Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 20 July 2014 by Dr Kung Lap Yan. The scripture readings that day were Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

The passage for today is clearly explained. It is spoken to the children of the kingdom represented by the wheat that God’s delayed action against the children of the evil one represented by the weed is for the sake of them, because removing the weed during the stage of growing would uproot the wheat. However, God’s judgment would not be in vain. It would definitely come at the harvest. Therefore, the children of God should keep faith in God and be faithful. This passage is very comforting, especially for those who are suffered unfair treatment from bad guys. At the same time the passage seems to recommend a kind of passive resistance to evil. Should we adopt it as a norm in dealing with evil? Or what are the limitations of Jesus’ parable? Let me suggest three scenarios to articulate my concern.

The first scenario is that Jesus’ comment is right that any uprooting the weed during the stage of growing would affect the wheat growing, but if the field is full of weed and there is less and less space for wheat planting and growing, a responsible farmer is not to let the weed and wheat grow in their own way, but rather is to take an active action to remove and stop the weed in order that there is space for wheat planting and growing. Obviously, this is not the scenario of Jesus’ parable. In Jesus’ parable, it is a wheat field with relatively less amount of weed, but this is not our experience. In Hong Kong, we have experienced the rapid spread of weed in the field characterized by the abuse of power, coercion, lies, threats and irrationality. On the other hand, we have witnessed the decline of justice, respect and equal opportunities. This is why many people exclaim that Hong Kong has been changed, and it is no longer our familiar Hong Kong. We definitely should have faith in God, and at the same time, we should adopt a more active role to resist evil, for evil has no internal mechanism of self-control.

The second scenario is how to distinguish between wheat and weed. For instance, in the eyes of both the Chinese government and Hong Kong government, ‘occupying central with love and peace’ is weed, for it is violence, unlawful and endangers Hong Kong economy. On the other hand, advocates for ‘occupying central with love and peace’ would consider both the Chinese government and Hong Kong government are weed, for they do not keep their promise stated in the Basic Law that the universal suffrage would be introduced in 2017. Who is the weed? Who is the wheat? Perhaps, some would suggest that we should not focus on politics, for politics is changing all the time. They suggest that the church is the wheat, for it bears the sign of Gods’ salvation. But the recent sermon given by Archbishop Kwong on July 6 makes us hesitate to say that the church is the wheat, for his sermon shows no pastoral concern for those who are arrested due to civil disobedience. Ironically, he uses example to humiliate them. Who is the wheat? And who is the weed? Perhaps, one of the possible criteria to differentiate between the wheat and the weed is its attitude towards the other. It is the weed, because it would employ different means to extinguish the so-called enemies in the name of justice and peace. It is the wheat, because it seeks no revenge and no lies. In this sense, I have to say our government is the weed rather than the wheat.

The final scenario is about who the farmer is and who the evil one is. The parable assumes that the farmer is the Son of Man, and the one who sow seeds of weed is the evil one. But as what I have said at the beginning that the world is already a field of weed, then the one who sows the good seeds would be condemned as the enemy of the world. How does this scenario help us to understand the holiness of the church? We Christians are used to understand the holiness of the church as being separated from the weed, but this scenario reminds us that the holiness of the church has to be engaged in the midst of the weed, for we are intentionally thrown into it. In other words, the issue is not about how to avoid being affected, but rather to engage in the dirty world, and even at the risk of getting dirt.

These three scenarios challenge the basic assumptions of Christians, that is, the peaceable of the church, the righteousness of the church and the holiness of the church. We are inclined to emphasize what Jesus said in the Gospel of John, ‘Look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting.’ (4:35) This is very encouraging, indeed. But I would tell you that this is not the reality. The reality is, ‘Look around you, and see how the fields have been changed to the fields of weed.’ If this is so, we are not called to harvest, but to get dirt and remove the weed in order that the good seeds have space and nutrition to grow.