Weeds in the Wheat

Weeds in the Wheat

A meditation on the NIU shooting

I read with great sadness the news about the NIU shooting. The news rings heavy with echoes of Virginia Tech, The Amish School Shooting, Columbine, and school violence before and after.

How does this keep happening? What causes it? Why aren’t we learning? Why aren’t we changing? Why are our precious young people still dying?

Matthew 13:24-30

24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "

These tragedies happen because there are weeds in the wheat. In the field of God’s children where we all can be fed by the wheat of justice, forgiveness, mercy and love – the enemy has sown other seeds – anger, abuse, social ostracism, greed, ego, exploitation, prejudice, and other things.

In the wheat of our health care system which offers healing and hope to the mentally ill, is the weed that too many people fall through the cracks and go unseen, unknown, and unhealed.

In the wheat of personal freedom to express yourself and to protect your family, comes the weed of automatic weapons, easy to buy handguns and armor piercing bullets.

In the wheat of our God-intended design to be social beings who relate to one another in community, come the weeds of ego – the need for fame, revenge or status as well as the weeds of isolation, cruelty, and manipulation.

Like the servants we ask, "what can we do to get rid of these weeds"? We are advised some of these weeds will always be among us, that only God can remove them from our species at the end of time. While we can’t take the weeds from the field – we are not helpless to sustain the wheat. The weeds were sown when we were asleep.

Now we must wake up.

It’s a pain-staking task – I know. We must go out into the field, putting some of our other chores and distractions aside for a moment, and one by one untangle the wheat from the weeds. Pulling them apart and nurturing the soil with prayer, wisdom and justice. We must grow our roots together to fend off the isolating tactics of the weeds, and we must lift, carry and journey with those whose beloved grain has gone the threshing house to be embraced in God’s love.

We must never forget or ignore the Spirit wind of God which blows through our field of wheat, causing us to dance together in praise and wonder. We must never abandon a piece of our field to the takeover over the weeds.

Tonight, with the people of NIU, Virginia Tech, and so many other places near and far we grieve – because there are weeds in the wheat.

Tonight, with the people of NIU, Virginia Tech, and so many other places near and far we have a great hope – because there is wheat growing through the weeds.