We, the Wheat

Brown, jagged, thorny plants waved in the wind along with the fresh, green crop.

When did this happen?

He felt his master's presence come behind him. The man had a very distinct persona. You couldn't mistake him for any other. It was kingly.

He shook his head slightly. "Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?"

"An enemy has done this."

Ah, yes. That explained it, but now what? "Do you want us to go and gather them?" He turned to look at his master, expecting that he would bid them to gather the harmful crop at once.

"No. If you do, you may uproot the wheat along with the weeds." His master clapped him on the shoulder. "Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers to gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned. Then gather the wheat into my barn."

He looked back out at the field of wheat and weeds. Some of the wheat crop may suffer, but his master's reasoning was sound.

Based on Matthew 13:24-30

He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him. 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" Matthew 13:24-30

So sometimes people say, "If God is so good, why does He allow all the evil in the world?" My answer normally consists of The Fall and how we live in an imperfect world were the devil rules.

These verses show us that there's also another reason.

Can you imagine if God got rid of all the evil people in the world right now? At first we think, "Yippee!" But it would actually backfire. Don't think for a moment that the devil wouldn't swoop in with doubts about our loving God who would destroy all those people. Then, because we've never had any real reason to stand up for our faith, we would be easily swayed.

God allows evil to remain in the world for a time. Don't think that He's turned a blind eye to it, or that He's not even aware. Like the master of that field, God is just waiting for the harvest to come. Truth be told, God has plenty of reason for allowing things to be the way they are right now. Our place is to be the wheat among the weeds. Sure, we may take some damages from the thorny weeds, but the day of the harvest is coming.

"Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:16

This is what we, the wheat, need to be doing! Instead of bemoaning the thorn in our side, we should be striving to live our lives for God in these evil days. When the harvest arrives, then those thorns will be removed.

V. Joy Palmer