Wheat and Weeds

There is something strange about human nature. When we plant vegetables in our garden, we know that it will be a while before we see tomatos or squash on the plants--we don't blame the plants for this. When it comes to people, however, we are not willing to wait. We are quick to say "bad seed" or "good man," when the truth is we don't know how someone will turn out. We don't even know which person God is dealing with behind the scenes, or which people are just adept at playing along to impress others.

It's not a good idea to go weeding someone else's garden. You might mistake their prized rare allium for a wild onion. This world is God's garden, and we have no business weeding it.

Jesus taught that we should not judge other people. I find it amazing that so many people teach that the parable of the wheat and the weeds is telling us that we need to be careful to distinguish the wheat and the weeds, when Jesus said just the opposite. He said that the good people and bad people should all be allowed to grow together, and let God judge the results in the end. It is not our jobs to sort it out!

When we try to make rules that describe who is and who is not a child of God, we just wind up alienating good people--uprooting the wheat along with the weeds. If your dogma causes you to judge people, then your dogma is wrong.

while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest...The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom.

Matthew 13 NIV

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Matthew 7 NIV