Once again Jesus is speaking “to the crowds” (= to those who might come to belief). After today’s gospel reading St Matthew will present Jesus as speaking mainly to his disciples. Once again, as in the parable of the Sower last Sunday, we are faced with choice and with the mystery of those who reject.

Of the parables in today’s longer reading, the Wheat and the Weeds has to do with the end of time and judgement. The disciples are not to be upset at seeming failure because the final judgement is in the hands of God. The failure even of Jesus, the shortcomings and insignificance of the Church, the presence of evil, are not to be causes of discouragement. We are to be patient and tolerant, trusting that God will judge on the basis of whether one has been just or not, and leaving such judgement to him. Care will be taken that not even the smallest grain of wheat will be lost amongst the weeds. The community is to be more concerned about how they respond to Jesus in the present time.

The weed in question is noxious and hard to distinguish from the wheat in its early stages. It is perhaps darnel, the seed of which is poisonous and which was once common in Ireland, roille or cogal, but is now almost extinct. Normally, the noxious weeds were gathered up and used for fuel.

The mustard bush or tree reaches a height of eight to twelve feet, with yellow flowers and dark green leaves. It is the contrast in size between seed and bush that is important, rather than the actual size of the bush. The spice is made from its seeds ground to powder.

Similarly there is a contrast between the small amount of leaven and the resulting amount of bread, about enough for a hundred people. Both mustard seed and leaven are hidden and disappear. Beginnings can be fragile and unnoticeable.

If the parables of the Sower and the Wheat and the Weeds describe the obstacles to the growth of the Kingdom, the Mustard Seed and the Leaven put the stress on the power working within towards that growth, without fail.

• Should the picture of the sensitivity taken at judgement, which Jesus speaks of in today’s parable, make me more at ease with the idea of being judged?

• Will I be judged by God, or judged by what I have done or not done?

• Most of us consider the Church today to be in the state of confusion. How am I to manage a sense of confidence as I listen to the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven?

• Where am I the leaven?

• The owner protects the weeds and allows them to grow. How do I feel about that?