“Let both of them grow
until the harvest…” -- Matthew 13:29
The theological style of Joseph Sittler, one of the most
eminent Lutheran teachers of the 20th century, was once described like this: “With both feet planted firmly in midair, he
takes off in several directions.”
(Sittler, Grace Notes and Other
Fragments, p. 24). I think this
description of Dr. Sittler’s theology can be aptly applied to Lutheran theology
in general. While it sometimes describes
our Lutheran tendency to be wishy-washy on any number of topics, I think it
also describes our willingness to live in the tension of opposites. I think one of the strengths of Lutheran
theology is it’s ability to acknowledge that there is a lot of fuzziness in the
world and its assurance that faith allows us to stand in the midst of that
fuzziness with confidence, courage and compassion.
One of the cornerstone principals of Lutheran theology is
that we are all, in this life, simultaneously both “saints and sinners.” Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we
don’t. Sometimes our best intentions
backfire in the worst possible ways. Sometimes
our biggest mistakes lead to new insights, learning and growth. Life is always a mixed bag of good and bad,
success and failure, joy and sorrow.
Paul put it this way, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the
very thing I hate…” And again, “…So I
find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at
hand.” (Romans 7:15,21)
Jesus’ parable of the weeds and the wheat perfectly
describes the fuzzy world we all inhabit.
But what does this mean?
Does it mean simply throwing up our hands and accepting the evil in
ourselves and the world around us? In
isolation from the rest of the story of Jesus and his teaching the parable
seems to suggest that. But that can’t
possibly be what he means! Jesus
himself regularly challenged what he saw as the evil at work in the hearts and
lives of people. He cast out demons,
called out Pharisees for their hypocrisy, embraced those cast aside by society and
forgave people and told them to “go and
sin no more.” He sent his disciples out
to do the same. He sent them and us out
be the signs of God’s Reign and the proclaimers of God’s kingdom. Wheat among the weeds. Or is that redeemed weeds among the
wheat? Hard to tell sometimes.
Jesus sends us out into our fuzzy world with the promise
that it won’t always be this way. We
won’t always have to dwell with our feet planted in midair. Clarity will come. The harvest will happen. We get a vision of that clarity on Easter
morning. On Good Friday, evil had done
its worst. Jesus’ way of love and
abundant life appeared to be defeated.
Death had seemingly crushed hope.
The weeds had choked out the wheat. But, the Empty Tomb proved otherwise. That vision calls us into God’s future, gives
us the courage to stand here in the fuzziness, and the ability to dwell among
the weeds and the wheat with compassion, forgiveness and mercy always looking
for the best in ourselves and in those we meet day by day.
Peace,
Bishop Mike.
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