Stories that Stick: The Sower

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 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.’

Almost a year and a half ago now, my daughter Siri had a vision to grow a community garden. It didn’t make a whole lot of sense at the time — it was winter for starters. And before COVID she was almost always on the road playing shows. When she was in town, she didn’t have access to a yard. She didn’t have money to buy seeds or tools. But the idea of a community garden persisted, so she submitted an application to the Bethlehem Foundation who awarded her a grant. The garden would be planted here, on the west lawn at the Minneapolis campus. 

She and her partner, Luke, waited for signs of spring. When it came, they did the careful work of building beds, tilling soil, planting seeds, watering plants. The garden grew. The harvest was great: the garden produced an abundance of food; it attracted butterflies and bees; it connected us with neighbors in meaningful ways; it brought joy and curiosity to children and adults, creating opportunities for conversations about ways to be good stewards for the earth. The vision became a reality… and it still exists. The garden is tended to by a whole new crew this year. It’s exciting to see new growth. All the planning paid off. 

Quite a contrast from the sower in the gospel story today. We’re starting a new sermon series today: Stories that Stick. In the coming weeks we’ll continue in Matthew’s Gospel giving attention to the parables Jesus tells to describe the fullness of life with God. This is the first of seven that Jesus tells.

For the Sower in today’s story there’s no careful planning or strategy for efficient work and certain results. In this story the sower throws seeds willy nilly with little thought given to where the seed lands.

Some of it falls on the road. The birds come along and eat it up. No surprise. No one would expect anything to grow there. Other seeds fall on rocky ground. It grows at first but then withers and dies because there’s no dirt to nourish the roots. No surprise. No one would expect anything to grow there. Some of the seed falls among thorns and it gets choked out by the competition. But again, no one would expect anything to grow there. 

Finally, some seed ends up on some good soil where it produces a miraculous yield of a staggering amount. Finally, the Sower sees growth. Not because of careful planning but simply because the Sower doesn’t give up.

The assigned reading has us skip the next eight verses in Matthew’s Gospel, maybe because the story seems long for a one-hour worship service. But it’s a curious interruption that warrants attention. 

The disciples question the rhetorical tools of their teacher: “why do you speak…in parables?” Jesus is at a precarious place in his life story. Those in authority are offended by him. It’s been one controversy after another. The disciples wonder if Jesus might consider a different approach.

Jesus points his students back to the prophet Isaiah who spoke of people whose hearts have become dull and who have shut their eyes to God’s truth. This is the context of that moment. It continues to be the reality today too. Jesus speaks in parables to engage those who are listening deeply for God’s truth in a world where chaos rules, power oppresses and death has the last word. Jesus tells parables to challenge the assumptions of those who are listening that we would be moved to see and think and act in new ways. 

In verse 18, Jesus says: “Hear the parable of the sower.” He makes it clear: this is a story about God, an extravagant Sower, planting seeds with reckless abandon, in places that might surprise you, where no one expects and even where seed isn’t likely to grow. 

This is the good news — God never quits sowing! God flings the seeds on rocky ground, on dirt paths, on thorny patches as well as rich fertile soil. There’s no concern about where the seed falls. God’s mission is to give it all away for the sake of the world. And that seed, Matthew writes, is the word of the kingdom, or in John’s Gospel “the word made flesh.” The seed is Jesus — the life force that nothing and no one can restrain, control or predict. 

The Gospel challenges us to keep our eyes fixed on Christ. Too often we put ourselves at the center of a story. We shift our focus away from the Sower and worry about the condition of the soil. 

What kind of ground am I? What kind of ground are you? Bad soil or good? The temptation is to categorize and organize. We get caught up in drawing lines — trying to figure out who’s out, who’s in, who’s right, who’s wrong. 

This is sin. Martin Luther defined sin as being curved in on the self. When we plant ourselves and others in one type of soil or another we deny the truth that all four soils are part of every heart. Our hearts can be hard. We make choices without regard for others. We prioritize our self-interest. We doubt our self-worth. We lash out with words that hurt. Try as we might to get things right — stones and thorns and birds swooping in to steal the seed all play a part in how we live and relate to others and to God.

You know the landscape Jesus describes — the beaten path of life, the rocky patches that make for uncertainty, the thorns that rise up and choke out good. You also know the sacred rich soil — the gift of being rooted in something bigger than yourself, fed with God’s grace and mercy and love. Jesus knows the geography of every heart and still the Sower sows! Every part of your life is sown with the seeds of Christ. 

This past week I made my first trip to the Uptown neighborhood since Stay Home, Stay Safe went into effect. Usually, I’m in that neighborhood once or twice a week — coffee conversations, walking Bda Mka Ska, enjoying one of the many restaurants. It was where I first lived when I moved to Minneapolis 35 years ago. I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for the neighborhood ever since. 

As I walked north along Hennepin Avenue making my way from 32nd Street to 28th Street, I was filled with all kinds of thoughts and questions and feelings. I was mostly quiet. The weight of grief was palpable — for lives lost and businesses destroyed, for a neighborhood reckoning with centuries of racial inequality. And we know, it’s not just one neighborhood — we have work to do too. We’ve taken some first steps. There’s more work ahead so with every step we take we’ll keep our focus on Christ whose love and sacrifice leads us in the way of justice and peace.

I returned home from my walk with some measure of hope. Boarded up storage fronts were covered with brightly colored murals depicting flowers and gardens along with the image of George Floyd. It’s a lot to take in all at once. And so it is because life is hard, complicated, messy and beautiful all at once. 

Let us give thanks then, for the Sower who is faithful and generous and for the Seed scattered freely to grow hope and healing — so that one day every heart would thrive in the rich soil that nourishes life and love.

Let any one with ears listen!