Gracious Abandon?

Ah, Jesus and his stories about farming and living off of the land.  I can’t say that all of Jesus’ agrarian stories “speak” to me in quite the same way they may have for his early listeners.  I’m not sure I’ve ever kept a plant alive longer than six months, even the ones that people hand to me and say, “Oh, you can’t possibly kill this one.”  I underwater, I overwater, I put it outside one day too early and it frosts, or I simply forget the plant is there until it sheds its leaves and I’m sweeping them up.  While I am drawn to the beauty of nature, and have a sense that I would love to grow some of my own food, I have yet to master any elements of gardening or farming.

Maybe that’s why, in previous readings of this passage, I’ve been fairly frustrated with Jesus as he goes on about secrets and all the bad soil and equates that soil with “bad people” who waste the gift of God’s word.  After all, doesn’t God know about casting seed in productive ways designed to pull in the greatest gain?  It seems like if God is a farmer, he isn’t a very good one.  To be honest, I would walk away from this passage shaking my head a bit, wondering why the seeds, the path, the rocky soil and the thorn-infested soil seem to take the brunt of Jesus’ judgment, when they aren’t the ones casting the seed.

I suppose that’s why God casts scripture in front of us again and again.  It may be that I’m placing my own bias on this text…my own American bias toward productivity and efficiency.  A bias that values strategic planning, measurable results, and predictable timetables.  This little bit of scripture just might call all of that into question, at least when it comes to how God chooses to operate in the world.  It just might be that God is less worried about productivity, efficiency, and predictability, and is more concerned with the practice of gracious abandon.  This will be the question before us at PSF on Tuesday.  I hope you’ll come and join us in the conversation.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

The Parable of the Farmer

13 That day Jesus went out of the house and sat down beside the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he climbed into a boat and sat down. The whole crowd was standing on the shore. ³ He said many things to them in parables: “ A farmer went out to scatter seed. ⁴ As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate it. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. ⁶ But when the sun came up, it scorched the plants, and they dried up because they had no roots. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked them. ⁸ Other seed fell on good soil and bore fruit, in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one. ⁹ Everyone who has ears should pay attention. ” 

Explanation of the parable of the farmer

¹⁸ “ Consider then the parable of the farmer. ¹⁹ Whenever people hear the word about the kingdom and don’t understand it, the evil one comes and carries off what was planted in their hearts. This is the seed that was sown on the path. ²⁰ As for the seed that was spread on rocky ground, this refers to people who hear the word and immediately receive it joyfully. ²¹ Because they have no roots, they last for only a little while. When they experience distress or abuse because of the word, they immediately fall away. ²² As for the seed that was spread among thorny plants, this refers to those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the false appeal of wealth choke the word, and it bears no fruit. ²³ As for what was planted on good soil, this refers to those who hear and understand, and bear fruit and produce—in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one. ”