“Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”
Matthew 13:30
As the first day of Autumn has come and gone, harvesting around here is in full swing. Gardens are looking sparse as plants give their last effort to produce food. Stands on the side of the road are full of sweet corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, carrots, and many other good things. Now that our garden is done for the season, it was my task to pull the plants out and dig up the garden. As pulled the plants out, I noticed all the weeds we failed to pull along the way. Whoops! The weeds that grow in-between the rows were easy to spot and pull, but the ones that found shade under the giant cucumber and squash leaves were a different story. When a plan gets big enough, we didn't find it as dire to make sure every weed is pulled because they don't threaten the health of the large plants.
Jesus uses harvest analogies many times in the gospels because to his original audience, the metaphors would hit home. For many of us with gardens or to those that at least know a thing or two about how planting and harvesting works, it makes sense too. From the moment we are baptized, that seed of faith in our hearts begins to grow. With constant watering and nourishment from the word of God, the seed turns into a beautiful tree that eventually produces fruits of faith. While our faith is young and fragile, much like a small plant, weeds also grow among us. They threaten to cut off our supply of the good things we need to survive and grow stronger.
Could God just snap his fingers and take all the weeds away? Yes. But that wouldn't give us a chance to show our fruit to those who need to hear it. God wants all to be saved, but our time is limited. Eventually, the harvest will come, but while we wait, we need to make sure we are constantly receiving the word of God that strengthens us and prepares us for the harvest. When God sends his angels for the harvest on the last day, we will be able to show the fruit we have been producing. In doing so, God tells us we are storing up a harvest of righteousness in heaven. God knows who are his. He knows what he's doing. We trust that he will continue to cause us to grow stronger until the harvest comes. Amen.
Pastor Rothfuss
