Lawn work stinks. I enjoyed it the first few
weeks in our new home; then I bore with it. Now it’s overwhelming. I’ve fought
bugs, beetles and brown patches and now I’m ankle deep in the process of
figuring out what a weed is: especially when they flower. They’re just so darn
pretty. How am I supposed to tell what a real flower is if weeds have just as
pretty flowers? I’ll get to nature’s theological (ecclesiological I guess)
lesson after I explain myself a bit.
A weed is just an alien plant that thrives in an area
because it has no native predators. Some of them are edible (like garlic) and
some of them are smokable (like marijuana). Their growth can be aggressive,
sometimes choking the life out of native flora.
No, I’m a stupid a city boy who can’t tell a Dandelion from
a Rose. Sure I think Dandelions have a dainty prettiness when they’re in their
seeding stage but I don’t think they’re the prettiest weeds I’ve seen. Field
Bindweed, Horsenettle, Jimson Weed, Multiflora rose and Purple Loosestrife; all
gorgeous when flowering!
Native flowers are so picky. You water native flowers too
much and they die. Any of the above weeds can grow right next to them, but if
you try to pull the weed it kills the flower. Any bugs around, they’ll devour
the flower. Too much sun, flowers will wilt.
Conversely, weeds can thrive in just about any condition.
They revel in extreme heat, dig deep during draught, create an intricate root
network all year long, thrive off of the same food as all other plants and
survive if you cut them down to size. They can grow is the loosest and
shallowest soil, show off in their prettiest finery while your flowers wither
and finally take over your whole lawn and garden.
Of course, it reminded me about Jesus’ discussion on wheat
and tares—I know, not quite the same. Tares are basically a sort of ryegrass
that looks just like wheat until the ear appears on the wheat proving that the
tares were all show. They have no fruit but unfortunately can’t be removed
before harvesting time without killing the wheat.
Now the thing is, Jesus isn’t saying that the tares
shouldn’t be identified. He’s saying that 1) the final removal will be taken
care of; 2) the final removal will not be done by the servants but by the
reapers and 3) the master knows who planted the tares. Paul will later say that
we’re to identify those who cause division, rebuke them, discipline them and
finally not associate with them—but some of these bad people will rise up and
others you won’t even know until much later. (Matt 13:24-30; 1 Tim 5:17-25; Titus 1:13; all of 1 Corinthians).
Switching back to weed comparisons, there will be people who
profess to be believers (or even actually are believers) but are extremely
damaging to the Church. They will stand on the Word, they will thrive where
other believers fail and grow where other believers wither—but they’ll be
teaching something so utterly damaging (but pretty) that many will be drawn and
find their own growth hindered.
At this point, some reader’s eye is glazing as he (or she)
thinks about the damaging doctrine of [whatever group you find disagreement
with]. But that’s not my point.
We have to keep doing lawn work. Keep feeding the lawn with
the good stuff—the Word of God. Keep mowing, keep plucking, all the while knowing
that the final work is done by the Master.
I’m convinced that the visible Church has weeds in its
garden that have been growing in its fine surface since Paul’s Day. We can cut
some of these weeds down to size, being careful with the faith of the believers
around, understanding that with entrenched roots these weeds will probably grow
back stronger than before. That shouldn’t discourage the work but it should
make us aware that theologies might be pretty, striking, loud, influential,
follow a nice structure and even have Biblical proof; and still not right. We
have to dig deep into the Word to get the right nutrients and maybe, with God’s
leading, we’ll be able to identify the flowers from the weeds.
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