Sermon 07.16.23 – The Parable of the Generous Sower

St. John’s Lutheran Church, Toluca, IL – 7th Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 55:10-13; Psalm 65:1-13; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ² Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³ And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵ 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. ⁶ But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷ Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸ Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹ If you have ears, hear!” 

¹⁸ “Hear, then, the parable of the sower. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, ²¹ 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.^{,* 22} As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. ²³ 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.”

NRSVue

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The Parable of the Generous Sower

I am not much of a gardener. I grew up in a condominium building where the extent of vegetation to care for was limited to an outside planter that ran alongside the living room window. Sometimes there were instructions from my parents to water them when I returned from school. My grandfather has a magnificent garden, which I remember ruining as a toddler. Therefore, I greatly admire those who dedicate themselves to preparing the soil, seeding, planting, watering, feeding, pruning, and harvesting the beauty of the fruit of their passions. It wasn’t for me, though.

Then my wife decided to get into vegetable gardens.

I first begin to learn by observation, and the accumulation of receipts for gardening supplies, that a lot goes into it. Through her relentless insistence for me to join her over the years, I learned about the design of plots. How apart the plants will be, and which structures will be necessary to sustain their growth when they are young or to protect them from rodents and bugs. There was a year when worms were specially ordered to aerate the soil. When she was away, there were instructions to maintain the whole thing. Very precise, organized, and dedicated.

Then I began to live surrounded by farms and crops. I learn some of what goes into planting, maintaining, and harvesting its fruits, even the stuff done in the winter. Is a year-long enterprise. Very precise, organized, and dedicated on a much larger scale. My hat goes to the master gardeners and farmers in the audience.

So, when I was reading this passage, the first thing that came to mind was, what would you folks think of someone walking around throwing seeds everywhere without any planning or soil prep whatsoever. Stop, right there! Are you insane? Do you have any idea of what you are doing?

Yet that is precisely how Jesus chose to explain his gardening methods and approach to farming to his audience then and now. Interesting, right? Knowing that the people of Palestine at his time were not clueless about farming, which could have caused them to be as mesmerized or puzzled as we might be, it begs the question, what is God among us up to?

One thing this parable does for me is help me to accept that God’s wisdom often escapes us. This is what Jesus is trying to say God is doing. Through him, God is spreading the seed of God’s word, that is, the good news of the kingdom of heaven come near for us, lavishly everywhere he goes. It does not matter to him. He has an infinite supply of seeds, an unending source of love, and does not seem to care where it falls. It is a free gift. Jesus throws his good news of redemption even to those who are not part of our flock, and he does so abundantly. Jesus is not a clueless and careless sower. He is an abundantly generous sower, and he is fulfilling God’s promise of no longer remembering our transgressions and lavishly pouring his love and grace upon us, good soil or not. And God does not need our permission or approval. God does what God does. How will we respond?

Because we are, at the same time, saints and sinners, I don’t think we are pre-destined to be forever hard, rocky, thorny, or good soil. If the location of the soil in the body is our hearts, and what we have in our hearts reflects our frame of mind in a given moment, our capacity to recognize the kingdom to which we belong, then remember that we were instead pre-destined to be brought to the font, sealed with the Holy Spirit, and chosen to be in relationship with Christ Jesus, our Lord, as a gift. The most generous sower is a master gardener and dedicated farmer too. He can till even the hardest path. He will not rest until every rock is removed and every torn is plucked away. No soil is beyond repair, and there is no soil he cannot mend. He will remain with us for as long as it takes, and if we accept the invitation to remain in his word until it takes root in our hearts, we will find no condemnation, only life. Thanks be to God. Amen.