Sunday 23 July 2023

Psalm 86:1-13

Background

This coming week’s Bible passages are mainly from John’s Gospel, but today, and Tuesday, we’re with Matthew. It’s an interesting mix: Matthew's Gospel is written in a narrative style while John’s is much more a theological reflection on the person of Jesus Christ. The feel and flow of John is very different from Matthew's Gospel and the other two gospels.

Today we have a parable, sometimes called 'the tares [weeds] among the wheat'. Today’s hymn 'Come you thankful people come' (StF 123) explores it. It has clear similarities to the much better-known parable of the sower with which Matthew 13 begins. They are both set, as are most of Jesus’ stories, in the agricultural world in which he and his fellow Galileans lived. However, while the sower figures also in Mark and Luke's Gospels, the parable of the wheat and the tares is unique to Matthew (although both stories are in the non-biblical Gospel of Thomas).

Another similarity between the two parables is that, unusually, a decoding is given, when Jesus explains the meaning of each parable to his disciples. Most of Jesus’ parables are without any explanation and the listeners are left to reflect and form their own interpretations. However, these two parables are unpacked. They are treated as allegories, ie extended metaphors, in which various elements have specific meanings.

The explanation in verses 36-43 is in two parts. First Jesus explains what he means by the seeds and the weeds. The passage ends with a mini-apocalypse, foretelling the respective fates of the righteous (the wheat) and 'the children of the evil one' (the tares/weeds).

There are two interesting things to note about the verses missed out from today’s passage (verses 31-35). First, two short parables are inserted between the main story and its explanation (Jesus tells them the kingdom of heaven can be compared to a mustard seed or to the action of yeast). These come with no explanation. Second, there’s an interesting quotation from Psalm 78 in verse 35 about teaching in parables.

 To Ponder:

• The parable of the wheat and the tares is set in the rural culture Jesus knew. Which features of contemporary life are ripe with possibility for stories which teach about the kingdom of God?
• What do you think that the 'final harvest' (as the hymn put it) will look like?
• What do you think of the idea that Jesus taught in parables in order to hide his message or keep it secret from most people? See verse 13, for example.

Prayer

Lord of life, teach us your ways and guide our thoughts. Direct our minds to that which reveals your will. Thy kingdom come! Amen.