Tag: Word of God

The Sower, the Seed, and the Soil

Notes for a sermon on Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, July 16, 2023, Holy Trinity (Strathcona), Edmonton

The Gospel readings for today and next Sunday are taken from Chapter 13 of Matthew, sometimes referred to as “The Parabolic Discourse.” This doesn’t mean it’s about parabolas, but rather about parables. Same Greek root, different but related concepts – but you’re not here for a lecture on etymology, are you?

The Discourse comprises seven parables, most with an agricultural theme, plus explanations for the two we are hearing. These are the only parables for which Jesus gives explanations, and then only privately to his disciples. The rest of his listeners get that somewhat maddening exhortation: “Let anyone with ears listen!” In other words, some will understand, and others (maybe most?) will go away puzzled.

It seems that the disciples were among those who were puzzled. Otherwise, why would they ask Jesus for explanations? And why those two parables?

The answer to the first question (the desire for explanations) lies in the nature of parables. Some parables are very short and to the point, while others are longer stories, like the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. Most parables use imagery from daily life, making them accessible to the hearers. What sets them apart from ordinary stories is that they usually have a twist, something unexpected in the telling, that opens the door to seeing reality in a new way. The standard reaction to this kind of story is “But what does it mean?” and Jesus’ response doesn’t help. Another notable feature of parables is that they are typically capable of different interpretations – in other words, there’s no “right answer.”

In today’s parable, the Sower, the image is of a farmer sowing seed, seemingly almost at random, not looking carefully at where he tosses it. The seed falls in various places, with various results. The seeds that fell on the path or on rocky ground or among thorns were wasted, bearing no fruit for the harvest. Only the seeds that fell on good soil brought forth grain. Sowing seed is a normal activity, but is it normal to strew the seed around quite so carelessly? Why not take care to make sure that the seed falls where it will do some good? Some have called this parable “The Wasteful Farmer,” which may say something about the disciples’ puzzlement. No-one stays in business long with such a careless attitude. This suggests a possible answer to the second question I posed: why these two parables? Perhaps because they seemed particularly troubling to them as compared to some of the others, and perhaps because Jesus wanted to point to some aspects of discipleship.

The explanation Jesus gives to them suggests to me two things to take from the parable:

First, the disciples are being trained to spread the Good News, the Word of God. They need to understand that picking and choosing with whom they share the Word is not their task. Rather, they are to share the Word with everyone, knowing that not all will bear fruit as they might wish.

That lesson still stands today. Spread the Word to everyone and let those with ears hear! God will take care of the rest.

Second, the disciples themselves are the soil upon which the seed is sowed. Jesus no doubt wished that they all might be good soil, bearing fruit a hundredfold, or sixty, or thirty. But Jesus also knew that they all had cares and worries and difficulties in their lives, and at various times they would be the path, the rocky ground, or the thorn-infested soil. The message: aim to be good fertile soil, understanding that your own lives can sometimes provide less than perfect growing conditions.

That lesson also still stands. No-one is a perfect disciple all the time. Things happen which make it hard to hear God’s Word, difficult to thrive, sometimes impossible to bear much fruit. That’s just the nature of ordinary human life. Strive to bear fruit, knowing that you will fail at times. Our Baptismal Covenant makes that clear, referring to “when you fall into sin,” not “if you fall into sin.” God will use us as we are able – and God is always there, welcoming us back again and again.

I found a piece on the internet this past week called “Rules for Doing Theology.” With a little tweaking, it could easily be re-titled “Rules for Being a Disciple.” The last rule needs no tweaking: “Make a mess. Fail. Try again. Grow in grace. Repent and forgive.” As a friend once said, the Gospel is like playing baseball, except you get to keep swinging until you hit a home run.

And here’s one more way of reading this parable, which played an important role in my early formation as a priest. I had never paid the Sower close attention until one day about a year and a half into my time in my first charge, when it turned up as the Gospel for the day in the Daily Office Lectionary. Life was getting a bit difficult, as some parishioners were expressing disappointment that the church wasn’t growing much, if at all. They believed that having their own priest after 20 years of being half of a shared ministry would result in the parish suddenly blossoming to look something like it did in the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. “We thought the Sunday School would be full again, like it was back then,” was one of the things I heard. In other words, they saw it as my responsibility to make the church grow. And I fell into the trap of beating myself up for not fulfilling their expectations.

When I read this parable that day, it suddenly dawned on me: if I put myself into the role of the Sower, I could see that my job was to spread the seed – to proclaim the Good News by word and example – and it was up to God to make the seed grow and bear fruit. Reflecting on both the Baptismal Covenant and the vows of ordination has shown me how important this distinction can be.

Friends, we are called to be the Sower, the Seed, and the Soil, remembering that people have different roles at various times, as Paul said in I Corinthians 3.6:

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

We are called to sow the seed freely, not choosing where but letting God deal with the seed wherever it may fall, giving thanks that growing the seed is not up to us alone. God will give the growth, and God will give fruit in due season.

We are called to seek to be fertile soil for the seed to grow. God the Holy Spirit will open our hearts and minds.

Finally, we are called to be the seed itself: to be and to bear the Word of God in person for others, seeking to let the Good News be visible in all that we say and do.

May it be so!

The Devil Quotes Scripture

Notes for a sermon preached at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Brandon on February 21, 2010, the first Sunday in Lent. Texts: Luke 4:1-13; Ps 91:1-2, 9-16

As I worshiped this morning at Holy Trinity, Old Strathcona (Edmonton), I thought back to this sermon I preached nine years ago.
I believe it has continuing relevance to issues in the church today.

As many people are aware, there has been much turmoil in the Anglican Communion in recent years. If one only followed the secular press, the impression would likely be that the issues centered on sexuality, specifically same-gender relationships. While we should not ignore the significance of “the issue,” we in the church need to pay closer attention to the underlying questions that have served to make the presenting issue such a hot button. Among other issues, there are questions of “theological anthropology”—the doctrine of what it means to be human; questions of ecclesiology—the doctrine about the church; and very importantly, the matter that is my concern today, questions of our understanding and use of scripture.

As we begin the season of Lent, when the discipline of Bible reading and study is specially emphasized, we do well to take a careful look at how we approach the Bible. The first thing we need to observe is that there is no single right way to read scripture, and certainly no definitively Anglican one. The Anglican Communion has recently appointed an international commission to study Anglican use of the Bible. As one commentator noted, if we were all agreed everywhere on our use of the Bible, the commission would be unnecessary.

This morning we heard the traditional Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent, Jesus’ temptations. We could spend much time with the actual temptations. What I instead want to draw our attention to today is the manner of Jesus’ response to the devil—he quotes scripture, citing two texts from Deuteronomy. The devil presents the first two temptations in his own words, but in the third, he turns Jesus’ tactics back at him. The devil quotes scripture!—the very same psalm we used this morning.

Jesus’ response to the third temptation—another text from Deuteronomy—ends the debate. Using one text to counter another shows us very clearly that simply quoting a verse from the Bible never proves anything. If you search hard enough, you should be able to find a text supporting almost any position you want to take on any given issue. Texts taken out of context can be twisted into almost any interpretation we choose, and that is not an appropriate use of scripture. That’s what the devil does in the third temptation, and although Jesus counters the challenge with another verse, what he is really doing is pointing beyond the text to what came before it—God’s own purpose, God’s own ways.

In the temptation story, both Jesus and the devil appear to use scripture in a literal fashion, but Jesus’ final response goes beyond a literal reading to find the deeper reality behind the “plain sense” of the words.

As we open our Bibles seeking to receive God’s word, we should remember that God came before the book, which is written in human language and interpreted by human minds. No language can fully encompass the reality which is God and God’s ways. No written word can ever truly express the Living Word of God. Nonetheless, we rely on “The Good Book” to guide us into a deeper understanding of who God is, and who we are before God. This understanding comes as we live into the words, making them our own, seeking to model our lives on God’s ways, revealed through the pages of scripture, and in the life, work and person of Jesus.

The great 20th-century theologian Karl Barth said that the Bible is not the Word of God, but rather becomes the Word of God when it is interpreted in a community of believers. The interpretation—the meaning of the words—is found in the lives of those who seek by God’s grace to hear the truth within and beneath them. What do our words mean? We reveal the answer in and through our lives. What is the meaning of Jesus as the Word of God? The answer is revealed in his life, death and resurrection.

However we view the Bible, from a completely literal approach to the totally metaphorical, simply reading the words is not sufficient. As we together seek to live into the words we read and pray, we come together to embody the Word of God. We take the texts off the page, and into our lives, turning the words into the Living Word—the power of the Holy Spirit enlivening and mobilizing the People of God.

Even in its diversity. Anglican tradition does have a number of “fixed points.” One is that we use the Bible a lot. Our worship has much more actual scriptural content than you will find in some churches who proclaim themselves to be “Bible-based.” We read scripture in a disciplined and detailed fashion. Furthermore, our liturgies—both BCP and BAS—are full of scriptural quotations and allusions. The big differences within Anglicanism lie in manners of interpretation. Some read the Bible as literal words of God. Others receive scripture as a unique human response to hearing the word of God. The question that divides these two positions is “Did it actually happen that way?” Those who take the first viewpoint are inclined to say “Of course it did. The Bible (i.e. God) says so.” Those who take the second viewpoint will tend to give a less definitive answer, seeking to bring other evidence (science, history, archeology, etc.) to bear on the text. And the twain shall never agree.

A question which divides is not helpful in bringing people together and building up the Body of Christ. A question that can help us come together is “What does it mean for us today?” We seek to find meaning in action, in our lives together.

The devil can quote scripture, using the written word of God to tear down God’s people like someone bashing a wall with a hammer. Let us remember: a hammer may be used to tear down, but it can also be used to build up, just as the Word of God is intended to build up, to strengthen and empower God’s people.

Scripture was the fundamental tool of Jesus’ ministry, from his time in the desert to the time of his Ascension. So may we follow his example, using the written word to help us continue to become the Living Word, as we follow the Incarnate Word of God.