What is a winnowing fan?
In Jesus' time, grain was harvested by hand, after which the
useful kernel had to be separated from the inedible coating that surrounded
it. A winnowing fan is a bit like a
shovel with prongs: once the grain has
been slightly crushed, it is picked up by the winnowing fan and thrown into the
air. The weighty seed falls to the ground nearby, while the lightweight chaff is carried farther off by the
wind.
To speak, then, of Jesus as a winnowing fan is to recognize
his ability to separate that which has substance from that which does not. Advent is a time for us to get rid of all
that which is not necessary to our lives in Christ, to let go of what is not
important so that we might ground ourselves in the weight of the God's promise,
and in the joy of salvation that is ours.
What does your winnowing fan look like?
This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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