Breaking the Word

"The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away. Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. "Do you understand all these things?" They answered, "Yes." And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old." (Mt 13:44-52)

 

 

The truths about the kingdom of heaven are mysteries. They are revealed through parables. Though they are mysteries yet they are not unimaginable. They are not beyond our grasps. They can be imagined and communicated through stories and realities of this world. They are like seeds sown in the fields; they are like mustard seeds; they are like leaven etc.

 

Another truth about the kingdom is that it is like a treasure. Treasures are always hidden and that is why they ate reassures. They are buried. They are not easily visible and available. Anyone who wants to possess this treasure will not make it known to everyone until he buys it. He will be ready to sacrifice anything and everything to possess the kingdom. Kingdom is a treasure that demands sacrifice.

 

Yet another truth about the kingdom is that it is like fishing net that hauls all sorts of fish. There are varieties of fish and there are also good ones and bad ones. Good fish and bad fish live together and they are hauled in to the same net (kingdom). It is at the end of times that they are separated. No net hauls only good fish. Kingdom is not the place of only good people. Kingdom will also have evil ones. But it is at the end of times that they are separated.

He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" (Mt 13: 24-30)

 

 

Jesus seems to know the details of farming. He knows that the farmer always sows the good seed. But weeds grow always among the crop. No one (no farmer or the slaves) sow the weeds. This is the work of the enemy. Enemy does his work when no one notices. The work of the enemy is to disrupt the work of the farmer. The enemy wants the farmer to get agitated and react which in turn will destroy also some of the good works of the farmer himself.

 

The slaves want to react immediately. They wanted to remove the evil at once. The workers or the slaves are worried about the weeds and their concern for the wheat is not so helpful to the wheat itself. Their actions and reactions though right turned against the evil yet in effect it has its negative consequence against the good.

 

The farmer’s concern is about the wheat. He is primary worried about the wheat only and it is positively turned towards the wheat. Weeds are of no concern for the farmer. The farmer does not mind the weeds at all rather not a single wheat should be lost. This positive approach makes him let the weeds to grow among the wheat.