Tuesday after the Transfiguration of our Lord
Posted on January 23, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 13:36-43 (NKJV)
13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.”
37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Devotion
How can the same Word of God produce so many different reactions and levels of faith? Jesus’ teaching in this parable reveals that the answer to the question is not really that simple. The different reactions to the same Word, the different levels of commitment, and even whether or not one is truly a believer, is a much more mysterious thing. Jesus gives us an explanation of what happens, but He doesn’t completely unveil the mystery for us.
What He does tell us is that the various negative reactions are the result of human action, not because God did not sow good seed. God’s seed, His Word, is always good and life giving. God’s Word is never impotent, never inadequate. Where God sows His seed there should be a full, abundant, and healthy crop. But when there is not, it is not His fault. The fault must be laid squarely at the feet of Satan, and especially at the feet of sinful men who do not hear or value the Word.
Collect: O God, Who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine Only-begotten Son, hast confirmed the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers, and Who, in the voice that came from the bright cloud, didst in a wonderful manner foreshow the adoption of sons: Mercifully vouchsafe to make us coheirs with the King of His glory, and bring us to the enjoyment of the same; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
