13th July 2014
I have to confess I am not a keen gardener- and thankfully, for the sake of my garden, there have always been others in my house who are more keen than I am. In fact I’d extend that to admitting that throughout my life I’ve barely done any gardening at all – so if I was faced with the task of planting seeds I wouldn’t really know where to begin! I wouldn’t perhaps be able to recognise which soil is good or appropriate. I possibly couldn’t even recognise a weed from a plant and almost certainly wouldn’t know what measures to take to improve the ground I was planting into!
Now the parable we heard today – often known as the parable of the sower – and is a good example of Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom of God in a context which would be familiar to those listening. At the time of Jesus there were different ways that farmers would sow their seeds, either using a donkey or by hand, and this particular parable refers to the latter and seems probable that most of his hearers would have some knowledge of the agricultural context in which this parable is set. It is also likely that, unlike me in my gardening ignorance, Jesus’ hearers would find it helpful to hear stories set in a scene or context that they could readily picture or understand.
The part of the story we heard today runs from verses 1-9 and then 18-23 but sandwiched in between the parable and it’s explanation, Matthew recounts how Jesus’ disciples ask him why he speaks in parables -and although this isn’t the focus of my sermon today, I’d encourage you to go away and read that section of Matthew 13.
But a brief look at how Jesus used parables in his teaching…. Jesus takes what is ordinary in the lives of those who follow him and uses them as examples or extended metaphors within his teaching and proclamation of the Kingdom of God.
Parables have the power to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom and yet also to challenge and unsettled. More than this parables are there to both reveal and conceal and this brings us on to the reading we have just heard which suggests that Jesus’ teaching falls both on open and closed ears and it suggests in verse 9 that Jesus does not expect all of those listening to understand what he saying.
So what can we learn from this particular parable how it may apply to us or challenge us today.
Well the parable of the sower tells us something about the conditions of our hearts and how this can affect how we receive Jesus’ word. Jesus explores four scenarios and I would to briefly consider each of these with you now:
The first is the seed sown beside the path – we read that the word isn’t understood when it is heard and the seed is snatched away. There are different things that could affect this – such as cynicism, temptations around us to not believe. The next scenario is the seed sown on rocky ground – the word, is heard, it is received with delight but there are no deep roots – As soon as there is trouble they will trip up. I guess it could be described as a superficial hearing. When persecution comes or doubt arises, these cause people to trip or stumble.
The third scenario is about being preoccupied -being seduced by wealth and a love of worldly pleasure.
I’ve actually heard of these three scenarios described as three different ways of being stuck in a maze, which I think is a helpful image. And I’m sure you, like me, will identify perhaps which of Jesus’ warnings we are more likely to encounter – in the maze of understanding the Gospel message which of these scenarios will draw us away from the truth of the message spoken by Jesus.
It is in the fourth scenario of this parable that we hear of good soil and we can see the hope of the coming of the Kingdom. Jesus promises there will be a plentiful harvest and there will be fruit. We read ‘one will produce a hundred times over, another sixty, and another thirty times over. And interestingly the variation of harvest demonstrating that even in good soil the harvest will not always be the same.
At the heart of this message is that the seed really does bear fruit – but it isn’t always going to be easy or straightforward.
What are the weeds, what are the thorns, where are the rocks – and most importantly what do they look like? These are the kinds of things I would need to learn about if I was to suddenly embark on gardening this summer. And it’s the same with the weeds and thorns in our own lives – our own hearts – the temptations, distractions, fears and doubts which we need to recognise and prune, with the help and grace of God.
We are not expected to be perfect all of the time, and we shouldn’t place that expectation on ourselves or others, but this parable warns us and reminds of the worldly things and tempting things that can hinder us in our discipleship. And it is when we are becoming rocky ground, or feel ourselves entangled with the weeds, that we turn back in Jesus – in prayer and repentance – and ask for his grace and strength as we strive to be better soil.
If I’m honest I think I would probably benefit from a handbook if I brave the gardening world and to keep with the metaphor, that is what the Holy Scripture could be for us – instruction on how to live our lives and how we can, with God’s help, prepare our hearts to be good soil, to receive his word and ultimately to bear fruit.
Amen