THE THRESHING FLOOR II

The winnowing fork (fan) was then used to lift the wheat into the air and allow the chaff (the outer hull of the wheat berry) to be blown away by fanning it in the air. (See Yesterday’s Journal entry)

I have wondered many times about other threshing floor and winnowing fork comparisons: Are our messages wheat or chaff? Our publications? Our preaching and teaching? Internet communications? Our books? TV? Movies? The Red Mountain Journal?

I suppose there are several answers. One is: If we have eaten chaff for a long time…we may have forgotten what wheat tastes like. Chaff has fewer carbs than wheat. Another is: We will always need to sort out wheat and chaff principles… discernment. And, perhaps there will always be ‘some’ chaff mixed in with the wheat. Or, to simply not know the difference.

It is similar to Jesus clearly telling his disciples to ‘let the wheat and tares grow up together until the harvest’ (Matthew 13). Both this parable and the wheat and chaff are scenes of separating out the good and bad. I don’t believe for a minute that we are not responsible for dealing with chaff and weeds before the end of time. But the final winnowing is the Lord’s.

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.”
Jesus