DON’T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS
Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13:24-43 (13:24-30)
A bishop, sailing on an ocean-liner, found that he was sharing a cabin. After he unpacked his bags, he went to the purser to leave his valuables in the ship’s safe. He remarked that he was afraid that his co-passenger might not be trustworthy. The purser smiled, accepted the valuables, and said: “Bishop, I’ll be glad to keep your valuables. Your cabin-mate has just been here and left his valuables for the same reason!”
Jumping to conclusions is an exercise most of us get! We are quick to judge and want to do away with wrong doers, without knowing facts/ circumstances/ motives.
Instant judgment and intolerance are a major problem today. Think of the number of kangaroo courts especially on social media!
Instant judgment and intolerance were attitudes that plagued Israel. They wanted instant punishment for their enemies. Jesus was in conflict with the Pharisees precisely on the issue of intolerance; they condemned all who failed to keep the law.
Today’s liturgy strongly challenges these attitudes.
The first reading asserts that God is patient and merciful; he gives people time to change. He asks his people to be patient towards one another, even their enemies.
The psalmist sees God as a forgiving God, who is slow to anger!
God’s patience appears again in the Gospel parable of the wheat and the weeds. The workers want to uproot the weeds. The owner knows that wheat and weeds look identical until they ripen! So, he cautions the workers: “Wait till all the facts are in; don’t jump to conclusions! Else, in your zeal, you might uproot wheat.” It is worth pondering on the landowner’s confidence that the wheat would survive the effect of the weeds and his trust in goodness which outdoes wickedness.
Consider some characters in scripture: Moses, a murderer; David, an adulterer and murderer; Paul, a persecutor; Peter, a coward. What if God had considered them weeds and uprooted them!
There are times when we must make moral decisions. But this parable counsels patience – amid our failures; amid our urge fix things; amid our tendency to act on instant judgments about others.
What are the “weeds” in my life where I need to be patient with myself? With whom do I need to be patient?
God is patient with us. Let us be patient with ourselves, with others, with the world. Let us stop jumping to conclusions.
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