Genesis 25:19-34 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
A man walked into a flower shop and asked for some potted red geraniums. "I’m sorry," said the clerk in flower shop, "we are completely sold out of all of our potted geraniums. But I’d be more than happy to give you a deal on something else. Could you use African violets instead?" Replied the customer sadly, "No, it was geraniums my wife told me to water while she was gone."
You’d think that a simple task like watering the plants wouldn’t be too hard. But speaking from experience, I can sympathize with this man. I realize there are people here that really like gardening, but I don’t. Watering and cultivating plants just is not my forte. If I want some vegetables, I’ll go down to the grocery store and get some.
Back in the days of Jesus, agriculture was front and center to the life of the people. Most people had a little plot of land to grow vegetables to supplement their meager diet. In our parable of the Sower and the seed in Matthew today, we have a picture of a common farmer. He doesn’t have the tools to properly fit the ground and prepare for seed, so he simply reaches into his bag, takes out handful after handful of seed and flings it across the ground. It’s a rather haphazard way to farm, isn’t it? Sounds like a sure way to end up with a dead geranium!
Now, because of the unorganized way the Sower is throwing the seeds some of it falls on a hard-packed pathway. Some fall amongst the rocks. Some fall on weedy ground. But then, some of it falls on fertile ground and the seed takes root and gives a bountiful crop. Jesus is telling this story to illustrate how God intends to spread love and the good news in the world. What is important for us to grasp is that the parable seems to give the impression that God isn’t all that concerned about which soil he allows his seed to take root in.
A modern, intelligent farmer would be careful with his seed. He would want to get the best bang for his buck. So, a modern farmer would select only the best soil, and prepare it well. Forget the poor soil. The weedy soil. The rocky soil or hard ground. Anything but the best is just out of luck. But that’s not the case in our parable today. The seed, which represents the love and the good news of God, are scattered indiscriminately across all sorts of ground.
The story is clear: the footpath and the rocky soil and weedy soil… they all get a shot at this seed. That’s the power of God’s seed- the Word of God – the love of God. God scatters it all over the earth, because it has power to take root in the harshest ground. And once it takes root, it can bear fruit. God just doesn’t care about the condition of the soil. God just wants the seed of life to be shared, planted, no matter the condition of the soil. Of course, the harsher the soil, the harder it becomes to get a crop… but you can still get a crop.
Remember this verse from Isaiah 53: "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." Isa.53:2
The scriptures describe Jesus as the root that came out of dry ground! The soil shouldn’t have yielded a harvest - but it did. It gave us Jesus.
So, God doesn’t care about which soil His seed falls. All the land in the parable belonged to the farmer. All the land, despite its composition, has an equal shot at the seed. The farmer does not place his confidence in the soil, but in the power of the seed. The soil doesn’t matter. The harvest doesn’t matter. It’s the indiscriminate scattering of the seed with wild abandon – that’s what matters.
So, the parable is a lesson on discipleship for us. Sometimes we act like a modern farmer who has limited amounts of seed, and therefore we only choose the best soil to plant in – in order to get the best yield for our money and efforts. Jesus is asking us to be like the farmer in the parable. Jesus will give us an unlimited supply of seed -- each of our hearts has an inexhaustible supply of love. Each of us has been given the good news in abundance. Think about it: can we ever run out of love? Can the message of the good news of Jesus Christ ever dry up in us? No. Jesus says: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38). The Psalm describes an overflowing cup. We are called to be like the farmer in the parable, to love extravagantly, to share, without counting the cost.
What Jesus is asking of us is more difficult than it seems. Think about it: how often do we judge or place conditions on whom we will love? How often do we turn away from some people, because they are not like us? There are people who are hardened because of life circumstances, and they place barriers in front of us. They reject us – they are mean and downright nasty to us. There are people with rocks and thorns it makes us uncomfortable to be near them – they are loud or obnoxious.
Face it - there are always folks looking for ways to scam us. They always have a sob story to tell – to get us to give, give and give them more. There are people so unlike us – they steal, they do drugs, they drink excessively, they’re judgmental – maybe they are too right wing or left wing for our tasks. Maybe they are too liberal or conservative for our tastes. There are just people who grate on our nerves. They are too loud, or too secretive, too petty or too greedy or too needy. There are people who are mentally ill and suffer from the symptoms. There are people who don’t look like us. Their customs are strange – maybe offensive to us. They speak different languages. They break the rules. They rub their wealth into our faces. Criminals and hotheads, who are filled with rage when they drive, belligerent and loud. The list can go on and on, can’t it?
These people stress our ability to cope. Yet what does Jesus say in our parable? Cast the seed on them anyway. Love them anyway. Give them the good news anyway. No matter how hard it is, what a long stretch it is, we are to love and care for them, showing them the mercy and tenderness of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus came forth from the hardened soil – didn’t he? So who knows what the hard soil around us can eventually produce, as long as we persevere in scattering, with abandon, our love and the gospel? God gives the growth, not us, the bible says. We are not to give up on anyone. We are called to remain confident that God loves endlessly through us, and that his eternal, inexhaustible word is to be cast out without giving a second thought.
Has anyone here ever work with a someone who was always negative, critical? A pain in the neck? A friend of mine, Emily, described how she worked closely with someone whom she dreaded to be around. Let’s call her Joyce. Everything Emily said was met with sarcasm and meanness by Joyce. It got to the point where Emily desperately sought to avoid this person. She had written her off. In our prayer group, Emily talked about her trials and tribulations with Joyce. A mutual friend of ours said simply, pray for her. So that’s what Emily did. It didn’t seem to change Joyce, but it certainly changed Emily. Subtly Emily found God guiding her. Emily became present to this miserable, mean-spirited person, determined to meet kindness with anger. Eventually one day, Emily asked Joyce, at an opportune moment, what was wrong. Surprisingly, Joyce burst into tears. She described her husband’s unexpected death to cancer. Her children being out of control. Her father with dementia, her mother disabled, so when Joyce finished work, she would go and take care of them. She was simply burnt out and had nowhere to go. Have you ever encountered someone like this? We all have. Imagine if we saw ourselves as Sowers of the seed, showering care and loving patience, leaving the outcomes to God. Obviously, it doesn’t always work out like this. But we will never know unless we learn to sow the seed indiscriminately, without judging what’s right or wrong.
It is said that St. Teresa of Calcutta keep the following inspirational message on the wall of her room:
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.
Be sowers of the seed. Even when we will never know if the seed will take hold. Let us scatter love with scandalous abandon. Let us listen to Jesus who calls us to act like our heavenly father “Who makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong : (Matt.5:45). Let us not forget that Jesus came forth from hard soil, so just imagine what God can do through us reaching all kinds of soil, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/scattering-the-seed-jeff-strite-sermon-on-sharing-your-faith-124560
http://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/our-approach/reduce-foodwaste.html?gclid=CIe5zd3Ci9UCFQ5XDQodImoI2w
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_the_United_States
A man walked into a flower shop and asked for some potted red geraniums. "I’m sorry," said the clerk in flower shop, "we are completely sold out of all of our potted geraniums. But I’d be more than happy to give you a deal on something else. Could you use African violets instead?" Replied the customer sadly, "No, it was geraniums my wife told me to water while she was gone."
You’d think that a simple task like watering the plants wouldn’t be too hard. But speaking from experience, I can sympathize with this man. I realize there are people here that really like gardening, but I don’t. Watering and cultivating plants just is not my forte. If I want some vegetables, I’ll go down to the grocery store and get some.
Back in the days of Jesus, agriculture was front and center to the life of the people. Most people had a little plot of land to grow vegetables to supplement their meager diet. In our parable of the Sower and the seed in Matthew today, we have a picture of a common farmer. He doesn’t have the tools to properly fit the ground and prepare for seed, so he simply reaches into his bag, takes out handful after handful of seed and flings it across the ground. It’s a rather haphazard way to farm, isn’t it? Sounds like a sure way to end up with a dead geranium!
Now, because of the unorganized way the Sower is throwing the seeds some of it falls on a hard-packed pathway. Some fall amongst the rocks. Some fall on weedy ground. But then, some of it falls on fertile ground and the seed takes root and gives a bountiful crop. Jesus is telling this story to illustrate how God intends to spread love and the good news in the world. What is important for us to grasp is that the parable seems to give the impression that God isn’t all that concerned about which soil he allows his seed to take root in.
A modern, intelligent farmer would be careful with his seed. He would want to get the best bang for his buck. So, a modern farmer would select only the best soil, and prepare it well. Forget the poor soil. The weedy soil. The rocky soil or hard ground. Anything but the best is just out of luck. But that’s not the case in our parable today. The seed, which represents the love and the good news of God, are scattered indiscriminately across all sorts of ground.
The story is clear: the footpath and the rocky soil and weedy soil… they all get a shot at this seed. That’s the power of God’s seed- the Word of God – the love of God. God scatters it all over the earth, because it has power to take root in the harshest ground. And once it takes root, it can bear fruit. God just doesn’t care about the condition of the soil. God just wants the seed of life to be shared, planted, no matter the condition of the soil. Of course, the harsher the soil, the harder it becomes to get a crop… but you can still get a crop.
Remember this verse from Isaiah 53: "For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him." Isa.53:2
The scriptures describe Jesus as the root that came out of dry ground! The soil shouldn’t have yielded a harvest - but it did. It gave us Jesus.
So, God doesn’t care about which soil His seed falls. All the land in the parable belonged to the farmer. All the land, despite its composition, has an equal shot at the seed. The farmer does not place his confidence in the soil, but in the power of the seed. The soil doesn’t matter. The harvest doesn’t matter. It’s the indiscriminate scattering of the seed with wild abandon – that’s what matters.
So, the parable is a lesson on discipleship for us. Sometimes we act like a modern farmer who has limited amounts of seed, and therefore we only choose the best soil to plant in – in order to get the best yield for our money and efforts. Jesus is asking us to be like the farmer in the parable. Jesus will give us an unlimited supply of seed -- each of our hearts has an inexhaustible supply of love. Each of us has been given the good news in abundance. Think about it: can we ever run out of love? Can the message of the good news of Jesus Christ ever dry up in us? No. Jesus says: Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38). The Psalm describes an overflowing cup. We are called to be like the farmer in the parable, to love extravagantly, to share, without counting the cost.
What Jesus is asking of us is more difficult than it seems. Think about it: how often do we judge or place conditions on whom we will love? How often do we turn away from some people, because they are not like us? There are people who are hardened because of life circumstances, and they place barriers in front of us. They reject us – they are mean and downright nasty to us. There are people with rocks and thorns it makes us uncomfortable to be near them – they are loud or obnoxious.
Face it - there are always folks looking for ways to scam us. They always have a sob story to tell – to get us to give, give and give them more. There are people so unlike us – they steal, they do drugs, they drink excessively, they’re judgmental – maybe they are too right wing or left wing for our tasks. Maybe they are too liberal or conservative for our tastes. There are just people who grate on our nerves. They are too loud, or too secretive, too petty or too greedy or too needy. There are people who are mentally ill and suffer from the symptoms. There are people who don’t look like us. Their customs are strange – maybe offensive to us. They speak different languages. They break the rules. They rub their wealth into our faces. Criminals and hotheads, who are filled with rage when they drive, belligerent and loud. The list can go on and on, can’t it?
These people stress our ability to cope. Yet what does Jesus say in our parable? Cast the seed on them anyway. Love them anyway. Give them the good news anyway. No matter how hard it is, what a long stretch it is, we are to love and care for them, showing them the mercy and tenderness of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus came forth from the hardened soil – didn’t he? So who knows what the hard soil around us can eventually produce, as long as we persevere in scattering, with abandon, our love and the gospel? God gives the growth, not us, the bible says. We are not to give up on anyone. We are called to remain confident that God loves endlessly through us, and that his eternal, inexhaustible word is to be cast out without giving a second thought.
Has anyone here ever work with a someone who was always negative, critical? A pain in the neck? A friend of mine, Emily, described how she worked closely with someone whom she dreaded to be around. Let’s call her Joyce. Everything Emily said was met with sarcasm and meanness by Joyce. It got to the point where Emily desperately sought to avoid this person. She had written her off. In our prayer group, Emily talked about her trials and tribulations with Joyce. A mutual friend of ours said simply, pray for her. So that’s what Emily did. It didn’t seem to change Joyce, but it certainly changed Emily. Subtly Emily found God guiding her. Emily became present to this miserable, mean-spirited person, determined to meet kindness with anger. Eventually one day, Emily asked Joyce, at an opportune moment, what was wrong. Surprisingly, Joyce burst into tears. She described her husband’s unexpected death to cancer. Her children being out of control. Her father with dementia, her mother disabled, so when Joyce finished work, she would go and take care of them. She was simply burnt out and had nowhere to go. Have you ever encountered someone like this? We all have. Imagine if we saw ourselves as Sowers of the seed, showering care and loving patience, leaving the outcomes to God. Obviously, it doesn’t always work out like this. But we will never know unless we learn to sow the seed indiscriminately, without judging what’s right or wrong.
It is said that St. Teresa of Calcutta keep the following inspirational message on the wall of her room:
People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you. Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight. Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.
Be sowers of the seed. Even when we will never know if the seed will take hold. Let us scatter love with scandalous abandon. Let us listen to Jesus who calls us to act like our heavenly father “Who makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong : (Matt.5:45). Let us not forget that Jesus came forth from hard soil, so just imagine what God can do through us reaching all kinds of soil, in the name of Jesus, Amen.
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/scattering-the-seed-jeff-strite-sermon-on-sharing-your-faith-124560
http://www.feedingamerica.org/our-work/our-approach/reduce-foodwaste.html?gclid=CIe5zd3Ci9UCFQ5XDQodImoI2w
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_the_United_States
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