“I knew a boy whose education was stifled because his father gave him two automobiles and a motorboat. I knew a man who could never accomplish anything seriously worthwhile because he was always tinkering with trifles. I knew another man whose house was so full of rare and costly bric-a-brac that he was a slave to the care of his collections.
“Unless we know the difference between flowers and weeds we are not fit to take care of a garden. It is not enough to have truth planted in our minds. We must learn and labor to keep the ground clear of thorns and briars, follies and perversities, which have a wicked propensity to choke the word of life.”
– Anonymous (Leaves of Gold, pg. 150)
Jesus made an important observation about weeds: they have an unfortunate capacity to choke out good plants trying to grow. In the parable we commonly know as “The Sower,” Jesus said that “(some) seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain” (Mark 4:7). It is an interesting image of two different kinds of vegetation, one obviously preferred over the other, both competing for the same nutritional resources. In such an environment there are two possible outcomes for the plants. Either both will be sturdy enough to survive, or one will dominate the other, causing it to wither and die. In the parable, Jesus makes clear which outcome to expect.
Of course, Jesus didn’t tell the parable to make us better gardeners, at least not in the literal sense. I always got in trouble growing up because I couldn’t tell a weed from a flower. They all looked like weeds to me, so I mowed them down, much to my mother’s displeasure. Knowing the difference between the weeds and flowers of life is a much more serious issue. Weeds definitely need to be mowed down. If we allow them to grow, they will stifle the vitality of things that have lasting, even eternal significance. Jesus explains the analogy like this: “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).
In an episode of Veggie Tales called Madame Blueberry, Bob the Tomato is talking to Larry the Cucumber, who is riding around in his new action jeep. Bob says, “You must be really happy with your new jeep.” “Well, I would really be happy if I had the camper that goes with it.” Bob says, “So if you had the camper too, you would be happy?” Larry hesitates: “I don’t know—there’s also the dirt bike, and the hang glider…” Noticing the pattern, Bob says, “Larry, how much stuff do you need to be happy?” Larry replies, “I don’t know. How much stuff is there?”
It’s clear enough that even a child can understand. More stuff won’t make you happy; it will eventually just get in your way of things that have real value.
See you along the Winding Path.
The Winding Path 