by Rev. Dr John Evans
It is an oldie, but a goodie: the parable of the sower. However, what can it mean for us today?
During the week several of us attended the seminar with Ched Myers. Ched Myers is a biblical scholar, but more significantly perhaps, a leading figure in what is known as the radical discipleship movement. For many years now has lived in a Christian community in the US and has had close links with groups here in Melbourne like the House of the Gentle Bunyip. His major work is a commentary on Mark, Binding the Strong Man - written 20 years ago. This commentary in turn has been very influential in understanding the particular context – and the struggles – of the Jesus movement back in first-century Palestine. Myers’ basic position is that he sees the gospel of Mark as being like a political manifesto against the imperial forces of the Roman Empire and their religious collaborators. He presents a persuasive case – especially as he sees Jesus and his movement arising from the periphery of the Roman empire in the inconsequential region of Galilee. Right from the start, Jesus in his ministry was in contention with the authorities – the religious authorities who were, if not in collaboration with Rome, certainly needed Rome to keep the peace so they could exercise their own power over the people. In the face of this political context, Myers sees the poignancy of his Jesus’ teaching, his hope for human community and the possibility of a different and renewed relationship among people and with God. This was the kingdom of God which Jesus proclaimed and about which he told parables.
I say all of this as an introduction to the significance of this particular parable of Jesus. . . a parable which appears in Mark and Luke, as well as Matthew. And the context of Jesus’ telling of this parable in Matthew and Mark are very similar. There is this simple message that being a disciple of Jesus is difficult, it can be tough. You may recall last week in our reading – just a chapter or so previously, Jesus is getting frustrated with “his generation” – they were just not getting his message. Prior to that he had sent out his disciples and warned them that they would find opposition and their mission would be difficult. All challenging stuff for people who would wish to follow Jesus. Christ’s mission seemed doomed, right from the start.
This is important to understand because this parable, unlike virtually all the other parables, not only has the parable – but also an explanation. This is just does not accord with our understanding of why Jesus uses parables. Parables are not really meant to have an explanation – and nor perhaps really having sermons on them either! The classic definition of a parable was that it was a metaphor or simile (remember all those ones that begin, the kingdom of heaven is like . . .) drawn from nature or common life, arresting the hearer by its vividness or strangeness, and leaving in the mind of the hearer sufficient doubt about its precise application so as to tease it into active thought”. They are there to surprise and make us think – they challenge our homely assumptions.
So if we are to take the parable of the sower – without the explanation – what would we make of it? Remember we have just been told that discipleship and following Jesus will be difficult, and that “this generation” doesn’t get it.
What we have in the simple story of a person who goes out to sow his grain. The reality of that exercise is that it is going to be difficult and will amount to nothing. There will be the seeds that fall on the path – and the birds will come; there will the seeds that fall on rocky ground – and because they are not able to get root, they will soon wither. Other seeds just fall in among the thorns and they soon will be choked. All in all, not a very successful endeavour. However, the message is that some will fall on good ground – and there will be a harvest. Now the detail here – to us non-first century agrarian types – is that the harvest for the seed that falls on the good soil is amazingly abundant. Apparently you have done well if you get seven times your return for seed. Here the harvest was 30, 60 and 100 fold. This was all stupendous stuff.
The parable is all about an abundant harvest despite all the signs being bad. Even though in our discipleship; or in the ministry of the church, it can be pretty disillusioning – don’t despair. When the word of God – which we assume is the seed – does strike and grow; great will be the change and impact of that message on people’s lives and communities. This parable challenges us to keep at it; and at the same time recognise how amazing the transforming of lives can be when the word of God takes root. The three disappointments in ministry are matched by the three different levels of an abundant harvest.
I think we know this to be true. The history of Church of All Nations, and indeed many congregations, is that there can be many, many endeavours of mission, and many fail dismally; but sometimes one just hits on a need, a group of people, a movement of the spirit, whatever and there is an abundant harvest. For example, the English literacy programs and translation of the services of worship into a variety of community languages, is an example from our own history. They simply took off. No doubt there were other mission attempts, but the time, the soil – was right. There was an abundant harvest.
When we turn to the explanation of the Parable of the Sower – verses 18-23 – we find a different emphasis; but a valid emphasis all the same.
Now it is not clear when this explanation emerged. Jesus’ usual challenge when he tells a parable is to just listen; have ears to hear. Let this parable just sit there with you, and let it speak. He just doesn’t launch into explanations; especially such allegorical explanation – where every aspect of the story is explained and unpacked, and each character has a role or contemporary equivalence.
One does not know where this explanation came from, but it seems to me that this is more a reflection of the early church on their own life, and the need to keep people faithful in their following of Jesus. The explanation seems to come from long, and perhaps bitter experience, that people will join the church and fall away. It is as if the author of the explanation of the parable can picture someone, an individual or group of people, known to them, who are like the seed on the path, or on the rocky ground or among the thorns. The emphasis shifts to failures of the seed; rather than to the superabundance of the seed when it is fortunate to fall on the good soil.
The explanation of the parable becomes then a personal challenge to the hearers not to fall away.
So are we people who find that our life, for whatever reason, just goes off the rails? Our life is snatched out of our control; is snatched by the forces and powers of this world; snatched by the evil one.
The next experience is where the person – like the rocky ground – hears the word; immediately receives it with joy. However, because it is not grounded – the faith does not take root; withers and dies. Faith is just a fad and fashion thing. It is not about the whole of life.
The third type, and not greatly dissimilar to the previous types, hears the word but the allures of this world are too great, and the word is choked. Money, in particular, is their motive for living, not spiritual values.
The challenge that comes from this explanation of the parable is that we all know situations in which people have fallen away from the church. Indeed it may be our own story. Are we therefore there for our brothers and sisters who are finding their Christian journey difficult and subject to a host of different pressures? What are we doing about that; is our community such that people, new to the faith, are nurtured, guided and helped? Are we who have been around forever also nourished and fed and not subject to the temptations of the world? What does this congregation do?
However, there is a final challenge in this reading that may just slip by us.
We just might assume that when we hear this explanation we think of others to whom it may apply – others who are hypocrites, or very shallow in their faith. But let me say, the bar for those who are of the good soil is very high.
One is expected to hear the word and understand the word. Perhaps so far so good – but it is these folk who are to bear and yield the abundant harvest: the hundred, sixty and thirty fold. If you are not yielding a harvest, are you really good soil?
Is that true of our lives?
With the parable of the sower we get two messages for the price of one. We get a message about encouragement in face of difficult circumstances. Take heart, when the word is heard – the consequences are enormous. We also get a message about our own faith and Christian discipleship – do we truly understand and live out the message of Christ . . . or is our faith just shallow, ephemeral and likely to wither?
As Jesus says – let anyone with ears, Listen!
