Richard Davenport
July 16, 2023 â Proper 10
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
          As we walk through the life of Christ in the gospel of Matthew, we frequently pause to listen in with the disciples to the various sermons and dialogues Jesus has. The various parables Jesus tells are favorite places for reflection. Jesus takes the practice of using stories to express deeper meaning and raises it to a high art form. Many parables Jesus tells can lead a reader into great and wondrous truths about the work of God and his plan for salvation. Even short, one-line parables hide treasures for those willing to examine them and reflect on their message.
           This parable is somewhat unique in the collection of Jesusâ parables. Not only is it one of the longer ones he gives, but itâs also one of the very few he takes the time to explain for us. This parable probably wouldnât have made as much sense if Jesus didnât unpack it all for us. So itâs nice that heâs given us the key to unlocking the mystery here. Still, even with what Jesus has shared with us, thereâs a lot here to think about and still more we need to do to understand how best to apply this to our lives.
           Starting with the basics, the first task is always to understand who is involved in this story. Not just the people in the story, but who Jesus is talking to to begin with. In this case, Jesus is addressing a crowd of people. There may be some priests and Pharisees scattered in there, but by and large Jesus is talking to everyday people. Some may be faithful Jews, some may just be there seeing what this Jesus guy has to say. That means he isnât just talking to the religious elite, but to everyone.Â
           So then Jesus begins his little story by telling us about a sower. A sower sows seed in different places. He sows the seed among the rocks. He sows along the path. He sows among the thorns. He sows on good soil. Each place responds differently.Â
There arenât really a lot of moving parts in the story. Thereâs just one person here. As always in a parable, we look for Jesus. Who is he here and what is he doing? The temptation with many parables is to put ourselves into the prime position. Many read parables like this in that way. In which case the parable might be about how we need to go about spreading the seed and we shouldnât care where it falls. Itâs not a matter of where it goes, because thatâs all up to God. You just go out there and spread the seed.
But, thatâs our pride again, wanting to be the star of the show. The story of Scripture, of history, isnât really about us. Itâs about God. Weâre here and that salvation is for us, but really weâre just along for the ride. The story told by Scripture begins with God and heâs on every page in it.
So we start by looking for God, usually weâre looking specifically for Christ because heâs the person of the Trinity we know best and who most directly interacts with us. So where is Jesus? Well, thereâs really only one option here. A sower sowing seed. Why does he sow seed and why does he sow it where he does? The parable doesnât really tell us. The second cardinal rule after looking for Jesus is to remember that a parable only says what it says. Thereâs the temptation to read into why all of this is taking place and why he does what he does, but if he doesnât explain it, then it probably isnât really what the parable is about.
Some will read this parable and talk about how Jesus shows âreckless love.â He just throws himself out there everywhere and doesnât discriminate who gets the seed. So, following his example, we shouldnât discriminate either. We should love everyone and care for them all equally. Well, it may be true that we should show everyone that kind of love, but that isnât what Jesus is telling us about here. He has a different goal in mind and we need to pay attention to what heâs trying to tell us here.
So the sower sows the seed. Among the four different places the seed falls, thereâs at least a little bit in common. In all places, the seed wants to grow. Itâs seed and thatâs what itâs designed to do. It may not grow very tall. It may die before bearing fruit, but in all places it does what seed naturally does. It sprouts and grows.Â
Itâs there that things start to diverge. The seed that falls on the path is devoured. Creatures come from the outside and keep it from doing what it wants to do. The seed that falls on rocky soil does grow, but it withers and dies when life becomes difficult. The seed among the thorns grows too, but the thorns overtake it and the plant dies. The seed that falls on good soil grows and bears abundant fruit.
Easy enough, once Jesus helps us to understand it all. The seed isnât people, itâs the good news of the kingdom of God and all that goes with being a part of Godâs kingdom. The ground where the seed falls is people, different people, different circumstances. Men, women, old, young, none of those kinds of qualities are relevant here. The understanding is that the whole world falls into one of these categories. Everyone, everywhere is one these.
Jesus then helpfully explains what the different kinds of soil represent. There are many kinds of bad soil, but only one good soil. That might lead you to the question, âHow do I know Iâm good soil?â Jesus is obviously implying that good soil is the goal. In the other three types of soil, the seed never accomplishes what itâs trying to do. It never flourishes, and, in some cases, never even takes root.Â
So what does all of that mean for us? We donât sow the seed, or at least that isnât what Jesus is after here. We donât make the seed. The sower brings the seed. We donât make the seed grow. Jesus doesnât really go into that here either. The issue is the soil. The issue is us. How do you know youâre good soil or not? You could maybe argue here that Jesus is saying some soil is inherently good and some is inherently bad, but thatâs not where he puts the focus. What is the result? The sower sows seed everywhere. Is that seed allowed to grow or not?
You may not be able to give yourself the seed. You may not be able to make it grow. But, you can support and nurture that seed, or you can let it die. Jesusâ explanation puts the spotlight squarely on us. If the seed falls on the path, falls on people who donât understand it, whose fault is it if the seed doesnât grow? Not the sowerâs. He gave you the seed. You heard the gospel and, though you didnât understand it, you also did nothing to learn more about it. You never sought out those who could explain it to you, so that the seed might find root and grow. If it falls on rocky soil, those whose understanding of the Gospel is so flawed or superficial that any kind of conflict or tragedy turns them from it, whose fault is that? Again, not the sower. He gave you the seed and you abandoned it at the first sign of trouble. If the seed falls among the thorns, those who are caught up in worldly concerns, whose fault is it when those concerns choke out the Gospel? Not the sower. You were the one who thought the concerns of this world were more important and you let the seed die.
Our Lutheran understanding of Law and Gospel, the Law that convicts us of sin and the Gospel that pronounces our forgiveness, can sometimes be seen as a license to do nothing. God sends the Law and God sends the Gospel. God convicts us. God forgives us. You canât earn your own salvation and even trying to earn your salvation is a statement that you think you can do it on your own. Donât fall into that trap.
Thatâs all true. It is Christâs death that pays for your sins. It is Christâs resurrection that ensures your eternal life. All of this done, as Luther says, âwithout any merit or worthiness in me.â You didnât do it. You couldnât do it. God had to do it or it never would have happened at all. However, at no point does that mean your only purpose as a Christian is to lie back and do nothing, to lounge around while God showers his grace on you. You get the impression that, because God alone brings salvation, there really isnât anything for you to do at all.
It's one of the big struggles pastors face these days, a member calls you up and says, âMy daughter just had a baby and she wants to get him baptized.â Thatâs great and all, though you quickly discover the daughter doesnât go to church and after baptizing the child, the family is never seen again. Itâs as if to say, âI got the seed. I donât need to do anymore.â Those are some of the most blatant examples of what Jesus warns about, but there are many more.
The three bad soils all show the enemies arrayed against the Gospel. Satan is more than happy to tell you the Gospel is crazy nonsense that isnât worth your time. Heâll snatch it away so you donât have to waste time thinking about it anymore. The world is happy to give us all sorts of distractions to pull our attention away from the Gospel. When we leave off nurturing the seed that has been planted within us, we instead are nurturing the thorns and weeds that care nothing for your wellbeing and will destroy you just as readily as they smother the Gospel. Then thereâs the enemy that lives within, our own sinful selves. We think weâre more intelligent, more capable, more robust than we are. We think weâve got a handle on everything, but when life takes a sudden turn for the worse, we conclude that it isnât us thatâs failed, itâs the Gospel message that has lied to us and we abandon it.
God does give us the seed, the Gospel message, the good news that God came into this world and was born as a perfect and sinless man so that he could die for the sins of the world, yours and mine. Everything God offers is a gift, unmerited and undeserved. But that doesnât mean we are left out of the process, just to sit on the sidelines and watch. God gives more gifts. He gives the gifts of the Bible. He gives places to hear the Bible read, resources to help understand it better, times and places to gather together to learn about it more, to hear in detail everything God has done for you. He gives a place where the cares of the world can remain outside for a time, helping you to leave the distractions of the world and hear without interruption all that God has done for you today and what he will do for you tomorrow. He gives you a place where you can be washed clean and know with certainty that your salvation is secured. He gives you a place where you can see for yourself what the new creation holds and that the struggles of this life truly are temporary. He gives you brothers and sisters to rejoice with you in good times and to commiserate with you in bad times. He gives you a way to talk to him wherever you are about whateverâs on your mind. He gives you all of these things as gifts to use to help the seed of grace grow within you, that you may turn out to be good soil and be fruitful.
It's probably not coincidence that mankindâs first profession was to be gardeners. God gave Adam and Eve a gift, the world and everything in it. He gave them all the tools they needed to do the job as well as the ongoing support they needed to do the job, but it was their job. He had given it to them. Their profession was a gift to give them direction and purpose in life. They were not meant to be mere decorations, but active participants in Godâs goodness.
So it continues today. God wants to be a part of whatâs going on. We canât earn salvation, but that doesnât mean we have no role to play. Godâs gifts are ours to be used and in using them, he promises they will bring us more than just forgiveness. They will bring us peace and joy, and the delight of seeing the fruits that come with strong growth, the benefits and blessings that come to us and to all of those who share in the fruits produced by us and through us.
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