Rev. Alletta R. Jumper, BSM, MPM, MDiv

SCRIPTURE LESSON: MATTHEW 13:24-30; 36-43.

  THE MESSAGE – Contemporary Language by Eugene H. Peterson

24 He told another story. “God’s kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field.
25 That night while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn.
26 When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too.
27 “The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn’t it? Where did these thistles come from?’
28 “He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.’ The farm hands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?’
29 He said, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds, you’ll pull up the wheat, too.
30 Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I’ll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.’”

36 Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, “Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field.”
37 So he explained. “The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man.
38 The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil,
39 and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels.
40 “The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act.
41 The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them.
42 They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen.
43 At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. “Are you listening to this? Really listening?”

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“The parable of the Sower” and the Abraham Family Saga are very instructive for using our first of three approaches – discern; as well as for making fresh and important decisions. It cannot be emphasized enough that the act of discerning is the No. 1 important approach of the two d’s (deliberate, and decide).
Again, keep in mind, that it is Not an option to forget that many things about our faith we did not initially know –

• It is Not an option to forget what we NEED to do to become a community of faith;
• It is Not an option to forget who to include in the faith journey;
• It is Not an option to forget that babes in Christ have zest and zeal to know more about their faith and walk; and as followers of Christ,
• we do not have the option of forgetting to include God – the initiator of our faith through the Son, Jesus Christ.

* * * * *

We will look at the second approach for making fresh and important decisions – “deliberate.” When deliberating or having a discussions with others, discernment is needed, also. Deliberate and discern are not mutually exclusive, because when considering the appropriate outcome of any decision, takes time, especially when engaging others.

• Discern and deliberate both intersect and integrate.
• Discern and deliberate both interconnect and assimilate
• Discern and deliberate both meet and mix

Just think – we, all God’s people and followers of Christ, are among the creation of differences; yet, not deficiencies.  It is through our forefathers and foremothers, that we have evolved into a more diverse world that has integrated, assimilated, and evolved.  Yet, it is imperative that we deliberate among ourselves as to how that should be done – with the help of discerning from our Creator God.

Discerning is initiated even during the process of deliberating.  For example: One discerns and decides; and, if the decision falls short of being effective, one discerns and deliberates better ways to resolve an issue. This can occur many times over a short or lengthy period.  I am a witness that God, who initiated the process of my discerning a path; allowed the path to deviate many times – over years. The paths changed for reasons I could not comprehend at the time; but, I discerned and meditated or deliberated – sometimes with others – an augmented or even another way!

* * * * * * *

The Matthew text, as read, either in the New Revised Standard or The Message Versions, of the Bible, clearly enlighten us of the realities of being nurtured within the community of faith and the community at large – with the differences in cultures and value systems. Those scriptures provide us with entertaining the desire for separating what we consider the good from the bad – just as our society does with its justice and penal system. [In other words – separating the wheat from the thistles!]
In our deliberating, talking or sharing with others of what we think are good and/or the bad, is an effective approach for improving the lives of all God’s children. The outcome must be best for all God’s people. Sharing with others what and how we experienced the past situations (weeds we encountered), is helpful and encouraging.

In 2 Corinthians 1, the Apostle Paul declares in verse 6:

“If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same suffering we suffer.”

We need to deliberate with one another!  Especially after we discern with whom God wants us to share our truths; and, how God wants us to move into a better place.

What does that mean to me?

• It means that we do not have an option to not recognize that God knows us better that I know myself.
• It means that we cannot forget that because God knows us and God is always present, we am in his care!
• It means that through our lives’ journey, beginning with the birth of a good seed, we may encounter weed-like experiences; but,
• It means that discerning who God is and, through his Son, Jesus Christ, provisions and nurturing are offered for changes in us!

Do you have seeds sprouting in your community?  Please do not pull up and toss away these young sprouts. Some may be –

• doctors; some, senators; some, scientists; some professors; some lawyers; some artists; some ministers; some musicians; some, talented Olympians; and
• some great mom’s, dad’s, uncles, aunts, teachers and/or social workers.

Let the sprouts grow together, as we, the community discern and deliberate what is needed to nurture them into maturity with excellent character and stature according to their God-given gifts.

* * * * * *

Jacob, in Genesis 28:10-19, reveals another deliberating experience.  Jacob, as a young man was the picture of a “wild and unruly seed!”  He was born of “good” people.  He was the son of Isaac, the seed of God’s faithful servant, Abraham.  From a young boy until he left the community as an adult, Jacob envied his twin brother, Esau, and Esau’s birthright.  Subsequently, Jacob lied and deceived his aged and visually impaired father, Isaac; and, he stole the birthright belonging to his brother.
Even with deceiving Isaac, Jacob was blessed by him; and consequently, Jacob fled from his home community fearing the retaliation from his brother, Esau.  If Jacob stayed, it would have been war between the two!  That episode was an event that the family discerned and deliberated on the welfare of the whole family affected by both the young weed that was out of control and the young wheat that was bruised.

Later, while Jacob was journeying to his mother’s native village, he stopped to rest. In part II, we learned that forgetting to take a break for clarity or from busyness is not an option!

• A break is necessary to discern what needs to be said and done.
• A break is necessary to be clear with communicating with others.
• A break is necessary for self-care.
• A break is necessary for refocusing.
• A break is essential!

When Jacob laid his head on a rock for a pillar to rest, he fell asleep. As he slept, he was in a “dream state!”  Jacob was in a condition of altered consciousness in which he did not recognize the environment and reacted in a manner opposed to his usual behavior.

In the dream, the stairs went up and down.  Up and down.  As Jacob was in a state of “altered consciousness,” Jacob discerned stairways reaching to the sky with “angels” of God going up and going down on it. This was Jacob’s state of consciousness in which he discerned and deliberated with God of the blessings he would receive as he journeyed through ups and downs for the remainder of his life.  It was in that state of altered consciousness that Jacob discerned and deliberated the destiny and blessings that God would provide him.  It was in that dream that Jacob discerned and experienced God’s promised to be with him no matter whether his journey was discerned to be bad or good.

That is the word that God has for us, today, regarding planting and nurturing seeds. We must both discern and deliberate as we journey and make decisions. REMEMBER as followers of Christ, we do not have the option of forgetting to include God – the initiator of our faith through the Son, Jesus Christ.