Sermon: Not Rushing to Judgement
This parable used to be called "the wheat and the tares."
Tares (also known as darnel, or "bastard wheat") are toxic weeds. It looks similar to wheat, so it is hard to weed out with any precision. Also, its roots go deep and entangle with those of the wheat, making it impossible to pull out without also pulling out the wheat.
Obviously no one would want tares in their wheat field. But alas, Jesus says, it's there! It just is!
So what's a good Christian to do?
In searching for images for this parable I came across a website called agapegeek.com that says Jesus consistently taught the separation of, and division between the godly and ungodly, or the good and bad.
Is that what this parable teaches?
Or does it teach that even as we are tempted to try to make those judgements, we cannot? At least not without doing violence and harm to ourselves and to others when we try?
My spiritual director tells me that when the New Testament writers list the gifts and fruit of the Spirit (i.e. try to identify the nature of spiritual authority and maturity), none of them include the gifts of being right or doing things perfectly. They do mention peace and patience, though, as well as love.
I wonder why my director thinks it's good for me to hear this.
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