Seeds for the Soul: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 - Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

¹That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. ²Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. ³And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. ⁵Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. ⁶But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. ⁷Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. ⁸Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. ⁹Let anyone with ears listen!”

  ¹⁸“Hear then the parable of the sower. ¹⁹When 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. ²⁰As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; ²¹yet 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. ²²As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. ²³But 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.” (NRSV)

I recently read a book entitled Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus; the spiritual autobiography of Nabeel Quereshi, a Pakistani-American man who was raised in a deeply devout Muslim family.  Their Muslim faith was unquestionably at the center of their lives.  They prayed five times per day; attended mosque without exceptions, and memorized vast swaths of the Koran (in Arabic) with precision.  He was trained to debate and defend his faith against all detractors. 

But for us much as he knew, he had questions: who was the true Muhammad?  How can the Qu-ran be trusted when it contradicts itself?  And who was this man Jesus of Nazareth?  When he goes to college, his best friend David happened to be a devout Christian—and the two engage in rigorous religious debates for years. Soon, Jesus began drawing Nabeel to himself, even as he continued to practice his Islamic faith.  He fought against Jesus with all his might, but couldn’t get away.  At a tremendous cost to his relationships with family and friends, Nabeel is baptized.  He will ultimately leave behind a promising career as a doctor to become a missionary and scholar for the Christian faith.

I continue to be amazed by his story, and how someone could leave behind the Islamic faith when they’re so deeply immersed within it.  Yet, this exactly what Jesus describes in his parable of the sower and seed.  Even while a great deal of seed ends up wasted, other seeds fall on good soil and yield at a phenomenal scale.  This is God we’re talking about—whose Word shall not return void, but accomplish God’s purposes and succeed for the reasons which God sends it.

Yet it’s not every day that you get to experience the power of God in this way.  Fact is, God has wasted seed on you and me too.  How many times have you come to church and God’s Word went in one ear and out the other?  Or when you’re praying, there’s no peace and no relief from the onslaught of trouble?  Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut?

If you answered yes to one or more of those questions, don’t take that to mean that you’re a bad Christian.  This is normal.  The Christian faith is not without hazards.  You’re going to experience droughts and dry spells—and the devil works full-time to disrupt and destroy the work of God in your life.  The weapons the devil has are extremely effective: they are disappointment; disillusionment; confusion; uncertainty; misunderstanding; and boredom.  And far too many Christians (including regular churchgoers) have practically no relationship with God’s Word at all. 

I firmly believe biblical illiteracy to be one of the biggest threats to the vitality of the Church. It’s not that God’s Word is returning void, but people who treat God’s word as void and don’t bother to read it, study it, learn it, or even wrestle with it.  Sunday school, bible study, and private devotion don’t compete well with social media, television, weekend plans, or the inevitable scarcity of time.

I remember my confirmation years well—because compared to what we do now, my experience was more like Lutheran Boot Camp.  I memorized vast sections of Scripture and Luther’s Small Catechism—and had to recite it from memory before the church council. While I’m thankful for that experience, I know I was drawn to God’s Word more out of a sense of duty than anything else.  And while each of us makes a lifelong commitment to God’s Word at baptism, there’s a reason behind the duty—and that’s the promise of God’s Word bringing forth a phenomenal yield in you.

Jesus’ parable speaks of the continuous activity of God in your life and in the world.  It’s easy to forget that God is intimately involved in even the small things happening in your life while at the same time holding the universe in hand.  If you’re facing an uncertain and bleak future, God wants to fill you with hope and courage.  If you’re facing a life-altering decision, God wants to give you wisdom.  If you’re confused about the bible and nothing about the faith is making any sense, God wants to teach you.  God wants you to know that your life matters, even if there are no answers to your questions right now.  And God wants your life to overflow with love and compassion so to make this world a better place.  God wants this church to turn the tide against the despair and depression in this community so that our neighbors can face and overcome their struggles, knowing that God is always here.

The bible isn’t just a book.  It’s a relationship.  Next time you hold a bible in your hands, remember that God’s love is in those pages.  When you open it, know that God’s power is rising up from the words, even if you’re not “feeling it.”  As we contemplate the future of our church, God is absolutely calling us to journey deeper into the Word so that we can know who God is, know what’s God’s purpose for our lives is, and better see what God is up to on our own home turf. 

Because God is speaking.  God is working.  God is saving.  And nothing else can satisfy the human soul better than the seed of God’s Word and its harvest of faith.

photo credit: Sower went out to sow, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. [retrieved July 11, 2017].