How do we deal with evil? More precisely, how do we get rid of evil without destroying good?

Today’s parable addresses this question. Like all parables of our Lord, this one comes straight from the life of his own day and people. We find it a bit hard to understand because this incident could not have occurred in the wheat-growing sections of America. We know about farms stretching over hundreds and hundreds of acres. The sowing and the reaping is done by sophisticated farm machinery. Land is sprayed before it is planted in order to minimize the possibility of weeds. Then if weeds grow after the crop comes up, they would be dealt with by spraying weed killing chemicals, not by uprooting them.

So, we have to shift gears in our mind. Jesus is talking about a small country, Palestine, where…