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Matthew 13 is what might be called, "The Sermon on the Lake."
It begins with what is commonly called, "The Parable of the Sower," though I think it might more properly be called, "The Parable of the Soils."
But let's begin by focusing on the Sower.
For those listening to Jesus, the behaviour of the Sower is either extremely reckless or extremely generous. They would certainly not be so careless as to waste so much good seed.
Seed was sown by hand, and the farmer would be very careful to make sure that all of his seed landed carefully only on the soil where it could grow. So the shock of this parable is immediate: some seeds fell on the path! Gasp! And if that isn't enough, next some seeds fall on rocky ground! And then some are cast among some weeds! When will this waste end? Finally, some seed fall on good soil. Whew.
Surely such wastefulness will be punished in the end. But no. The yield is 100, 60, and even 30, when the normal yield at that time would have been 4 or 5.
Those who have two good ears had better listen up.
But what are we to make of this parable of such exaggerated waste and reward?
Even the disciples are confused and must ask Jesus for an explanation.
The explanation refers to the seed and soil, not to the Sower. But if we think about the Sower for a second, we hear a story about extravagant generosity. Extravagant even to the point of being wasteful. Or perhaps, extravagant even to the point of giving seed to all regardless of pre-conditions. You and I might not waste our efforts on the down trodden, the thorny, and the hardened, but God does.
As with all teaching stories, the options are exclusive, whereas in real life, all of us - at one time or another - are all 4 of the soils: worn down and down trodden; hard hearted and shallow; thorny and stunted by bad luck and bad influences. Have we not all had Good News snatched away; had an initial burst of enthusiasm fade at the first sign of trouble; had Good News get worn down by unrelenting cares and troubles?
The Good News is given even in the midst of various troubles and woes, faults and failings. The calling of the community of faith is to have two good ears, and to constantly be open to having our worn down places ploughed up, turned over, loosened up; to having our rocky places named and removed, and our shallowness deepened and enriched; to having our thickets of cares and anxieties plucked out and space clear for new growth. Who knows, maybe instead of eking out the bare minimum to stay alive, we might be showered with God's extravagant wastefulness.
David Ewart,
www.davidewart.ca
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