Jesus answered them, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is
the world; the good seed are the people of the kingdom; the weeds are those who follow the
evil one. The enemy who sows the weeds is the devil; the harvest is the end of time, and the
workers are the angels. Just as the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so will it be at
the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom
all that is scandalous and all who do evil. And these will be thrown into the blazing furnace,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the just will shine, like the sun, in
the kingdom of their Father. If you have ears, then hear.

Reflect

“Exercise of righteousness.” We continue our journey while picking up again from the parable
of the weeds and the wheat in Matthew 13. In today’s Gospel, the disciples pleaded with
Jesus to explain the meaning of the parable of the weeds and wheat. In Jesus’ explanation,
judgment will happen in the end. As the weeds will be pulled up and burned during harvest
season, the evil doers will be judged in the end times. The righteous will be separated from
the evil doers. The evildoers will be thrown into blazing furnace while the just ones will shine
like the sun in the kingdom of the heavenly Father. Matthew’s Gospel challenges us to enter
into the process of righteousness. It is in this process that we become the children of the
heavenly Father. Everything that we do, concerning the law and worship, will all be judged
by our exercise of righteousness. The litmus paper to test if we have truly become a just
person is the exercise of compassion. Like the wheat that stands amidst the weeds, it is
through the practice of righteousness that we shall shine as God’s children. Being
compassionate in a world that is lacking in compassion will make a difference.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024