Put God's mercy and God's justice on the scales. What happens?Today’s gospel, Matthew 13:24-30 offers each follower the opportunity to look within. What Jesus is preaching is what makes the spiritual journey so difficult for some, so hopeful to others. In short, Jesus is teaching again and in another way that God is a God of mercy. Our God is a God of patience. Unfortunately, if we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that God’s ways and our ways are not always in sync and so challenging.
Jesus is attempting to explain to his followers what the meaning is in Luke 15:2 and Matthew 9:11. How could he befriend those who were known sinners and then share a meal with them as well? At times he reprimanded some because they lived the laws to an extreme and were very proud of their efforts. At other times he tolerated those who ignored the laws and seemed to have little interest in keeping the laws.
For the Jews of Jesus’ times this was a genuine challenge. Why? Because, as pointed out by scripture scholar Marion Soards, an expert of Pauline theology, "Judaism rested on the twin pillars of election and atonement" (The Apostle Paul, p. 16). God chose Israel as his chosen ones. To them he gave the Torah, the "law as the norm for Israel’s response to his divine election" (p. 13). A faithful follower of the Torah believed that he would be rewarded by his/her following the law and that he/she would be punished for disobedience to the law" (p.13).
The description of a farmer’s handling the weeds that had grown up with the good seeds, removing them from the same garden or field, made perfect sense to the Jewish people. It is a natural follow through of living the two pillars. But Jesus’ description of a farmer deciding to wait until the harvesting time stands as a surprise. And this experience is not different in our Church today.
Jesus is teaching a tough lessen to the purists among the Jews as well as the purists, the formalists, among us today. God is seen in the analogy of the patient farmer. God would in his time decide when the separation would be made.
This is a reality in today’s Church for so many Catholics. Some among us, faithful followers for sure, find it so difficult to accept a Church that has sinners both public and private. Some among us are surely saints. Others among us without doubt are sinners, folks who might not be producing a passing grade on their spiritual journey through life. Jesus could teach this because he knew that in the kingdom he was preaching, his Father’s kingdom, and, we can say, in the Church today, there is great space. There is room for saints and sinners.
Imagine, if you can, what our church would be like if sinners were dismissed, thrown out, because of public serious sin. Imagine, imagine this: we might not have had an Augustine; we might not have had an Ignatius Loyola. These are just two of the "greats" who have made our Church what it is. Might not one think even of the great apostle, Paul?
Too often in our Church today there is the experience of nailing a sinner to the cross and then dumping that person on a garbage heap. "Away from us, you sinner!" This is the easy way to resolve a problem. Toss it; it will not bother me any longer.
Why else would Jesus direct us not to separate the "true believers" from those so often called hypocrites? Listen carefully: "Pull us the weeds and you might take the wheat along with them." We are challenged not to forget that God’s mercy has more weight on the divine scales than does the justice of God!!!
Almost all of us experience this in our family lives. Most priests, no doubt, hear these words from folks who learn that a priest might have an errant sibling or parent: "Father, every family has someone like that." It is so difficult for those who struggle day after day to live a good life to believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection serve humankind as the two pillars at the entrance to the Father’s house FOR EVERYONE. And everyone includes the weak, the annoying, the embarrassing, the imperfect, THE SINNER. Egads! What a Church some might say!
The ultimate consideration of the reality of what Jesus is teaching and the reaction of some to it might be this: If the Church of Jesus Christ were as purified as some might like, hope for or actually think it to be, would there, could there, be a place for me?
Charity is no easy virtue, is it? Following Jesus what Jesus taught is truly painful at times, is it not?
