Matthew 13:25 (NIVUK)
25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
Continuing the Parable of the Wheat and Weeds, we discover that the farmer’s enemy sneaked in during the night (or afternoon siesta?) and sabotaged the crop by mixing weeds amongst the wheat. Asleep, the farmer and his servants were oblivious of this until it was too late. Jesus’ audience would have immediately known the seriousness of this. As peasants, they would have relied upon that year’s harvest, there would have been no recall to last years’ or to savings, and there certainly wasn’t any state provision for those who fell on bad times. If this happened to the farmer they worked for, they would be in dire straits. If we hear this story as one of reflecting on existence of sin and suffering in the world, then maybe this gives us a sense of the crisis that, according to the Bible, creation is in.
Father, forgive us for when we sleep walk through life, oblivious to the needs and suffering of others. Wake us up and stir up our compassion.
Photo by Polina Rytova on Unsplash
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