Seeking the kernel of goodness!

Reflecting on Luke Luke 3:15-18

"To gather the wheat into his barn." (Luke 3:17)

John is proclaiming the good news to the people (Luke 3:18).
This is the same good news that Jesus preaches.
The good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43).
The kingdom of God is this world under God-like human leadership (Genesis 1:26-28).
It is “very good”, which means there is no badness in it.

John uses the analogy of gathering the wheat at harvest time.
This is an important time for society, a time of celebration.
Food for the year is being brought together, that all may eat.
There is a lot of work in the process, but the result is ‘very good’.
But what about the part about burning up chaff in unquenchable fire.
The chaff is the dry, protective casing around the wheat kernel.
It is the worthless plant debris separated from the edible part during harvest.
The good (kernel) is separated from the bad (chaff).

How can separating and burning the bad be good news?
From what John just said, the bad is unloving, unfair, abusive cruelty.
The bad (chaff) are those who willfully cause harm to others.
Those who are cruel, malicious, abusive, etc. will not be welcome in the kingdom.
John is proclaiming the restoration of God’s very good world.
No more suffering, no more tears, no more violence, no more abuse.
Those who refuse to let go of these cannot be included with the wheat.

There are two kinds of people, the good and the evil.
Those who move toward love and compassion, and those who move away from it.
No one is perfectly good, and no one is perfectly evil.
The bible does not see all people as evil, though all do sin.
We all sin, but some give themselves over fully to evil.
We all fall short, but we do not all willfully aim to miss the mark.
We all need mercy, but we do not all admit or desire it.
Those who aim for love, though they fall short, are grain.
Those who aim for cruelty, though they occasionally do good, are chaff.
We’re all a mix of good and bad… but we lean one way or the other.
I’ve known of christians who leaned more toward evil than good.
And I’ve know of atheists who leaned more toward good than evil.
It is by their fruit that you will know which is wheat, which is chaff.

God sees beyond the external appearance to the kernel within.
God knows the heart, which one hungers and thirsts for goodness.
God wants this world to be filled with goodness, for all to enjoy it.
And the good news is, God is working to make it “very good” again.
It is good news that God will burn the badness out of this world.
Our badness, the chaff that surrounds our hearts, will be removed.
But those that are pure chaff, with no good kernel, will be removed too.

This is all symbolic language, we need to make it real.
Right now the nation is devastated by corruption and cruelty.
While it is true that all people are sinners, not all are cruel or corrupt.
There are many victims of that cruelty and corruption.
They live in fear of those with power and weapons, who abuse others.
The good news for Haiti is not getting rid of all people as sinners.
It is rescuing the people from the wicked, the cruel, the abusive.
There are wicked people in the gangs, and also in the government.
Those with no heart for compassion, mercy or justice.
Imagine coming to the people of Haiti with this good news!
The time is at hand, God is making life in Haiti “very good” again.
God is going to raise up the victims, the oppressed, the abused.
God is going to bring in a harvest of food, security and celebration.
All that is abusive, cruel and unloving will be eliminated.
Those who refuse to let go of such behaviors will be removed.
The kingdom of God in Haiti will be a place of love, joy and peace!
And the chaff will not return, for it will be permanently destroyed.
This would really be good news for the people!
But it would not be good news for those who preferred evil, hate, cruelty.

As a Jesus follower, I am eager for God’s “very good” kingdom for all.
My heart yearns for love, joy and peace for all people.
I have a dream, like MLK, for a world of harmony, equality and shared blessing.
I hate abuse, I hate injustice, I hate suffering, and the things that cause it.
And though I do not hate the wicked, I hate what they do.
And I know that if they do not change their kernel, they will be burned away.
I don’t wish it on them, but I know that it is necessary.
I long for the end of wickedness (chaff), in me and in others.
If some refuse to reject wickedness, I cannot help them.
For in the end, each gets what they long for, what they lean towards.

Jesus comes to restore God’s “very good” world.
Jesus comes to destroy the “evil” at work in the world.
He will burn away the chaff in me, to reveal my renewed heart.
He will burn away the badness in the world, and make it good again.
His Spirit is constantly propelling me towards goodness, away from badness.
The question is, am I seeking this goodness (albeit imperfectly)?
Or am I preferring to live selfishly, cruelly, abusively… as chaff?
Those who seek the kernel of loving goodness will taste it in the end
Those who prefer the chaff of cruel badness will be burned away with the chaff.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I do not want anyone to be purged and removed like chaff. But neither do I want evil and wickedness to remain in God's world. Strengthen my heart for goodness and love, and use me to help others experience it and seek it too. May more and more people seek the kernel of goodness, and not the chaff of badness. 

May Your kingdom come, may Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven!