Monday meditation: ‘Tell Me a Story,’ Part 2: Anticipating the harvest
Today’s story highlights the problem with judging people by their outward appearances. People who have acknowledged God, received Christ, and thus entered his kingdom may look remarkably like those who have done none of those things. Meanwhile, unbelievers may exhibit beauty and love like that of a believer, even though they have no specific faith.
This means two things.
1) We need not spend undue energy evaluating other people. The farmers in the story don’t sort out the weeds; that’s the job of the harvesters at the end of the growing season.
2) But make no mistake, there will be a judgment. The weeds in the story are a particular variety known to mimic wheat in their appearance. But instead of being included in the field’s produce, they will be “gathered and burned with fire.”
Most who teach this parable emphasize the certainty of coming judgment and the warning those who reject Christ must understand. The parable demands that conclusion.
But as I think about caregivers, I go to one more thought: For those who believe, the coming judgment is an occasion for rejoicing, not fear. With judgment comes joy. All the struggles and strivings of this life will not last forever; a harvest of rejoicing and reconciliation is ahead.
Such hope gives many caregivers the energy to carry on. That’s how it is for me.
A favorite song on one of my playlists is “One Day” by Matt Redman. With quiet contemplation, he sings of all the stress that will be behind us on that day when we enjoy our reunion with Jesus:
“. . . one day we’ll be free, free indeed, . . . One day all this struggle will cease.”
The harvest is a good thing. Without it, all the work and worry that produced the crop will be wasted. When we eat the first flavorful bite of a homegrown tomato in August, we know all the weeding and watering was worth it. And one day, at harvest time, we’ll rejoice that the sorrow sown by Satan did not keep us from reaching a place where he has no sway.
Read: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 NIV
Pray: Dear Lord, help us not to forget the promise in the story Jesus told, even while encouraging others not to ignore its warning. Give us hope to last till the harvest.
Illustration copyright Classic Bible Art. All rights reserved. For more information about securing a library of this beautiful art for yourself, see here or here. Some art in this series is available for license at Goodsalt.com.