Sitz
im Leben - Matthew departs from Mark at this juncture with the
Weeds-in-the-Wheat Patch parable evidenced by language, style, and
the theology of its interpretation. The interpretation is
intriguing for it is a thoroughly allegorical mini-apocalypse that
urges a certain kind of conduct on the believer in the present.
[1]
Church and World - Notice the movement between “Church”
and world within the framework of the parable stories: Jesus goes
to the crowd with parables, including the tares parable. But
regarding its interpretation, “he left the crowd and went into
the house” and thus, to his disciples he explained its meaning.
Those “overhearing”-we, the readers-are therefore, implicitly
part of the “in-group” of disciples. [2]
Where Did The Weeds Come From? - That’s the perennial
human cry. Thinly veiled behind our glorious world, “together”
families, and triumphant church there lurks evil. The church, for
example, can be so courageous and bold in confronting evil in one
moment and so petty, and faithless in the next. Good mixes in with
the bad. The master in the parable orders the servants to leave it
alone. Passivity? No, we don’t ignore injustice and violence and
evil in the world, but we also realize that ultimately we do not
have the ability to rid ourselves of all the weeds. Our task is to
live faithfully and as obediently as possible, confident in God
alone who makes the harvest sure. [3]
Who
in your family liked to play practical jokes? Any particular joke
stand out? [4]
How should the church deal with differences and dissent among
its members?
Should a person ever be excluded from membership in the church?
What kind of discipline should the church exercise? If so,
when, why, and how?
For
a published homily on this passage, see the sermon entitled, “But
What About the Weeds?” by Fred B. Craddock in The Cherry Log
Sermons (Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 2001), page 25.
