05/28/2026
Gospel Reflection
In today’s Morning Prayer Gospel, Jesus shows us his “farming roots.”
• Jesus uses another parable to teach the Jews about the “kingdom of God.”
• A farmer “sowed good seed in his field,” but “while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed w**ds among the wheat...”
• When the plants grew up and “bore grain,” the “w**ds appeared as well.”
• When the “slaves” of the farmer reported w**ds to her, she knew “an enemy” had done this, but told her slaves not to gather the w**ds – “for in gathering the w**ds you would uproot the wheat along with them.”
• So what does this “farming” story have to do with the Kingdom of God?
• My thoughts today went to the question of “Why?” Why did the farmer tell his slaves not to gather up the w**ds?
• I found that the “w**d” Jesus likely refers to is a “darnel,” also called “false wheat.” As darnel grows next to the wheat it’s root system intermixes with the wheat’s root so that pulling out the wheat will also “yank” up the wheat root, killing the good wheat.
• In fact the darnel and the wheat look exactly alike at first. Only at maturity can they be safely separated.
• If the field represents the “kingdom of God,” then the good wheat represents “believers,” and the w**d represents “non-believers.”
• In the same way the farmer is telling his slaves not to try to separate the w**d from the good wheat, Jesus is telling the Jews – including His disciples (and that includes us) – not to take judgement into their own hands.
• In the Gospels, Jesus is very consistent in telling everyone who will listen not to judge – like when he answers the question the scribes and the Pharisees ask about the woman caught in adultery.
o “Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
• Famously Jesus responds: ““Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her…”
• Let us pray about that. Please join me on page 79 in the Book of Common Prayer.
