Editorial January 13, 1992 Issue

Sorting things out

Elaine Natale

Millions listened to the contradictory testimony of two well-respected attorneys recently, as the United States Senate Judiciary Committee's open hearings riveted the nation's attention. Sexual harassment was alleged about a judicial nominee. Public interest seemed to go beyond fascination with the sensational. Myriad interviews with women and men from all walks of life indicated a deep concern for ethics in high offices. People expressed their hopes that truth could be clearly established. Questions, however, still linger.

In complex events where facts need to be distinguished from half-truths or inventions, the Bible gives light and encouragement. Not only does the Bible make plain the difference between what's right and what's wrong; it reveals that God, divine Truth, is the source of all justice. Christ Jesus' ministry is the unmatched illustration of truth lived and proved. Divine Truth is omnipotent and can heal any sickness and correct any wrong, he showed.

One of Jesus' parables tells about a man whose wheat field was visited at night by an enemy who sowed tares (harmful weeds) among the wheat. As weed seedlings began to germinate along with the wheat, the field workers realized what had happened—and they were distraught. They asked if they should rush in and start pulling out the tares. But the man knew this approach would never succeed. Ridding the field of tares was necessary, but if done too soon, some of the valuable wheat would be uprooted and lost in the attempt. They should wait, he told the workers, until harvesttime—until the plants had developed to the stage where there could no longer be any question about which plants were producing a valuable crop and which weren't. But even then, the man told the workers, they must not just recklessly plunge in. First, they were to bind the tares carefully in bundles to burn them. Afterward, they could safely gather the good wheat into the barn.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Youth of all faiths exploring ideas together