Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Sermon - Pentecost 6 - Matthew 13:1-9;18-23

One Seed.  Four Kinds of Soil.


Ah, the Parable of the Sower.  One of my own personal favorites, and maybe yours, too.  Jesus tells this parable first to the crowd, and then in the next part of our reading, explains its meaning to the disciples.  This alone is a bit unusual for Jesus – but it serves as a sort of Rosetta Stone for us to interpret not only this parable, but to teach us about the parables of Jesus in general.

The word we use for these stories, “parable”, or “Para-Bola” in the Greek, means something like “thrown along side” – as Jesus throws earthly elements alongside his heavenly or spiritual meaning.  The things in the stories are common enough – everyday things and people like brothers, sheep and coins, kings and servants, or in this parable as in so many – we have a picture of agriculture.

It seems like every child learns about the power of a seed from that Kindergarten project when you put a bean in a wet paper towel, and then watch it sprout on the window sill over the course of the next few weeks.  What a fitting parabolic image then, for the word of God.  In other parables he uses the same image of a seed for the word – for the word starts small, and has great effects.  It appears to go into the ground as dead, but from it sprouts life, and often abundantly so.  Good seed produces good fruit, and so forth, and so forth.

Here we also see the image of a sower.  And though Jesus doesn’t explain exactly who it is, we understand the sower to be first of all God himself, or even Jesus – who sends forth his word.  Likewise also the preacher of the Gospel follows suit and liberally casts the seed here and there, to and fro.  Now, some would say that the sower is acting here, as one of our hymns puts it, “recklessly”.  He casts the seed and doesn’t seem to care where it falls – “oh what of that?”.  Not a very sensible way of farming or gardening.  I remember planting certain seeds, carefully, so many inches apart in perfect little rows so that the plants wouldn’t get in each other’s way and would be well spaced and well watered.  This sower cares nothing for that, so it seems, he just casts the seed – he preaches the word – and whoever hears it does, and whoever doesn’t – doesn’t. 

But it’s not careless.  It’s love.  It is the gift of grace, freely given. 

This is the character of the sower.  That he gives to all, gives freely, gives generously.  This is the Father who spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all.  This is the Christ, who laid down his life for his friends, even for his enemies, who died for the sins of the world. Whose blood covers the iniquity of us all. 

What a comfort that his grace is so recklessly sown!  For if he targeted it only to the worthy, the best, the most deserving… then we would all have cause to wonder and fear.  Is this for me?  Are my sins forgiven?  Can I be saved? 

But no, there is no doubt, he intends and desires for all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.  He seeks out every lost sheep.  He forgives even the unforgivable.  And so his word, his grace, his salvation is for you.  The cross procures it and guarantees it.

And yet, not all believe.  This is the question the parable addresses.  Why some, and not others?  While this parable alone may not satisfy the curiosity of the philosopher and theologian with an ultimate answer – it does shed light.  It doesn’t pierce the veil of God’s hidden counsel, or subject him to our own imagined rules of fair play.  But Jesus does show it how it is- that the word freely preached does not always produce fruitful and lasting faith in the hearer.  For there are different kinds of soil.  There are different impediments to the word.  And each of these can frustrate and hinder the working of faith:

Take first the path – the seed that falls here is quickly snatched by the birds.  Jesus teaches that these are the ones who hear the word but the Devil quickly snatches it away.  We know the devil’s aim is to do this to all – to completely obstruct the word of the kingdom for any and all.  That the word isn’t always snatched by the enemy is the real miracle here. 

Then there’s the rocks – the rocky soil – the thin and shallow dirt with nowhere for the roots to grow deep.  Jesus compares this to the person who embraces the word with joy, but then quickly falls away at the first sign of opposition from the world – persecution, tribulation.  It’s a shallow faith that cannot stand when put to the test.  The scorching sun soon withers it away. 

Or also the thorns – the cares of this world which choke the life out of faith, like the weeds and thistles that crowed out the good harvest.  We’ve seen plenty of “care of this world” in 2020.  Here also the deceitfulness of riches – the lie that having money is all that matters, all that you need.  When you worship the things of this world there’s no room left for the things above, where true treasure is found.

Now, we could take these examples of Jesus and start the task of inspecting other people’s gardens.  What kind of soil is Susie?  What kind of ground is Johnny?  Let’s all evaluate Betty and George’s harvest of fruit.  We could seek to diagnose and critique the faith of others and the problems they have and the things that get in their way and keep them from being the Christians they oughtta be. 

But here’s the secret that our Old Adam doesn’t want to hear.  We are all, at different times, and in various ways, all kinds of bad soil.  You and I are beset by the devil.  You and I are opposed by the world.  You and I are subject to cares and worries and troubles of all manner and kind.  Suffering and death are all around us.  Unbelievers and scoffers never quit.  And the devil, that prowling lion, drools and slobbers with every temptation by which he imagines he might snatch faith from our hearts.  And sometimes we even play along.  Our joyfulness in the faith waxes and wanes.  We listen, then we forget.  We understand, but we don’t.  Sin and unbelief are ever near.  We are the soil on the path, the rocky soil, the thorny soil.

But the Christian is not just that.  The Christian is sinner and saint.  The Christian is Old Adam and New.  The Christian is bad soil, but also good soil.  Not that we bring anything to the table, mind you, but the fact that we do believe by the power of the Spirit – means yes the word has been planted in us.  And that we trust in Christ, crucified for sinners, means the seed has sprouted.  And that faith which is begun as a good work within us will brought to completion at the day of our Lord Jesus Christ – means that our full fruitfulness will be see at the final harvest – whether 30, 60, or 100 fold.

Each time sinners hear the word, repent and believe, the seed goes into good soil.  Each time you confess your sins and are forgiven, what is planted sprouts and bears fruit.  Everywhere the Gospel is preached and he who has ears to hear, hears…. Hearts are changed, lives are renewed, and God works salvation.

Jesus doesn’t answer the question of why some believe and others do not.  But he does assure us, by this parable.  He teaches us how it is – and that he knows how it is – and that means we can trust him to know what he’s doing.

The Sower is not reckless or stupid or powerless as some may say.  Nor is he uncaring or apathetic about the success of his farming.  Just as Jesus wasn’t crucified because he was weak, or unlucky, or the victim of circumstance.  But he laid down his life of his own accord, in perfect obedience to the Father, to complete his mission of saving the world from sin.  As strange and reckless as it may seem.

So also his gospel – he knows exactly what he’s doing, strange as it may seem.  He sows the seed, plants the word, proclaims the Gospel freely and fully – intent that all would hear and believe, sprout and bear fruit.  That some seed falls on bad soil of whatever kind – we recognize, but leave it for the mystery that it is.

And rather, thanks be to God for the seed of his teaching, receptive souls reaching, and pray that it blossom and flourish for one and for all.  Thanks be to God for the good news of Jesus Christ, who died and rose for you and me, and makes us fruitful – to the glory of his name.  May his kingdom come, may the seed take root in good soil wherever and whenever it is cast, that many others may join us in the harvest of his kingdom.  Such is our fervent prayer, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.