Parable of the Sower
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the things I enjoy about living in Queensland is seeing how quickly things grow. After a little rain and a few warm days, gardens seem to burst into life. Of course, it is not only the flowers and vegetables that grow. The weeds seem just as enthusiastic!
Jesus knew that people understood farming and gardening, so He often used them to teach about God’s kingdom. Today He tells us the familiar story of a farmer scattering seed. Some seed falls on the path. Some lands on rocky ground. Some is choked by weeds. Some falls on good soil and produces an abundant harvest.
When we hear this parable, it is easy to start thinking about other people. We might think, “I know someone who is like the rocky soil,” or “That person has certainly let the weeds take over.” But perhaps Jesus first wants us to ask, “What sort of soil am I today?”
Notice I say today. Our hearts are not always the same.
There are days when God’s Word sinks deeply into our lives. We read the Scriptures with joy, we pray with confidence, and we know God’s peace.
But there are other days when our hearts become a little hard. We are disappointed. We are tired. We worry about our health, our families, our finances, or the future. Sometimes the noise of everyday life becomes so loud that God’s voice is harder to hear.
Most of us probably recognise the “weeds” that Jesus talks about. They are not always bad things. Family responsibilities, work, hobbies, travel, even good community activities can slowly crowd out time with God if we are not careful. It rarely happens all at once. It happens little by little.
The wonderful news is that this parable is not mainly about our ability to be good soil. It is really about the generosity of God. Look at the farmer. He scatters seed everywhere. He does not hold back. He does not say, “That patch is hopeless, so I will not bother.” He keeps sowing. That is what God is like.
God continues to come to us with His Word, week after week. He comes to us in the reading of Scripture, in the preaching of the Gospel, in Holy Baptism, and at the Lord’s Table. He never tires of reminding us that we are forgiven through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even when we feel our faith is weak, God has not given up on us.
Martin Luther once said that our faith does not rest on the strength with which we hold on to Christ, but on the strength with which Christ holds on to us. What a comforting thought. There are days when our grip feels weak, but His grip on us never weakens.
Then Jesus speaks about the good soil producing thirty, sixty and even one hundred times what was sown. Notice that not every harvest is the same. God does not expect every Christian to accomplish the same things.
For one person, bearing fruit may mean raising children to know and love Jesus. For another, it may mean caring faithfully for a spouse through illness. For someone else, it may simply be offering encouragement to a lonely neighbour, praying for a friend, or quietly living a life that reflects the love and grace of Christ.
God does not ask us to compare ourselves with others. He simply asks us to remain in Him, trusting that He will produce the fruit He desires in our lives.
As we leave worship today, we go back into our homes, our workplaces, our communities and our families. We may not think of ourselves as missionaries, but every Christian carries the seed of God’s love wherever they go.
A kind word.
A listening ear.
A gentle act of forgiveness.
An invitation to worship.
A quiet testimony that Christ has made a difference in our lives.
These may seem like small things, but God delights in using small seeds to accomplish great things.
So let us leave today with confidence—not confidence in ourselves, but confidence in the God whose Word never returns empty. He continues to sow His grace into our hearts, and through us He continues to sow His love into the world.
May He keep our hearts open to receive His Word, strengthen our faith each day, and use each one of us, in His own way, to bear fruit for His kingdom.
Amen.
