July 16, 2023 Seventh Sunday After Pentecost The text is Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23.

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¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ²Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. ⁶But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹Let anyone with ears listen!”
¹⁸“Hear then the parable of the sower. ¹⁹When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. ²⁰As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. ²²As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. ²³But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

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May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Grace, mercy, and peace are yours from God the Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

This morning’s reading from Matthew’s gospel recounts Jesus’ telling the Parable of the Sower; twice.  Initially, he speaks to the crowd that has gathered on the beach, and afterwards he tells it again; this time to the disciples in private.  But why tell the same parable two times?

Well, what isn’t included in today’s reading selection are verses 10 through 17; in these, we read that the disciples have asked Jesus why he speaks to the people in parables.  He quotes the prophet Isaiah to them, saying “the reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’”  He laments that the gathered crowds of people have closed their eyes and ears to the truth of the gospel message and to Jesus’ true nature.  People will be rewarded with admission to the kingdom of God only when they have opened their hearts to grasp the meaning of Jesus’ words.  For now, they have allowed themselves to be closed off from the way God works in the world.  And he then expands upon the meaning of the parable for the disciples, for his closest followers; for they have been blessed by God to have open eyes, ears, and hearts.

He explains to them that seed that falls on a hard-beaten path remains on the surface, it never takes root, and eventually becomes bird seed.  Jesus explains to the disciples that this is representative of those who hear the Gospel message yet it falls on the deaf ears of some who simply do not understand it.

The seeds that land in the gravel-strewn, rocky soil take root quickly, but these roots don’t burrow deeply enough into the stony dirt.  The seeds might sprout, but without a strong, healthy root system, the plants cannot access the soil’s nutrients and they will wither and die.  This is a metaphor for people who respond to Christ’s message of the coming of God’s kingdom, but whose initial enthusiasm doesn’t survive when they encounter adversity or persecution.  Once some difficulty arises the message is soon abandoned, replaced by the struggles of the world.

Seed cast among thorny weeds is soon choked out and the growing plants are prevented from reaching maturity.  Thorn-covered ground represents the experiences that hinder people from preserving their faithfulness to the gospel; they must compete with anxious concerns and their own self-interest.  These are the folks who hear God’s word but the thorns of worry, and greed, and selfishness strangle the Good News of the Gospel message before it can fully grow and flourish.

But all is not lost!  Jesus brings the parable to a conclusion with the metaphor of “good soil”.  Seed that falls on earth that has been prepared, tilled, and loosened until it is ready for planting will thrive, yielding an abundant harvest.  Those who are willing to hear the word of God and live by its teaching, will be the ones who will receive the kingdom and will reap blessings beyond their wildest dreams.

It would seem that Jesus’ intention is to explain to the disciples the deeper meaning of the parable and impress upon them the importance of “good soil” for the growth and spread of the gospel among the people.  Only those who have open ears, eyes, and hearts will be the ones who embrace the good news of the kingdom.  The overall emphasis seems to be on the “soil”, that is the people who hear the gospel and how they respond to it.  And this is likely how the parable was intended for the crowd on the beach.  But within the parable as it is explained to the disciples, is the not-too-subtle allegory that represents God as the Sower.

The unspoken part of the story is that which describes God’s extravagance; the Good News of the kingdom of heaven is scattered over everyone, whether they are of “good soil” or not.  Some people will hear the Gospel message, but it may fall on their deaf ears and many will simply not understand it.  Yet the seed is scattered among and over these who are the unyielding ground of the hard path, whether they respond to the message or ignore it.  God the Sower chooses to cast the seed of the gospel on the rocky ground people, knowing they might not have the necessary rooting to hold fast to the message.  And the ones who find themselves overtaken by the thorns and weeds of the world?; well our Sower-God does not withhold knowledge of the kingdom from them, either.  It is the grace-filled extravagance of God that results in making the message of the Good News of the gospel available for all, be they “good soil” or not.

God doesn’t wait for a person’s heart to be ready to hear or accept God’s Word.  If we happen to be like the hard path, the rocky dirt, or the weed-infested plot, the message of the kingdom is still broadcast, still dispersed over each of us. 

The not-so-obvious meaning of the parable is that God is the Sower, God spreads the seed of the Gospel over all people.  And the even less obvious theme is that Jesus is telling the disciples that they are now the Sowers; it is their duty to understand the message and bring it to the hard, stony, thorny people of the world, as well as the ones who offer fertile ground for the gospel to flourish.  And the ultimate aim of the parable is to declare that we too have become Sowers of the Word.  It is incumbent upon us to share the Good News with everyone, often without knowing whether or not our words and actions have, or will take root.  If we behave as “good soil”, it is just possible that others, the hardened ones, the ones with shallow roots, the ones who are overwhelmed by the struggles of the world, just might find the gospel flourishing in them also.

The work we do as the church, as Sowers of the Word of God may feel like failure if we don’t see immediate results among our neighbors. Well, not everyone is “good soil” at any moment, but we are called to persevere, to continue as Sowers; acknowledging that what we do and say as we embody the gospel will make a difference.  What we do will bear fruit and will result in an abundant harvest, in individual lives, or in our communities, or perhaps even in the wider world.  It’s not for us to decide where the soil is fertile for the gospel; it’s simply our job to continually scatter the seeds of the Good News of God in  Christ Jesus.  It’s our task to be Sowers; it’s our duty to be the church!           

Will you pray with me?  Good, and gracious, and holy God, help us to be willing Sowers of your Word.  Guide us as we scatter the seeds of the gospel.  Reassure us that even though we may not see immediate results from our work in the fields that are your world, that it is your will that the gospel will yield an abundant harvest.  And as we sow the seeds of the Good News of Jesus, help us to remain always as “good soil”.  And we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the One who has chosen us to be your Sowers.  Amen

God is Good, all the time.  All the time, God is Good.  Amen.