Today in the Spirit: Proper 11A
Following Matthew in Year A, we continue walking with Jesus in our worship and overhearing his teaching during the most prolific period of his earthly ministry.
In the Gospel reading appointed for Proper 11A, Matthew 13:24-30, 34-43, we hear our Lord’s presentation and interpretation of what the disciples call “the parable of the weeds in the fields” (36). The teaching is on apocalyptic judgment and the final separation of the righteous from the evildoers. Here, as with the account of the parable of the sower last week, Matthew inserts a text from the Hebrew scriptures to account for Jesus’ practice of teaching in parables: “This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: ‘I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world’” (35, citing Ps. 78:2).
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The assigned first reading is from Wisdom of Solomon 12:13,16-19 out of the Apocrypha. In contrast to the parable in the Gospel reading portraying the actions of God dispassionately at the time of final judgment, this reading will remind us of the inclination in God’s character toward compassion: “Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness, and with great forbearance you govern us; for you have power to act whenever you choose” (18).
The assigned Psalm 86 (a portion of which is also assigned for World Mission Sunday B) echoes themes from the Wisdom of Solomon reading: God’s compassion for his people and his power to save them from adversity. In the psalm, “David” sings of his own experience of God’s mercy even as he pleads for deliverance from his enemies: “But you, O Lord God, are full of compassion and mercy, long-suffering, plenteous in goodness and truth. O turn then unto me, and have mercy upon me; give your strength unto your servant, and help the son of your handmaid” (15-16).
The assigned New Testament reading from Romans 8:18-25 takes us further into the magnificent center of Paul’s epistle to the saints in Rome. NT readings presented in a series in the lectionary do not always make obvious points of contact with the other readings; in this instance, Paul’s teaching on the preservation of the saints prepares us in our worship to hear the parable in the Gospel reading. On the yearning of the saints for final deliverance from the Lord, we will hear: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (18-19).
The appointed collect positions us as worshipers among those whose only hope of enjoying “heavenly treasure” is the power of God, shaped “chiefly” (note: not exclusively) by his “showing mercy and pity.” Our petition is that we would not hesitate by either doubt or diversion to run to obtain the promises of God revealed in Scripture, through Jesus Christ.
The Collect
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Sovereign in Strength, You Judge with Mildness (Wisdom 12:13, 16-19)
13 For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,
Wisdom 12:13,16-19 (NRSV-CE)
to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
16 For your strength is the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all.
17 For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power,
and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
18 Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to act whenever you choose.
19 Through such works you have taught your people
that the righteous must be kind,
and you have filled your children with good hope,
because you give repentance for sins.
On a Sunday when hearing Jesus’ teaching on the wheat and weeds may leave us, as worshipers, uneasy with the idea of persevering in a world in which evil and good must cohabit, we receive this comforting message from the deuterocanonical book of Wisdom of Solomon about the sovereignty of God, inclined toward good. We hear not only that God reigns over all (“for you have power to act whenever you choose” 18), but also that God’s perfect sovereignty produces hope of final deliverance for his children: 1) [you] “care for all people” (13); 2) “your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all (16); and 3) you judge with mildness (18). There are many places in canonical Scripture that carry similar messages, but few that pack so many descriptions of God’s active goodness in one place.
Devotionally, hearing this text before the parable of the wheat and the weeds, we will rest more easily with the reality assigned to us of good and evil contesting one another for the resources we need to grow. What is more, we find there is internal work in the hearts of the saints to be accomplished by depending on God for survival in the world. The last verse informs us that living in a world exposed to the kindness of God in the face of evil, we ourselves learn to be forgiving: “Through such works you have taught your people that the righteous must be kind.”
Bishop Ignatius of Antioch, in a letter to the Ephesians (around AD 125) makes this very point with reference to our parable: “By our patience let us show we are their [enemies within the church] brothers, intent on imitating the Lord, seeing which of us can be the more wronged, robbed, and despised. Thus no devil’s weed will be found among you; but thoroughly pure and self-controlled, you will remain body and soul united to Jesus Christ.” Extreme language to be sure–but with the ring of the Spirit.
Today, Holy Spirit, overcome all fear in us as we live in a world of good and evil; and, in so doing, teach me to be increasingly kind, adding to your revelation of kindness in a world on its way to final judgment.
For You Answer Me When I Call (Psalm 86)
1 Bow down your ear, O Lord, and hear me, *
Psalm 86, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
for I am poor and in misery.
2 Preserve my life, for I am faithful; *
my God, save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord, *
for I will call daily upon you.
4 Comfort the soul of your servant, *
for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For you, Lord, are good and gracious, *
and of great mercy to all those who call upon you.
6 Give ear, Lord, unto my prayer, *
and attend to the voice of my humble supplications.
7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, *
for you answer me when I call.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, *
nor are there any deeds like yours.
9 All nations that you have made shall come and worship you, O Lord, *
and shall glorify your Name.
10 For you are great and do wondrous things; *
indeed, you are God alone.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; *
O knit my heart to you, that I may fear your Name.
12 I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, *
and will praise your Name for evermore.
13 For great is your mercy toward me; *
you have delivered my life from the nethermost Pit.
14 O God, the proud have risen up against me, *
and the company of violent men have sought after my life, and have not set you before their eyes.
15 But you, O Lord God, are full of compassion and mercy, *
long-suffering, plenteous in goodness and truth.
16 O turn then unto me, and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength unto your servant, and help the son of your handmaid.
17 Show me some token of your favor, that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed, *
because you, Lord, have been my helper and comforter.
Or, “Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me…” (1, ESV). The more literal translations of v. 1 of this psalm communicate better the sense that “David” in his desperate prayer feels YHWH to be far from him (also v. 6). He struggles in his spirit with the notion that the answer to his petition for deliverance from his enemies must be communicated, as it were, from a great distance. Here is the stuff of Paul’s references in the NT reading to the “groaning” of creation for the redemption of the sons and daughters: we wait as those crying out from afar. What is David’s remedy for overcoming his sense of isolation from God? 1) He recalls the character of the Lord as he has experienced it (“For you, Lord, are good and gracious, and of great mercy to all those who call upon you…In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, for you answer me when I call” (5,7); 2) He remembers the great works of YHWH from the past (“For you are great and do wondrous things; indeed, you are God alone” (10).
Devotionally, we may often feel as if God is too far away to hear our prayers. How can you hear our voices in heaven, Jesus, from the remote corners of the earth where we live? How can you attend to our needs from so far away? We are, to use the imagery of our Lord’s parable this week, like stalks of wheat lost and vulnerable among the weeds permitted to flourish alongside us. We cannot help but fear they are completely taking over. Let us recall, like David, your answers to our prayers in the past and the miracles we have experienced of your provision, healing, and salvation from our enemies.
In a passage, YHWH speaks through Jeremiah concerning false prophets who believe they can preach falsehood without impunity, we who are God’s faithful can find comfort in times of trouble: “‘Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth?’” declares the Lord (Jer. 23:23-24).
Yes, Lord, you fill every space in the universe. There is no such thing as only near or only far away in our relationship with you. Come, Holy Spirit, today, and grant us the understanding of David, and transform our prayers into those of David in this psalm.
We Wait for It with Patience (Romans 8:18-25)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:18-25
As mentioned above, on this particular “ordinary” Sunday, the assigned NT reading fits like a glove with Jesus’ parable of the wheat and the weeds. The clear implication of the parable is that we (“the sons [and daughters] of the kingdom”) must live unsteadily alongside “the sons [and daughters] of the evil one” (see Mt.13:38f). Paul teaches that in that situation, while we believers “groan within ourselves as we wait for God to make us his children” (23, GNT), we wait “with patience” (26) for the day of full redemption. We must note the prominent repetition of the word “hope,” both as a noun and as a verb, at the end of the passage (24,25). Hope is the gift of God, delivered by the Holy Spirit to our hearts and minds through the knowledge of heaven’s intentions for creation, as received in scripture; thus, we become neither paralyzed by discouragement nor lost in worldliness. We wait in hope.
Living in the world, I find that I am naturally patient to a degree, but then a sudden interruption to my daily schedule or an unexpected word of criticism from someone else will move me off the mark. It is there we need godly assistance, and Paul assures us, in this reading and elsewhere in his teaching, that the Holy Spirit, the life of Jesus in us, will deliver. Paul has already prepared us for good counsel from this week’s passage from one we had on an earlier Sunday in Year A:
“…but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance (Gk. hypomonē, same word translated “patience” in our reading) produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (5:3-5). Patience and “hope” here again.
Do you need extra patience just now in your rubbing up against the weeds in the field–even the weeds growing up along the wheat inside yourself? Today, in the Spirit, trust in the Lord’s provision of patience and hope through the Spirit to see you through in the present and even to the day of glory to be revealed.
Shine Like the Sun in the Kingdom of the Father (Matthew 13:24-30, 34-43)
24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
34 All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. 35 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
“I will open my mouth in parables;
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 13:24-30, 34-43
My other devotions this week have touched on the troubling implications of this parable: “the sons of the kingdom” (38, followers of Christ) existing alongside “the sons of the evil one” (38, non-Christians) until the end. But let us be clear: the point of this parable is not about the time before the end but the end itself. Neither wheat nor weeds feel anything; they simply exist. What we humans who do feel are meant to see here is the final outcome: that evil will be destroyed, and that “the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father” (43) with uncorrupted glory. Let those who have ears trained by the Spirit hear this.
Solomon, David, and Paul can teach us about God’s comfort in the interim era, but we must look—Jesus insists—to the great end when nothing more is provisional. Our Lord’s parable is about the fact that the enemy’s sowing his weeds in the world has no lasting outcome and does nothing to thwart the purposes of the Father God for his creation. The jewels of his creation, people with a heart turned to the creator, will thrive. Here is a supporting passage from Daniel that may very well have been in the mind of Jesus as he told this parable again and again during the years of ministry: [An angel to Daniel]: “And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase” (Dan. 12:3-4).
Today, Holy Spirit, hearing our Lord’s parable in our worship, count us among those with ears to hear, and those in whom “knowledge shall increase,” concerning the future, our future, of shining in the presence of the Father forever and ever.
Today in the Spirit
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