Who is this enemy in Jesus’ parable, this spoiler who came by night, “while everyone was asleep” and sowed weeds among the wheat? We don’t have to look very far for an answer – Jesus provides it in his “key” to the parable:
“…the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil.”
Many modern Christians profess not to believe in the devil, though Episcopalians renounce him at every baptism. Some allow for the concept of evil, but balk at the idea of evil personified, an entity we can name. Jesus had no such hang-ups. He regularly did battle with the devil – directly, in his temptations in the wilderness; indirectly, releasing people from the power of demons; and cosmically, in his own mission of redemption and resurrection. He referred to the devil by names such as Satan (“accuser”) and Beelzebub, and depicted him as the source of evil that seeks to thwart the good designs of God.
The devil is mentioned throughout the Bible, though little discussed. He shows up in the preamble to the Book of Job – probably a later addition to the narrative. A fallen angel who aspired a throne above God’s is discussed in Isaiah: “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star,
son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!”
That is how the name Lucifer, or “light-bearer,” comes into our vocabulary. Jesus and New Testament authors spoke of this enemy, this tempter, author of lies, accuser, who has considerable power but is not equal to the power of God.
So, why does God allow him any power at all? Was the sower in the parable also asleep? Why does he not accept the servants' offer to root out the weeds among the wheat?
The answer given in the story is that trying to do so would destroy both the weeds and the wheat – and God is not in the destruction racket (some Old Testament stories notwithstanding…).The Biblical record suggests that is the province of the evil one, who seeks to “corrupt and destroy the creatures of God,” as our baptismal liturgy puts it.
Is Jesus suggesting that we just have to live with evil as a part of life? He is saying something much more complex: that the fight is not ours, but God’s, and God will take care of it in the final judgment. We don’t have to fight the devil or combat evil. We need only invite the power of heaven to fight on our behalf, to stand with the Spirit against the wiles of the evil one. James tells us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Resist, not fight.
The spiritual exercise I suggest today is to pray through Ephesians 6:10-18, mentally putting on the armor of light as Paul lays it out. This is a good spiritual tool to practice. Our best strategy against the devil is not fear or fighting, but becoming ever more firmly rooted in God.
Our goal is to be the healthiest wheat we can be, and to strengthen our defensive weapons and armor of light. Lucifer is not the bearer of light – we are, we who carry the Light of the World within us. Let it shine, and the power of darkness doesn’t have a chance.
So, why does God allow him any power at all? Was the sower in the parable also asleep? Why does he not accept the servants' offer to root out the weeds among the wheat?
The answer given in the story is that trying to do so would destroy both the weeds and the wheat – and God is not in the destruction racket (some Old Testament stories notwithstanding…).The Biblical record suggests that is the province of the evil one, who seeks to “corrupt and destroy the creatures of God,” as our baptismal liturgy puts it.
Is Jesus suggesting that we just have to live with evil as a part of life? He is saying something much more complex: that the fight is not ours, but God’s, and God will take care of it in the final judgment. We don’t have to fight the devil or combat evil. We need only invite the power of heaven to fight on our behalf, to stand with the Spirit against the wiles of the evil one. James tells us, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Resist, not fight.
The spiritual exercise I suggest today is to pray through Ephesians 6:10-18, mentally putting on the armor of light as Paul lays it out. This is a good spiritual tool to practice. Our best strategy against the devil is not fear or fighting, but becoming ever more firmly rooted in God.
Our goal is to be the healthiest wheat we can be, and to strengthen our defensive weapons and armor of light. Lucifer is not the bearer of light – we are, we who carry the Light of the World within us. Let it shine, and the power of darkness doesn’t have a chance.
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