In Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 we find yet another perplexing parable. For contemporary readers, a cursory reading of this passage may bring to mind issues of membership, prompting us to ask "who is in?" and "who is out?" But this simplistic approach to these words of Jesus ignores the complexities that lurk within the text and within our world. To classify any person as wholly righteous or wholly evil is problematic--we all have a wide and varied inner landscape. If we step back from this passage a bit to see the picture it paints, we find a world full of good and evil, occupied by people who sometimes bring hope and peace and other times bring heartache and pain. Yet, in the midst of all this, God is continually working to bring to life communities of grace and mutuality where humanity can thrive.
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