The Apostles in today’s Gospel passage ask Jesus to explain to them the meaning of the parable of the wheat and darnel in the field growing together. The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man, Jesus himself. He does this through His actions, through His preaching and teaching, the Gospel He shares and gives to us and the Sacraments He leaves His church. The field is the world, the good seed are the subjects of the Kingdom of God who humbly follow, obey and serve God and the darnel, the subjects and agents of satan, who sow evil through their and sin and falsehoods. The harvest is the end of the world and the reapers God’s ministering angels.
As at harvest time, there is a separation of the wheat and darnel, so there is a separation of the righteous and unrighteous. God’s patient tolerance of evil and sin in the world is dealt with justly, at the last judgement. God, as eternal Lord and judge of the heavens and earth, will judge all peoples and nations in accordance with obedience to His commandments.
In the meantime, the just and sinners, live side by side, in the hope that those who provoke offence to God by their disobedience and sin will convert and repent. God wills and desires that all His children will be saved and that is why there is no premature judgement by God. He will wait patiently for His children to come back to Him. God therefore is unlike us, who often want to set things right immediately and who can be unprepared to give others another chance.
We should remember the words of God the Father to the Prophet Ezekiel (18:23)
“I do not take delight in the death of the wicked, do I?” asks the Lord GOD. Should not I rather delight when he turns from his wicked ways and lives”?
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