has coloured/flavoured everyone of our interaction with God.
Therefore we hold out from giving ourselves totally to God
We do everything contrary to what is good.
We make use of God; approach him when in trouble, and flee from him when all seems okay.

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the harvest is the close of the age

Indeed a time comes when everyone of us will be asked to give account
just like the 3 Servants who were given gold talents.
Here I would liken the talents with Life.
And what did we do with the life which was gifted to us.
The answer to this is in the parable of the Prodigal Son
- We can be like the Elder Son, knowing God, but do not personally know God.
- Or be like the Younger Son, living a half life out in the world.
- may be enjoying it to the fullest according to what the world says is success and life
God is patient and kind, loving and merciful
- he is always waiting for us like the Prodigal Father
- but the key to understanding this parable
- is that it is not he who does the action of finding his son and bringing him back
- It is the decision the Younger Son takes to return, and does return.
So a God who is all good and every so loving of his Children cannot condemn even the most notorious of them.
- The final Judgement is this then
- that we by virtue of our decisions and actions
- shut God out of our lives…
- and when we do come to understand his love for us, we cannot/are unable to go to him
- and this knowing that we cannot go back to him is hell fire.