Seeds for all

I think of all the stories in the Bible, it’s the parables I love the most.  Jesus was a master storyteller.  Although the ways we do things today differ from Jesus’ time, we do understand about seeds, soil, and weeds: elements of this week’s parable of the sower (farmer).  We “get it” in the basic straight-forward story.  But the amazing part of Jesus’ parables is that if we listen, we can hear a different meaning every time.  When I taught parables to the kids, I always told them that Jesus’ stories were written in code and we need to break the code.  And there are always two codes to break first:  find God and yourself in the story.  This parable has so many levels and with an open heart and faith, it can be life transforming.

 

In this parable, it’s easy to see God as the sower.  Not just any sower: one that is “extravagant”.  He throws the seed everywhere.  He is not selective.  It lands on all the soils, not just the best soil.  It lands where it lands without judgement.  There is good soil, but his presence is everywhere.  There is possibility of harvest in every situation, hostile or fertile.  How can we be like that, seeing possibilities where others turn away seeing only barren ground?

 

The seed can be decoded as God’s word and it is for everyone.  (Or do you see the seed as something else?)  The idea of a “seed” is powerful because it grows into something beautiful or useful.  It can become a flower or sweet fruit.  It grows and changes.  And it’s also part of a cycle that renews itself:  seeds that mature create and spread more seed.  This is not a one-time thing.  We must re-seed.  As it is with God’s word.  

 

And then there’s the soil.  That’s us.  And here’s where it gets complicated:  which type of soil?  The hard ground where the seed doesn’t grow, but yet the birds are fed?  The rocky soil where the roots are shallow and the seedling dries up in the sun?  Or the ground where the weeds choke out the plant? What are the weeds in our lives?  Or are we the good soil where the seed grows and bears fruit abundantly?  And are we just one type of soil?  And with time and situation, does it change?  So many ways to look at it.  This is what is so incredible about this story and why each time you hear it with an open heart, you can see it and apply it to your life in different ways.  So much to learn!

 

It’s easy to conclude that we aspire to be the good soil.  And yet the story tells us that the seed is in all the soils.  God will keep sowing the seed, planting for all the love and hope of his word. There are people and times when the seed will not grow as strong.  We must continue to work the soil to be the good soil for his word!  To nurture the seeds he’s planted and to re-seed.  To be “extravagant” and see the possibilities in all situations.