Weeds and Wheat

I have run into similar religious attitudes before. This story was written in my other blog in response to my feelings following a similar conversation in the past.

Weeds and Wheat

There once was a field planted with the finest seeds of grain. The sun shown down gentle and warm. The ground, freshly tilled, remained moist with the gentle washings of the rain. Soon the spouts began to grow, bright and green, as they stretched themselves toward the sun.

As the spouts grew, the weeds snaked their roots under the tilled soil and sprouted their own kind in the field. Concerned for the grain, the farm hands took action.

They heated the plants hoping to scorch the weeds. Many wheat stalks withered. The ground became dry and bitter; roots were pulled up when the wind buffeted the field.

The farmhands spread poisons hoping to kill the weeds that way. The wheat itself also sickened, many stalks never gaining the head that grain reaches in its maturity.

As a last resort in their vendetta to kill the weeds, the farm-hands viciously attacked the field, cutting down stalks of wheat as well as weeds, leaving both to wither and die rootless on the side.

At last the weeds were gone. A fraction of the wheat remained in the field, ready to be harvested.

When the landowner arrived, he looked dismayed at the remaining wheat. He cast his eyes to the piles of wheat cut and cast with the weeds on the side, the lines of wheat that had sickened and never matured, and the remnants of the wheat that were scorched so badly, they never had the chance to grow. "What became of the crops I planted?" he inquired of his farmhands.

"The weeds had gotten into the field, master. But don't worry," they added proudly. "We got rid of them."

The landowner wept bitterly...
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Let those who have ears, hear. The meaning behind this story, I have not shared with my readers on that blog, but I will share it here.

The wheat that was scorched with heat were those that started to follow the teachings of Christ only to be berated by various religious leaders. They scolded and debased them publicly to the point where the people withered into submission, loosing the spark of passion that Holy Spirit brings or left the teachings behind entirely because they would take no more of the verbal attacks.

The poisons spread are the condemnations thrown around the globe on a daily basis. There is much good in this world; God works through humanity in many different ways. But because it is beyond the small, shallow parameters of how they believe God should work, they condemn, separate, divide, and lead countless others (many millions) to do the same sad thing. They choose not to see the good but only the label, and condemn those whom they group under that label. This poisons much of the good in this world. Those who who are consistently attacked and condemned, sadly give up doing good and sharing the Love God placed in all our hearts. The world becomes much smaller and sadder. We never reach the full potential God placed in us.

Then there is the final act: the wars. The condemnations lead to hostilities and outright war against our brothers and sisters. We are told they are evil. Many believe them and refuse to see good where there is good. There is so very many good folk that are cut down - even physically maimed and killed like the wheat - because another tells people that they are evil.

God is our landowner.And (S)He does weep when we do these thing to each other.

(PS: Thanks Yeshua, my dear Brother, for sharing the gift of parables with me. I truly count it a blessing. :D) 

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