This morning while it is still dark, I am following Professor C.H. Dodd through his interpretive moves as he wrestles with this parable. One thing he does near the start of his efforts is to toss aside the gospel writer Matthew's allegorical interpretation of the parable, which links it to the notion of a last judgment: "This is clearly secondary and may be ignored."(Parables of the Kingdom, 1961, pages 150-152)
So right away, Dr. Dodd is teaching us to sort--in this case, to sort among various interpretations: he doesn't even want readers to look at Matthew's interpretation in 13:49-50, unless we are more curious about Matthew's purposes than Jesus's, of course. Dr. Dodd's approach here embraces the ethical work of sorting among interpretations, precisely to help us resist the temptation to sort among people with the idea of throwing some away to be disposed of and maybe even damned.
Professor Dodd's next move is to draw our attention to the connection between this parable and another one, from Matthew 22, where a king prepared a wedding banquet, but the invited guests found themselves too busy to attend, so the king sent servants to extend a wider invitation: "So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good; and the wedding was furnished with guests." (22:10)
They gathered together all. As many as they found. Both bad and good. And all sat down at the same table to feast. To fill the tables, to share the feast, the guests must remain mixed. This parable hints that there is something about mixing that makes divine hospitality possible, that helps us find ourselves--and each other-- in the presence of a love that "gathers together all."
When are we "good," anyway, and when are we "bad"? The word translated as "good" here can also be translated "beautiful" or "excellent"and the word translated as "bad" can also mean "corrupt." But when are we "corrupt" and when are we "excellent" or "beautiful"? Perhaps there is "mixed company" within each of us as well as around us.
The light is arriving now. In the midst of writing this, between my cheerios and coffee, I picked up a favorite devotional book, opened to a random page, and read these words by mindfulness teacher Padraig O'Morain about how to begin the morning:"before your feet hit the floor, tell yourself, 'I will be mindful today.' And whether you leap around the bedroom full of energy or shuffle around rubbing the sleep out of your eyes, it doesn't matter--just practice being aware of your leaping or shuffling, noticing your feet against the floor, maybe even your breathing, and that's mindfulness." (Mindfulness on the Go, 2014, Yellow Kite, Great Britain, page 98.)
Maybe don't throw any part of ourselves away?
More tomorrow!!
Previous entries in this week's series, "Hot Summer Reading: The Parables We Need Right Now!!!" can be found by clicking on the Earlier Reflections link at the top of this page.