The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.  The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 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 13:24-30

Jesus shares this parable to remind us that good and evil coexist, side by side, in our world.  In the story, the children of God are the good seeds while the children of the devil are the weeds. The harvest represents the sifting that God will bring about at the end of the age. Although we are weary of waiting, we cannot assume He is lenient on justice. He is slow to bring about the end for a reason and does things in His own time. 

Jesus said that pulling out weeds too early can harm wheat that isn’t ready to be harvested. If you are spiritually sensitive and compassionate, this can be tough. You’re the first to feel tension in the room, and it affects you before most others. You process relational dysfunction deeply and wonder if healing will happen fast enough to prevent you from reaching a breaking point. It’s tempting to handle the weeds by cutting ties and trying to bring fairness to situations instead of waiting on God. Oh, there’s probably something happening right now that you really want to set right.   

At the same time, Jesus isn’t telling us to ignore evil. We commit to living in a grace-filled coexistence. We don’t try to fix everything and everyone. God sees the field with the wheat and the tares and will harvest it in due time. Our role now is to flourish as wheat. We are not called to purify the field but to remain faithful while living among children of darkness.   

You might wonder if a grace-filled coexistence means we should let others harm us or live without boundaries. Absolutely not. Jesus moved with grace through dangerous times, but He also acted in truth. How did He know which to lean toward at any moment? By listening to His Father. 

Difficult people will always be around me. They will brush against me in my garden and often encroach on my space. I will turn toward the Light and shield my roots. I will remember that I am wheat, not a weed. I will grow in the life of the Spirit, extend grace when God asks, and keep my eyes on the prize. God has planned a wonderful redemptive ending, as beautifully depicted in this parable, and I can trust Him to govern wisely while I wait.

I’m so comforted that You know all about co-existence.  You walked here among good and evil, among the messiness of family and friend’s dynamics.  And you modeled it perfectly.  You’ve promised to help us.  Thank you.  Amen