Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Shelley Schurch
Sunday, August 3, 2025
I’m on a weed watch. It’s a very focused weed watch; I’m keeping a close eye just on the weeds you see in this photo.
They’re not our weeds. They belong to people who live several blocks away from us, and we see them every morning as we walk through the neighborhood.
I’ve never before been fascinated by weeds, but these have gripped my attention because I’ve never seen dandelions this tall – their high point is up to my shoulders, and they’re still growing! But even more intriguing than their lofty height is their owners’ apparent unconcern about their existence.
I don’t know how they do it! My fingers twitch when we walk by. They are such spindly weeds. I know their kind. It would take minimal effort and thirty seconds or less to yank them out of the ground and toss them in the yard waste bin.
So why don’t the owners do that? Are they on a weed watch, too, waiting to see how tall they can grow dandelions without some brazen passerby losing control and pulling them out by their roots?
Ah, enough about their weeds. Because, as you may have guessed, I have weeds, too. Not this tall, I hasten to assure you. And I do try to pay prompt attention to them. But I know zero about the reason the weeds in my photo are allowed to flourish, so I will back away from judging their owners and simply sit in the mystery. (And continue weed watching to see if they’re still there when school starts, or when people put up Christmas decorations.)
And yes, this reminds me of Jesus. He talked about weeds more than once, using what was common and close at hand to teach truth about His kingdom. I remember the first time I read one of His weed stories, many years ago, and how it hit me as such a clear explanation of why we’re living in this kind of world. It’s still one of my favorite stories:
Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’
“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.’” (Matthew 13:24-28a, NIV)
Jesus told several other stories about what His kingdom is like, but it was this story that apparently caught the disciples’ attention, and they needed to know more:
Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”
He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. (Matthew 13:36-39a)
This small story of seeds and weeds describes the great controversy, the cosmic conflict, the battle between good and evil that has raged throughout earth’s history. I believe we’re about to witness the end of the age and the rage.
There is a bit more to this weed story; Jesus spoke of the harvest, when “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.” (verse 41)
And then . . . AND THEN:
“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (verse 43)
We’re all ears, Lord, and we’re watching . . . watching for You!!