Jesus uses the parable of the good wheat and the tares to explain the Kingdom of God and the presence of evil. Today we hear the explanation of the parable. The parable is a bit disturbing. In fact, it is so disturbing and unexpected that the disciples insisted that Jesus explain it to them and they then put the explanation in the Gospel for us.
Not being a farmer myself, I had to do some research on weeds. Tares look exactly like wheat until the ripe grains appear and even then, it is difficult to distinguish between the two even when ripe. The weeds can be poisonous to some domestic animals.
The parable raises questions: Why let the poisonous weed exist? How is it possible for God to leave good and evil together and for them to be almost indistinguishable until a certain moment?
Of course, we all like to judge and condemn others and decide who is bad, who should be removed from God’s good harvest. When I initially started living in the poor neighborhood of Lima, I had that attitude. We were surrounded by common criminals, perverse and corrupt cops, drug dealers, bloodthirsty terrorists, and neighborhood political leaders bent on making their own profit while in office. I felt I knew exactly where God should send a thunderbolt. It can be irritating to see people take advantage of the poorest and most helpless people. However, Jesus clearly says that we, as a community of faith (the kingdom of God), live surrounded by evil and that we leave judgment to God and the angels.
How merciful and generous our Lord is, giving us all freedom of choice and time for conversion. The local faith community has a mission to be a shining light of God’s presence while surrounded by evil. That mission includes eradicating within ourselves through conversion and working for a more just socio-political system without using violence and without condemning others.
Are you tares or wheat?