Matthew 13:1-9

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!”.

Sermon Text

I believe one of the most important things you can do with your study of scripture is to involve other people. If you are sitting in your room reading the Bible, you will learn a lot. I think that that is one of the things we most neglect in our lives, just taking up the Bible and reading what it has for us. Yet, if we read it alone we miss out on some of the deeper truths it reveals. The truths that come from us engaging with scripture and with each other. Until such a time that we are able to see the words of God, reflected in the Image of God, in the person sitting across from us, the word will not fully come alive.

In this Church, one day in Sunday School, as we were going through the parables of Jesus, one of our very own said something that stuck with me. As Jesus taught about a sower going out and throwing seeds wherever they went, they described the farmer with a single word. “Irresponsible.” I like that word to describe the work of the sower.

Having killed more plants than I care to admit, I can tell you I am no authority on farming. However, even I know that it is necessary to plant in good soil and to water and tend to the thing you have planted. In my garden right now, I have two distinct plants doing very differently in terms of their health. One, my beautiful tomato plants that are thriving despite my incompetence. Planted in buckets filled with potting soil and watered regularly, they are thriving in a way I have to assume I have very little to do with.

Across the way, however, sits a lonely amaryllis. It was planted haphazardly, because I did not think it was necessary to open a whole new bag of potting soil to plant it in the ground. After all, that’s where all the dirt is! Needless to say, that thing is withered and half dead, and I’ve all but abandoned any hope of it growing into anything. We all know, that if you want to grow something, you need to plant it in the right kind of soil.

This parable, then, becomes a therapeutic piece for Christians. When we read it, we are assured that the people who have failed to join the Church, despite our best efforts, are not our fault. No, the word of God has just found poor soil to grow in. This parable becomes a way to explain why ministry does not always succeed. It is a consolation more than it is an instruction. I do not think this is the best way to read this parable.

Jesus was not in the business of giving us a reason for failure so much as explaining what we should do. If we use the parable primarily to explain our failures, then why did Jesus bother to teach it at all? No, there is another lesson to take from this parable and that lesson is found in that word that one of our own folks used. “Irresponsible,” gardening is the most important kind when the thing you’re trying to grow are the fruits of the Spirit.

You do not have the power, now or ever, to control another person’s heart or circumstances. No matter what you do, they will be their own person and you will be your own person. Thus, as you tell about your faith or share the gospel, you can never be sure how the person you talk to will receive it. Maybe they will hear the good news and become a member of a church! Maybe they will show up to a few events and then disappear, or maybe they will spit in your face for the trouble. There is no way to know what will happen, until the leap is taken and an attempt is made.

Jesus describes the parable later in the scriptures and defines each category of soil as a different kind of person. The seed the falls on the road and is trampled are those who never accept the word, those that grow among rocks are those who accept the word and then, without a root, leave. Those that are choked by weeds are those who are taken in by the worries and pleasures of this world and fall away. While those who grow in good soil are those who hear the word, and develop roots, and become part of God’s church.

The thing about the parable is that Jesus never says to seek out good soil. Jesus says that this is the nature of proclamation, that it will not always be accepted or acted upon. The point of the parable is not to carefully wait for the perfect moment and person and place to share God’s word. It is to do it, whenever you can, however you can, and trust that sometimes the result will be someone being saved by your effort. The word of God never returns empty and even if it not taken to heart and allowed to transform a person, the exercise of sharing what God has done in your life will at least strengthen you, personally.

I want to return to my garden for a moment, because I think it provides an apt image to tie into this parable. I told you about that amaryllis I carelessly planted… Well, that darn dead plant started growing again after a few good rains. I started adding it to my rotations of plants to water, knowing that it isn’t fully dead… It is shooting up new sprouts, putting forward the start of flowers, and getting ready to become more than just a brown, dying lump in my front yard. I planted that flower recklessly, but I had no idea if it would find good soil until it started growing up.

Talk to people about your faith. You don’t have to be eloquent, you should never be forceful, and ideally you should practice often enough you aren’t terribly nervous. When you can, how it makes sense to, share what God is doing and has done for you. There is always a need to testify to God’s goodness, and there are always people who need to hear it. So, be irresponsible with God’s grace, throw it everywhere you can until you can’t anymore. If you do that, then you might just see some growth in the lives of the people around you. – Amen.