 “Weeds!”
July 19, 2026
Rev. Rebecca Migliore
Parables are one of the ways that Jesus talks to us in Matthew’s gospel. Last week we heard the parable of the sower and the seeds. Today’s parable is about what happens as the seeds are growing. But before we think together about what this parable might be saying to us, I want to remind us what we know about parables. They are taking situations that common folk (of Jesus’ time) would know about. This is not Jesus trying to be esoteric. But more importantly, we know that the parables were not “feel good” stories. More often than not, they were meant to challenge something that we thought we knew—to turn the world we expect upside down.
Before we think about today’s parable, we need to know what the people hearing this parable would have known. And that was that in the region at that time, there were weeds that looked very much like wheat in the initial stages of growing. One such weed is called darnel. It looks so much like wheat, it was often called “bastard wheat.” And it wasn’t just a nuisance, it was poisonous—if you ate it, it would cause illness or death. So, to sow darnel among the wheat was truly an evil thing to do!
What that in mind. I have four questions about this passage, and I will give you a few moments for you to think in silence about them. Then, I am going to lead us in a very short discussion of what Jesus might be saying to us today.
First Question: Do we live in a world that has evil forces?
(Yes, not hard to imagine right now, as I imagine it was for the disciples who first heard Jesus)
Second Question: How do we deal with those evil forces right now?
(Often we want to rip out/destroy evil. Are we able to correctly identify the weeds from the wheat? Might we throw out the baby with the bath water?)
Third Question: Are we called to stomp out evil?
(We are not called to try to be the judge and jury. “Vengeance is mine,” says the Lord. The parable suggests that when the right time comes, when the fruit appears and weeds can be distinguished from wheat, then God will act.)
Fourth Question: Does the parable mean we should just lie back and let bad things happen around us?
(Here is where the parable of the sower might be helpful. We are meant to be good seed—focusing on ourselves and how we can impact our world. We are to work for justice and mercy to rule over our world. We are to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We keep the vision of the beautiful kin-dom, the beloved community, always before our eyes. Let God take care of the weeds.)
Let us pray: Merciful and Just God, we sometimes are so frustrated with the weeds and those who sow them in this world. We cry, “How long? O Lord,” adding our voices to those of our ancestors. We want your kin-dom here on earth right now. Help us to hear that maybe that is not our call. We are to be good seed. We are to be as fruitful as we can be. And although we can declare that we stand on the side of good and not evil, help us to see that only you can make the final judgment about what lies in the hearts of our brothers and sisters. Give us wisdom and strength to live in these trying days. And bless us that we might continue to be a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Four Questions about the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds
(Matthew 13:24-30)—for each of these questions: What does the parable say to us today?
First Question: Do we live in a world that has evil forces?
Second Question: How do we deal with those evil forces right now?
Third Question: Are we called to stomp out evil?
Fourth Question: Does the parable mean we should just lie back and let bad things happen around us?
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