Proper 10 -- Isaiah 55: 1 – 5, 10 – 13; Psalm 65: 9 – 14; Romans 8: 9 – 17; Matthew 13: 1 – 9, 18 – 23
A sermon by The Rev. Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, IL; Sunday, July 13th, 2008
Our Lord must want us to really “get the message” in the parable we hear today, which has come to be known as “The Parable of the Sower”. For He provides not only the parable itself, but a detailed explanation of its meaning.
That will also be true of the Gospel reading for next week, which is entitled, “The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares”.[1]
These two parables are unique in this respect, for in Matthew’s Gospel account, oftentimes the parables which are recorded there do not have a detailed explanation of their meaning, and their applicability. When we do see a comment about a parable in Matthew, it is often appended to the end of the teaching itself, and the note often deals with the intended target of the teaching. An example would could be found in Matthew 18: 33, where we read this comment at the end of a parable concerning forgiveness, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
But here, today, we have Jesus’ detailed explanation of the meaning of His teaching, and its applicability. That will also be the case next Sunday, as well.
Our Lord wants us to “get His message”, loud and clear.
So, let’s turn our attention now to the text, first of all, and then to its application to first to the situation Jesus and His original disciples encountered, then to Matthew’s church, and then, finally, to our situation today.
Beginning first with the situation that Jesus and His original disciples faced, we see from the context that Jesus’ message has met with rejection and hostility in some places, even as it has been received by some in other places. Not only had the Scribes and the Pharisees rejected the message, but many residents of some of the towns in Galilee such as Chorazin, Capernahum and Bethsaida had also rejected the Good News.[2]
As the disciples returned from their first missionary journey, bearing the news that some had rejected this great and wonderful message, no doubt questions had begun to arise in their hearts and minds. Perhaps they were perplexed by the reception that they had experienced. If so, Jesus’ explanation might have helped them to understand one of the great mysteries of life: “Why do some reject – or ‘not get’ the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven?”
Turning now to Matthew’s situation (remembering that he is writing perhaps late in the first century[3] to a church or churches which were composed perhaps of both Jews and Gentiles, and which might have been located in modern-day Syria), we can see that Jesus’ teaching allowed these late first century disciples to understand why some of the people among whom they lived rejected Jesus’ message, and why some accepted it.
Not much has changed today….We might often wonder why some people come to believe the Good News, why they join with other Christians to form the body of Christ, which is the Church,[4] and why others either outrightly reject the Gospel, or are simply indifferent to it.
So much for the immediate situation of the three periods which we often consider when studying a Gospel text: the immediate situation faced by Jesus and His disciples; the intended audience that the Gospel writer had in mind; and our situation today.
Now, we should consider the text itself.
Notice, first of all, that Jesus identifies external and internal causes for the rejection or acceptance of the Gospel message:
- The soil along the path:[5] Remembering that a parable “places alongside”[6] a commonly known situation with a spiritual one, and recalling that Jesus often used agricultural images to make available the mysteries of God, we can see from this first illustration that Jesus identifies the first condition which is the cause of rejection: hardness of heart. Because the soil along the path has been beaten into a hardened condition by the passing of many feet, the seed of the message of the Kingdom cannot penetrate the soil. Consequently, because the seed is exposed and vulnerable, the forces of evil are able to easily snatch it away. So, this first illustration identifies two external cause for rejection:
1. hardness of heart, and
2. the activity of the evil one, which implies an internal condition, hardness of heart, which is the result of external forces/activity. - The rocky soil:[7] Here, we see an internal condition which stems from the very basic characteristic of the heart itself: it’s simply too hard for the Good News to penetrate for meaningful and lasting fruit to appear. Now, notice that Jesus nuances this condition by adding the feature of an initial reception of the seed of the Gospel message. Jesus doesn’t simply say that the soil is rocky, but that He implies that it has some receptivity to it. It is, indeed, capable of allowing the seed to penetrate at least a little, and for allowing some growth to appear. However, since there is no depth to the soil, the hardships which had greeted Jesus and His disciples’ proclamation of the Kingdom, and which also greeted Matthew’s audience, caused a falling away from the message.
- The thorny soil:[8] Now, we encounter good soil, but soil which has been infested with thorns. (This is a foretaste of next week’s text, in which Jesus will describe the soil of the Church, which is composed of both good and bad wheat.) Here, the causes for crop failure are external…the soil is fine, but the external cares of the world and the lure of wealth “crowd out” the desired crop.
- The good soil:[9] Finally, the seed encounters good and receptive soil, soil which is loose enough to have the depth necessary to receive the seed of the message, a message which is “heard and understood”,[10] and which is not the host to undesirable elements which would make hearing and understanding impossible.
What might the implications of this text be for us today? As I consider that
question, may I pose the following points for your consideration?: - The generosity of the sower: Notice that the sower (Jesus) is generous in casting the seed….its goes everywhere! Rocky soil, soil that is hardened by years of life’s “traffic”, and soil that is infested with thorns, in addition to the good soil. Our Lord casts the seed of the Kingdom of Heaven far and wide. Such generosity defies human logic and human prudence…why sow the seed on hardened or rocky soil, for example, when the prospects for a good harvest are so poor? Perhaps the implication here is that we must see the situation as God sees it, and not as we might be tempted to see it: If left to our own natural inclinations, we might shy away from joining God in sowing the seed here, there and everywhere. We might want to restrict our distribution of the Good News of God’s kingdom to those who already show the best signs of receptivity.
- Spiritual warfare: In my years in the Army, and especially in the part of my military career that were spent in the infantry, a key lesson was drummed into us: never underestimate or overestimate the capabilities of an enemy! Here, too, in the spiritual realm, we must be aware of the capabilities of the evil one, who wages spiritual warfare against the spread of the Kingdom of Heaven. No doubt, our parable today will remind us, that the forces of evil will register some victories. Some will reject the Good News, falling victim to the enemy. However, there will also be some great victories, for some seed will fall into good soil, which will bear (by historical standards in ancient Palestine) excellent harvests.
- The forces of life and living that crowd in: We made the remark awhile earlier in this sermon about the “forces of living” which crowd out the seed. Today, as it was in Jesus’ time, and has been ever since then, the cares of the world (read: just plain living!) and the lure of wealth are ever-present realities. Many in the times in which we live are simply too busy – or are too preoccupied – to be “bothered” by the things of God. In the 21st century, distractions abound which can crowd out God’s call to us. Perhaps that’s the greatest threat the Gospel message faces today: distractions and the call of the acquisition of possessions and wealth.
One final comment: Today’s teaching calls us to examine the soil condition of our own hearts. If your life experience is anything like mine, I can identify in my own life’s history and experience all four of the soil conditions that Jesus identifies in His parable today. There have been periods of hardness of heart, caused by the pressures and preoccupations of the “traffic” of life, just plain living. There have been periods in which the soil of my heart has been pretty hard and rocky, times when there seemed to be some good growth occurring, but which was choked off when difficulties arose. There have also been times when the cares of life choked off any possibility of hearing and understanding God’s word and God’s will for my life. But – thanks be to God – there have also been times when the Word encountered loose and receptive soil, soil which could support good growth and could produce a good harvest for the kingdom.
Perhaps your experience is like mine.
So, the question comes to all of us this morning: “What is the condition of the soil of my heart this morning?”
May we, by God’s grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, be enabled to see the conditions of our hearts, that we may be receptive to the Word and producers of good fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven, that the fruit of the seed sown in our hearts may provide more see for the sower to cast generously in this community of Mt. Vernon and the world.
AMEN.
__________________________
[1] Matthew 13: 24 – 30, 36 - 43
[2] See Matthew 11: 20 - 24
[3] Scholars often date Matthew’s Gospel account to the period 85 – 90 AD.
[4] We might remind ourselves that a key point of Matthew’s theology is that the Church is composed of people who have come to believe the Good News, and who have become disciples of Jesus, following His teachings.
[5] Verse 4 (and the explanation, verse 19)
[6] The root meaning of the word “parable” comes from the Greek, which combines the prefix “para” (“beside”) with the verb “bole” (to place/put).
[7] Verses 5 and 6 (and the explanation, verses 20 and 21)
[8] Verse 7 (and the explanation, verse 22)
[9] Verses 8 and 9 (and the explanation, verse 23)
[10] Jesus’ description, verse 23
