Tuesday, 10 December 2024

God's messy church

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When 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 uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let 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’”…

47 “Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. 49 This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous 50 and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 13:24-30, 47-48

These two little parables of Jesus carry pretty much the same message: when he returns in glory there will be a great and final “sorting out” between “the wicked” and “the righteous”, a division that is not clear at the moment. “The Final Judgment”, it’s often called. The weeds sown among the wheat are likely to be harmful, and so have to be painstakingly separated out; likewise the bad fish among the good.

Jesus’ own explanation is given in verses 36-43. His reply rests upon the idea that the whole human race, and not only the church, has an enemy. The good seed stands for “the people of the kingdom” - all men and women who seek to love and honour God - while the weeds stand for “the people of the evil one”, the devil.

Two practical applications spring immediately to mind…

First: Christian, beware of arrogance!

Some strong Christians aim to build pretty much a perfect church here on earth – thoroughly sound doctrine, the highest standards of behaviour, and deeply committed service in terms of worship, prayer and evangelism. Well, nobody could argue with that kind of idealism. But these parables suggest that it needs to be blended with down-to-earth realism: some of the seed will turn out to be poisonous, some of the catch of fish will likewise turn out bad; it is God’s will that “both should grow together until harvest” (verse 30).

I’m sure such Christians don’t intend it, but they can give the impression that “we’re the only ones who’ve really got it right” – of being arrogant, to put it bluntly. Especially in terms of doctrine they sometimes seem to look down their noses at other Christians who, for example, interpret even minor passages of scripture differently.

I have a friend who, along with his wife, was asked by his church’s leaders to leave. Why? Because he had been guilty of some sort of improper behaviour? No. Because he didn’t pull his weight in the life of the church? Again, no. Apparently it was felt that he “didn’t share the vision of the church”, and would therefore be better off elsewhere. All right, I only have his side of the story, but I had known him for two or three years and knew him to be as fine a Christian – humble and teachable - as you could hope to meet. That’s an extreme example of what comes across as arrogance.

The fact is that over two thousand years there has never been anything like a flawless church or a perfect account of Christian teaching – just read Acts and the New Testament letters to see that! Never, literally never. And there never will be until Jesus returns. So let’s always be determined to be humble, reminding ourselves, “it’s me who could be in the wrong”.

To put it slightly differently: Christian, don’t pass judgment on others.

Those who aspire to build a perfect church may be seen sometimes sadly shaking their heads at the errors of others, in practice virtually writing them off. Certainly, any church should insist on certain basic New Testament truths, focussed of course on Jesus, born to the Virgin Mary, living a perfect human life, crucified for our salvation, but raised to life, and one day returning in glory.

But beyond that – denominational differences, musical preferences, doctrines to do with baptism or the working of the Holy Spirit or the timing of Jesus’ return, issues like alcohol and many others – we can, and should, be a little relaxed with those who may see it differently from us, taking care to treat them as brothers and sisters in Christ. Even perhaps the most acute topic of our time, same-sex relations, calls for at least respectful listening and sensitive understanding.

Second, more positively, Christian, never give anybody up!

We human beings are weak and fickle creatures, and while we may be sad to see a fellow-Christian drifting off or even rebelling against the gospel, we can never be sure how their story may end. Remember the prodigal son; remember Saul of Tarsus; remember John Mark.

It seems to suit my temperament to use lists to prompt my daily prayers, and some non-believers or lapsed believers have been on my list for literally years, and I have seen not so much as a hint of an answer. So what am I to do? Shrug my shoulders and give them up? Well, a day may come when I feel it right indeed to take them off my list; but I sense that until I am absolutely sure of that, perseverance is a far better option, even when my heart seems cold. Who knows what God might do, and when?

I visited a church once and was surprised to see someone there I had known many years earlier. We looked at one another in surprise, and then said almost simultaneously, “What are you doing here!” It was quite comical. I like to think that we might have meetings like that in heaven. Why not? Christian, have faith! God has some surprises in store.

That final day of separation will come. Until it does, let’s be patient and persevering. The words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:5 are wise and applicable in all sorts of situations: “Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes”.

We’ve got used to the label “messy church” in recent years – a description of what seems a fine Christian initiative. When I first heard it I must admit that I was a little taken aback. “Oh, not another gimmick”, I thought. But I soon learned differently.

Well, Jesus’ parables seem to suggest that there is a sense in which the church should be “messy”. Christian, live with it! Christian, keep praying and hoping!

Father in heaven, please help me to blend together a proper balance of strong, unwavering conviction and deep, teachable humility – and so, on that day when I see Jesus face to face, may I learn with wonder that my prayers were not in vain. Amen.


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