NO ROTTEN TOMATOES ARE WE BY GOD’S GRACE
March 27 2010
Matthew 13:47-50
I have only gone fishing once. I went along with a high school friend, but it was with a fishing pole and I did not catch anything. Certainly I do not understand what fishing with nets would be like. But I do understand sorting tomatoes or strawberries or sweet corn to see which produce is suitable for selling. My family did this when I was growing up and I participated in sorting out the good from the bad. I remember feeling a little bit of empathy for those which made it to the bad pile, but at least I knew what would be for supper.
The series of parables in Matthew 13 speak about what the kingdom of God is like. The final one appropriately is about the end of time. It is either a parable of grace or judgment depending upon which of the piles in which you may find yourself. The encouragement for the listener is to respond to the kingdom now and do what the kingdom (and the king) requires so that you will not be thrown away with the half-rotten tomatoes and strawberries or the not-quite-ready-for-prime time sweet corn.
When I hear the parable for today I think it is a call to spiritual wisdom and maturity. If God will do some sorting at the end of time, the wise and mature thing to do spiritually would be to stay close to the King during this time so that you will not be found on that discarded pile. The best way to do this is to read His Word, pray, and worship. As we near the beginning of Holy Week there will be plenty of opportunity to do all of these things. From the passion narrative of Luke on Palm/Passion Sunday through the passion narrative of John on Good Friday we will hear the story of the king who went from the adulation of the crowds on a Sunday to the condemnation of the authorities, spurred by the crowds, on Good Friday. Quite a trip to the discard pile for Jesus, but one done to save us discards from being discarded. What better news could there be than that grace wins out over judgment if we draw near to the One who is the King who went to the Cross for us and was raised for the dead.
Being a prize tomato is a wonderful thing. God thinks each and every one of His followers are first choice, not just better boy (and girl), but best boys (and girls).