July 16, 2023 – 7th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 10)

A parable is a story – and it usually compares something to something else in order to make a point or teach a lesson.

In the Hebrew Bible – what we often call the Old Testament – these stories are relatively rare. But in the New Testament, we hear them a lot from Jesus. In today’s Parable of the Sower (Mt 13:3-8), without the explanation that is added after it (18-23), there is only one point: The task of sowing is worth doing. Despite the frustrations and setbacks that might be involved, some of the seed DOES produce. And therefore, all of the seed must be sown so that some of it may ultimately come to fruition. There are no shortcuts.

If you’d like an example of this in our lives today, look at our garden. The squash, beans, peppers, tomatoes, and onions were all sowed at the same time. The squash has already produced fruit, as have the beans and peppers. The tomatoes are beginning to ripen on the vine. But where are the onions? They aren’t doing so well. Maybe it was too wet… maybe too dry… maybe they don’t like being next to the tomatoes… maybe ___fill in the blank___. But had we judged by the onions alone, we would have missed the harvest from the other vegetables which are producing in abundance. 

Jesus’ parable this morning talks about different kinds of soil and how the soil affects the growth of the plants. But Jesus doesn’t instruct us to take care to sow only on the good soil. The parable tells us to scatter the seed… regardless of what is wasted, we still get a crop. The disciple who proclaims God’s word, even though many will not respond, will also reap a rich harvest. Jesus’ concern in today’s parable is for the effectiveness of the sowing, and not the complications that come, however.

We have limited resources, and we are called to be stewards. As good stewards, we are called to apply our efforts to Jesus’ call. We are to focus on the places where the prospects of success are good – but not to the exclusion of those margins where things may not work out. And regardless, we are to work with all our hearts, our souls, and our minds. How can we – all of us here now – become rich, fertile soil for God’s word?

(This sermon is shorter, as we had an event after church and we’d be talking for 30-40 minutes about funerals.)