Friday, July 08, 2011

The parable of the Sower...

Matthew 13:1-9 is an intriguing little tale. Let's ignore Jesus' interpretation recorded for us in vs18-23 of that same chapter for the moment and just look at some aspects of the parable itself.

For instance as we read the parable the role of the hearer is both seed and soil. The seed that falls on the path is the Word of God and Jesus speaks of the hearer's heart as the soil which has been trodden into a path and its inability to retain the word. The seed that falls among the weeds, the rocks and in the fertile soil is the hearer and the growth is how the hearer responds to the Word. The soil in these situations is the life in which the hearer is rooted.

The parable also makes some interesting inferences as well. The kingdom of God is something that is slow growing and not some explosive revolution. It needs time to take root and grow. At the same time God's grace is being sown liberally even in areas that are potentially barren and will produce little or no result.

Marks of the kingdom in the believers life is one of fruit bearing...reproducing the faith in the lives of others through faithful witness and nurture. Also there is for the believer the message of hope that despite all the difficulties of life there will be a harvest.

Finally there are always the questions posed for the reader and hearer of this parable. "What kind of seed or soil am I?" It's a good question. Is my faith life one that is bearing fruit in me and in those around me? What kind of 'soil' in life am I trying to grow in? Is it good soil that will aid my growth or soil that saps my ability to reproduce?

The other question is "What sort of hearer am I?" Is God's Word something that you give casual attention to, listening with little or no attention? Do you hear it through the filter of the world, judging its usefulness or relevance on the basis of whether it fits into your worldview or lifestyle? Or does the Word of God speak to your heart and life? Do you welcome the Word as life-giving and life-directing? Do you respond in obedience and joy?

One last thought. An interesting thing about this parable is that it seems that Jesus is also explaining why his teaching was not always successful. I guess that is a comfort to me as a pastor and teacher and Christian. Lack of response to the Word is as much about the hearer as it is about my presentation of that Word.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home