“Sow What?” Matt. 13:1-9 and 18-23,
By Pastor Deb Troester, STHPC, July 9, 2023
You might have noticed that many of our gospel readings this year are from Matthew. I usually choose Bible readings from the Revised Common Lectionary, a three-year calendar of readings used by many churches, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic. Each year focuses on one of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and readings from the Gospel of John are spread out throughout the three years.
In our meanderings through Matthew this year we have come to chapter 13, where Jesus teaches the multitude in parables. There is a native American proverb that says, “Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” Jesus knew this. That is why he told so many stories. By chapter 13 it has become apparent that not everyone would accept Jesus’ teachings of God’s love and grace. Even though Jesus worked miracles nearly everywhere he went, some towns did not believe his message.
His hometown of Nazareth rejected him. The Pharisees criticized him for healing on the Sabbath. Even John the Baptist questioned whether or not Jesus was the one they had been waiting for, or if they should expect another. So Jesus told a parable to explain why the good news of God’s kingdom was welcomed by some, but rejected by others.
This parable had a familiar context for his listeners. In those days, the majority of people farmed, either on their own land, or as tenant farmers. Along with grapes, olives, and figs, grains such as wheat, barley, and millet were grown. Similar to California, the rainy season in that part of the world is in the winter. After the autumn rains, the soil was soft, so the farmers simply scattered seed over the field. This parable would have gotten people’s attention precisely because this farmer carelessly and foolishly scatters precious seed in places that obviously would not yield a good crop – places where the ground was too hard or rocky, or where thorns were growing. It seemed like a waste of resources. Jesus piqued people’s curiosity – what would happen to this foolish farmer and his crop?
Nowadays we don’t like to waste resources either. I’ve attended lots of Presbytery meetings where we’ve discussed new start-up ministries. Usually a committee is formed - of course – we are Presbyterians! It must investigate the possibilities and report back. If the area is growing in population, especially with lots of families, or if there is another demographic which is sufficient to form a new “worshiping community,” as they are called, then the Presbytery might decide to go ahead and invest in calling a pastor to plant a new church. If the area does not look promising, though, that will be the end of the matter. No money will be wasted on it!
However, according to this parable, God is not like that. God, as the sower, sows the seed of the gospel in unlikely, even unhospitable places: in prisons, hospitals, among the unhoused or disabled; even in gangs. Unlike actual soil, human hearts can change from hard, rocky, and choked by the cares of the world, into good soil that bears fruit.A farmer would be careless to scatter seed on the hard path or rocky ground, but God, the Sower, wants to give everyone a chance. God knows that even in unlikely places life may spring up.
Father Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest who works with recovering gang members in Los Angeles, recounts the story of a former gang member named Saul, who had killed his abusive step-father. After twenty-three years in jail, he was released and found his way to Father Boyle’s ministry. Touched by God’s love and Father Boyle’s caring attitude, he declared, “I’ve decided to become the person I always needed as a child.” He became a mentor for the young men in his former shoes, “treating them all like his sons and helping them to find their way.” In God’s field, even so-called “bad” soil has a chance to produce. In God’s kingdom, the seed is sown with abandon, trusting God for the harvest. Maybe that’s what it means in Isaiah, when God says, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
This parable reminds us not to be discouraged if some do not accept the good news. Not everyone will be receptive, yet we must keep sowing. We must keep sharing God’s love even, and maybe especially, in the unlikely and difficult places. Indeed, Jesus himself shows us the way, spreading the word, no matter how dry, rocky, or weed-infested the ground. His followers are called to do so the same.
In this parable, we could see ourselves as seed-sowers, following along in Jesus’ footsteps. But we are also the soil. What kind of soil are you? Hardened, shallow, thorny, or receptive? Remember what Mojoko said this morning: “Today if you hear God’s word, harden not your heart.” The first seeds, scattered on the path, represent those who hear the word of the kingdom, but don’t understand it. Why wouldn’t people understand God’s Word, or be able to perceive its meaning? Spiritual concepts are by nature hard to grasp, especially if you are focused on materialistic things, and are seeking them, rather than the kingdom of God. Because of that, some people will hear the good news and simply not get it, or maybe they are just not ready. Some seeds that are planted do not germinate and bear fruit until many years later. They may be like the sequoia cones that germinate best when opened by the intense heat of a forest fire. Some people are like that: if a seed of God’s love and truth is planted in their lives it may remain dormant, but in time of crisis they will remember it and seek a closer relationship with God.
Understanding enables discipleship to begin, but it’s not enough. We must also put down roots so that we can persevere through difficulties and trouble. Prayer, Bible study, Christian fellowship and worship can help our faith to grow roots. Then when difficulties come, we will be able to stand firm. Otherwise we may find that we are like seeds that start to grow, but are scorched by the sun and wither away when hardship comes.
The plants choked by the weeds of worry hearken back to Matthew 6, where Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your span of life?”
It’s easy for us to become so preoccupied with everyday concerns that we forget about God. We need to remember Jesus’ word “to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” God knows our needs before we ask. God is actively spreading the seed of the kingdom and waiting patiently for its harvest. Are we willing to allow the kingdom to take root and flourish in our lives? Will we bear fruit?
This parable of the sower and the soil is also the story of a miraculous harvest. A seven-fold harvest would have been fine. A ten-fold yield was exceptionally good. Thirty- or sixty-fold would be enough to feed an entire village or town for the year! A hundred-fold harvest would be a miraculous harvest indeed. Faith is a gift from God; With God, we can accomplish what we never thought possible. Jesus’ parable challenges us to believe in God’s power and provision. Pastor Talitha Arnold writes that this parable “is filled with promise…Even in the face of rejection…this parable calls us to trust. Jesus knows the hard ways of this world. He also knows the abundant ways of God.” She quotes Bebe Moore Campbell’s novel, Singing in the Comeback Choir: “Some of us have that empty-barrel faith. Walking around expecting things to run out. Expecting that there isn’t enough air, enough water. Expecting that someone is going to do you wrong. The God I serve told me to expect the best, that there is enough for everybody.”
In all of the miracles in the Bible, there is always more than enough: the Israelites found more than enough manna in the wilderness, and an abundance of water when Moses struck the rock. There were twelve baskets full of bread left over when Jesus fed the 5000; 150 gallons of the finest wine at the wedding of Cana. There is a message here: when you sow in faith, expect a miracle. God’s kingdom grows a bountiful harvest, produced despite overwhelming odds.
A sower went out to sow. So what?
What kind of seeds are you sowing? What kind of seeds is our church sowing, and where? What kind of soil is your heart? Where do you need a miraculous harvest in your life? Where do we need a miraculous harvest in our community? In our world?
Like that sower, we must spread the seed of God’s word of grace and love extravagantly, even in places we think might not be receptive. The kingdom of God sprouts up in unlikely and unexpected places. God is at work in the world, whether we see it or not, transforming lives and planting seeds in those whose hearts are prepared to receive it, and those who are not yet ready, but where it may sprout up later. There is no place or circumstance in which the seed of God’s kingdom cannot germinate and take root. So let us sow with hope and faith, let us prepare the soil of our hearts and let’s get ready to give God thanks for fruitful growth and a miraculous harvest to come. Amen.
©Deborah Troester 2023