Many toxic plant have look-alikes that are harmless or even tasty (Wild Carrot vs. Poison Hemlock).…

—

Sometimes it is very challenging to distinguish the wheat from the weeds.

One helpful way, a Lutheran way, to look at this 

is to remember Luther’s claim, 

that we are at the same time saint and sinner. (sundaysandseasons.com)

We are sinful beings that don’t do what we should, 

Creatures that do what we shouldn’t,

And at the same time, we are saints, loved by God, saved by Grace 

and capable of the most wonderful, amazing things imaginable.

In other words, we are both wheat and weed.

We have the capability to feed others, love others 

and be a blessing for the world, 

but also there are parts of us that take up too much space, 

infringe upon the rights of others, 

and are generally a pain in the neck.

Each one of us is at the same time: wheat and weed. (Sundays and seasons.com)

But what about the others, you may ask? 

What about — them?

How can you tell who is more of a weed than a wheat?

It’s probably best to leave that to the experts,

Because weeds and wheat are more similar than you think.

You can probably tell whether an action or word is evil,

But it’s more difficult to tell the character of a person’s heart.

—

Don’t be too ready for judgement,

Don’t be too early to condemn the person,

Based on mere suspicion,

Because so much is uncertain.

God only knows.

It’s God’s role to be judge.

It’s too easy to divide the world into the good and the bad,

Into two camps, those who are destined for greatness, 

and those you’d prefer to rot in hell.

But all in the world and the church have the potential to do good,

We are all saint and sinner,

And so we need to leave the final justice to God,

While doing our own part to strive for what is right,

Bringing about peace, reconciliation and understanding of God’s grace.

—

But what about evil?

If God is good and God is everywhere, then why is there evil in the Kingdom of God, the reign of God?

According to the parable, it is because the devil has sown weed seeds while people were asleep.

Nutrituious wheat seeds were previously sown, that is true, 

but also worthless weed seeds are present in the field of the world, often growing when people are unaware or distracted.

The good and the bad are intertwined. The bad coexists with the good.

There are grey areas, 

and also patches of the world where the weeds dominate.

We know what evil looks like.

We can often identify it clearly:

Whether it’s:

Domestic violence,

Identity fraud or Bigotry,

The hurtful things we say or think,

Wars of aggression, or

wealth hoarding of billionaires.

As Christians we need to look at the world 

with a realistic and critical outlook,

And condemn actions that are sinful, and hurtful, and behaviours that alienate ourselves from each other, ourselves and God.

We also need to continue waiting in hope and trusting in God,

And do what we can in the meantime, (Lüdemann)

Do the next right thing,

Being patient with what we cannot change, 

and having faith that somehow 

God will turn it all right in the end.

We need to realize that while the evil one can do terrible things, 

he does not have the ultimate power to ruin everything. (Wesley Allen Jr.) The ultimate power belongs to God.

— 

And as adopted children of God, loved by God,

We rest in the assurance that God will not throw away what seems bad,

God is patient and knows that

Sometimes we are wheat and sometimes we are weeds.

I’d like to end with “a prayer for a heavy world” by Kaitlin Curtice.

Kaitlin Curtice is a Native American Christian author and speaker.

https://sojo.net/articles/prayer-heavy-world