extravagent sowing

In the three times this set of readings has been in the lectionary in the past 8 years, the previous two times I have been on holidays.

 

some things I notice in this reading:

• the parable focuses on the sower, the explanation focuses on the types of soil
• this is in Matthews gospel, so it is kingdom talk, not conventional wisdom
• Matthew chapter 13 has 7 parables, most without a recorded explanation

 

I wonder what was going through the minds of the people listening to Jesus tell the parable. there he is, out in a boat, the people on land, listening top this story.

 

I wonder who was in the crowd that day, other than the disciples?  probably some locals, maybe some people who were travelling to get  a glimpse of Jesus, maybe some religious authorities, or their spies – seeking a reason to get rid of Jesus. because even by this point in the story, Jesus is a problem for the religious leaders. at the end of chapter 13, after the parables, we have the section about Jesus being rejected in his home town, and then in chapter 14, the killing of John the Baptist.

 

as with all parables there are many layers of meaning here.

on the surface, it seems to be a simple story about farming.  

you scatter seed,

some sprouts, some doesn’t;

some plants survive, some don’t;

some produce more harvest than others.

it all makes sense.

this was common farming practice, and rather than thinking about the harvest from each type of soil, the farmer would be pleased to have so much grain to store. [Kathryn Matthews Huey UCC Samuel]

 

But it isn’t just about farming practices.

it also tells of the situation of  Matthew’s community. they were staring to wonder about why people would hear the teaching of Jesus, and not stay for the long haul. Many people heard the teaching of Jesus, saw his ministry, healing, including the outcast, standing up to the religious authorities; so why did not everyone follow Jesus as the disciples did – or at least believe and live out their faith long term? this parable offers them hope, that in the end there would be a great harvest; a large body of believers.  

 

another way to think about the parable is the foolish, extravagant generosity of the sower.  it is an image of a God who continues to shower mercy, grace and love to the world, knowing that some will not bear fruit. this is not a calculated strategy to get a return, but an amazing gift of grace, spread on the hard- hearted, the selfish, and those who are searching for God.

 

on another level this is about the way we respond to hearing the gospel, the good news of God’s love, and how we live that out in our lives.  There are some days when life seems to overwhelm and choke our faith; there are some days when our lack of depth of faith means we struggle to survive; there are days when God’s words to us don’t get heard by us at all. and there are days when we live out our faith, being the people God calls us to be.

 

another we could think about is where do we sow seeds?

and what seeds so we sow?

do we sow good seed?

do we sow love, grace, bitterness, hatred, forgiveness?

are we particular about where we show God’s hope and peace,

or do we bless all we meet?

the young person with a skateboard, the older person slowing us down as we shop?

 

and there may be other ways to understand this parable as well.

 

another story: The Old Man and the Scorpion

One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long  roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with its poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.

At that moment, a passer-by saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted: "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?"

The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger's eyes he said calmly, "My friend, just because it is the scorpion's nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save."

[ I don't know where this story originates]

…

 

there is a  group of people from here who lead worship at Garrawarra every month, the group leads singing, reads the Bible, leads prayers and gives a short talk. and we don’t know if anyone is listening,  or even awake. but we offer our best, because that is who we are.

in the same way some people here offer ministry through

working in the local community,

by collecting food for people who struggle with housing,

by standing in solidarity with people who are treated unjustly.

 

in the same way we wrote letters with Amnesty a few weeks ago, we write in hope, not in certainty.

 

 

God offered and offers life to each one of us, life in all its fullness. this offer isn’t only made to people who will respond, this offer isn’t calculated, but given freely.

 

do we live to our fullest potential?

 

do we worry that Gods extravagance is  wasteful?

do we waste ourselves in love as God loves us?