Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 The Parable of the Sower

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

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When 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. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet 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. As 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. But 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."

Oh the joy of germination! I remember the excitement of waiting for seed trays to show signs of life. There is something quite wonderful about green shoots emerging out of the soil. It has been a long time, however, since there was such activity on my window sill. These days I cheat and go for the ready-made garden. I forego the discipline of care and waiting, and I deny myself the excitement of green-fingered success for the sake of convenience. There again, maybe I have never recovered from the time when I planted a hyacinth bulb in Junior School. It grew and grew, but never flowered. 

Jesus uses illustrations from nature, and the most famous of his stories is the Parable of the Sower. We love to use it in School Assemblies with children dressed up as flowers and crows, but the parable also has a very serious and adult theme. I am convinced that Jesus is talking about his own experience of preaching, and he compares people’s responses to him in terms of seeds falling on different types of ground. Jesus must have felt the disappointment of lukewarm responses and the heartbreak of rejection. And yet he also talks about the joy of knowing that some people heard him, understood him, accepted him, believed him and followed him. 

If you were the Sower/Preacher, which outcome would you find most upsetting: no response, or initial enthusiasm that doesn’t last? I think I am still affected by my hyacinth experience because I find the latter more difficult to deal with. 

These days some of us are busier than ever whilst some of us have time on our hands. If we do have a moment to spare, maybe we could think back over the years and remember ideas/hopes/causes/ideals that excited us for a while but may have got lost along the way. Maybe it is time to recapture the enthusiasm. There again, maybe it’s time to read a Gospel again and remember some of the things Jesus said. Just imagine the joy in God’s heart when a word he has spoken bears fruit in our lives. It’s an extraordinary thought to think of God looking at us and taking delight in what he sees. 

Don’t be like my hyacinth, all leaves and no bouquet!