The Gospel of Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
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 the 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. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When 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. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet 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. As 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. But 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.”
Let us Pray: Everlasting God, we bring our prayers to you, Lord of all nations, asking that your blessing of love and peace may be known to all people everywhere. Help us to bear abundant fruit from the seeds of potential that you have planted within us. This we ask in your name. Amen.
How often have you needed some quiet time and gone to the beach early to be able to sit quietly and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the beach? Then as the day got later the beach became busy. Jesus needed this as he went to the shore to sit and collect His thoughts. As he was sitting there a large crowd gathered on the beach. So, He took the opportunity to address the crowds gathered. He used parables to set rather ordinary-sounding stories in place to illustrate spiritual truths and the people he told them too were more likely to understand the parable. His parable of the Sower is a story of people and how they accepted the word of the Kingdom of God. Even His disciples sometimes had a hard time understanding Him. But he did not give up on them. And we know that he will not give up on us. Jesus will work with us no matter what type of soil we are growing in. He works to make us in a better soil through understanding his words so we will abundantly bear more fruit.
How does this parable of the Sower apply to today? The Sower (Jesus) was a little adventurous in how he sowed the seed. Jesus sows. It’s what Jesus does. It’s what Jesus keeps on doing. Jesus keeps throwing seeds, regardless of where the seed might land. God and Jesus are love, and love is generous, lavish, abundant, eager to share what is good. They will not withhold the Word from anyone. They will not deny anyone access to the Good News. Some seed fell on the path. The seed on the path represents people who hear the message, but it is immediately lost. There are people who don’t live a good Christian life because they are focused on other things.
They knew some would fall on rocky soil, the seed soon sprouted, but when the sun came up it burnt the young plants. The seed on the rocky ground represents people who respond with initial enthusiasm, but the word of God does not sink in deep. When persecution or hard times (represented by the sun) come along they give up at once. People cannot commit to the Christian lifestyle. They are initially attracted but give up when the going gets tough. Some fell in with the thorns, but they also knew some would flourish. Those that flourished would be the messengers of the Word of the Kingdom of God. Some of the seed that fell among thorn bushes grew up but were choked by the thorns. The thorn bushes choke the message of God. It is heard, but people’s concern for riches and their worries about life cause the plants to die. Some people are too concerned with what others think and they worry too much. They may be jealous, angry or concerned with materialism.
So today are we adventurous sowers or are we very conservative sowers only sowing where we know it will grow. Which is limited or do we take the chance and sow abundantly working to make the less desirable soil become a richer soil and grow with the word of God. Knowing that the end result will be a larger crop of more messengers to spread the Good Word. Some seed fell on good soil and the plants produced a worthy crop. Good soil represents people who hear the message and live it in their lives. Some people have strong faith and remain dedicated to a Christian lifestyle, even when things are difficult. So, we are going to have to change, we need to develop in a different direction if we are going to flourish. Even though at the moment life seems difficult we need to grasp on new ways, have an imagination that will open doors. And we will till our garden of life flourishes with an attitude of looking for growth in unexpected places. With care we can sow love and hope. Through it all we cannot fail to continue to do Christ’s work through the mission of the church.
Let us Pray: Heavenly Father teach us to be good sowers and spread the word of your Kingdom to make the harvest bountiful and express your love of all the people and of our precious earth. This we pray in y he story is not about you; the story is for you. This parable, like all scripture, is really about God and God’s extravagant generosity. Amen.
Reflections by Bob 