The Parable on Judgment, Wheat, & Weeds in Matthew 13

What is God’s Judgment? And what isn’t God’s judgment?

Religious systems have a complicated relationship with judgment. It’s quite useful for affirming one’s beliefs and condemning others. It’s necessary to determine status, value, and inclusion amongst communities. Yet, it’s also not something one is supposed to do — even though it happens all the time. Do not judge, right?

However, how do we know who can belong and who cannot? How do we know whether we agree with someone’s behavior or perspective and if they are on the right track? How do we know if some transcendent being agrees with one’s behavior or perspective? That’s what judgment is all about.

But whether it is God’s judgment or our judgment or others’ judgment of us is a bit more convoluted.

God’s judgment typically lines up quite conveniently with our own, our judgment tends to always be in defense of God’s, and others should not be judging us because, as it goes, only God can judge me. Judgment is also a great tool for confirming that we are in a good place and those not like us have some work to do.

Up front, let us name an important component of this poignant topic: Judgment is esoterically beyond comprehension. We are talking about a metaphysical…