A Lenten Reading of Matthew - Day Nineteen

Scripture Reading: Matthew 13:24-58 (NRSVUE)

Jesus continues to teach in parables, and we have the lengthier weeds and wheat followed by several shorter parables which each have a kind of twist to them.

Sometimes we can be pretty
vigorous in our weed pulling!

The weeds and the wheat remind us not to judge another's spiritual relationship with God, but rather to live side by side with people.  We also remember the previous parable of sowing the seed.  You never know when you might influence someone into becoming wheat!

The mustard seed and the yeast are a little surprising to a first century Jewish audience.  Mustard was considered a weed (rather than a tree) and could be seen as an invasive plant.  Jewish farmers would likely work to remove it as the Law required from Leviticus 19:19: "you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed".

Yeast was not exactly an unclean element, but it was forbidden leading up to Passover.

It seems as if the kingdom of heaven is something that isn't domesticated or under human control.  It provides benefit to people and others in surprising ways.

The final parables seem to be about prioritizing God in our lives above other mundane things.

And then after these teachings, we see Jesus rejected by his hometown of Nazareth.  

His designation as the carpenter's son really meant, "Isn't he just a carpenter?  Why should we listen to him?"

But Jesus might be more like the mustard seed or the leaven.  Unfortunately, the people of his town miss out on the miracles because of their lack of faith.  They are not willing to sell everything to buy the field or the pearl.  They are unwilling to see beyond what they think they know.

How often do we miss out on the miraculous because of our own limited sight?  Who might we be short-changing because of how we see them?  

It could be that we are pulling weeds and unwittingly pulling up wheat!

Prayer for the day:

God, help us to have clean hearts ready inside us for the Lord Jesus, so that he will be glad to come in, gratefully accepting the hospitality of those worlds, our hearts: he whose glory and power will endure throughout the ages.  Amen.

Prayer by Origen of Alexandria, 3rd Century

Photo by Jo Zimny Photos via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.