Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

A degree in agriculture is not required for understanding many of the lessons and parables Jesus taught! A case in point is this parable of The Sower. Good soil and good conditions are required for plants to grow and produce flowers and fruits.

Jesus sits in a boat and teaches. He speaks so vividly that his listeners ‘actually” see The Sower. In their mind’s eye they can see the sower casting seeds on the ground. Some seeds land on a path and birds see this table spread for them. Soon the path is as barren as it was before the sower spread the seed.

Walking farther along the sower casts seeds that land in dirt strewn with rocks. The bright sunshine, needed for plants to grow, makes the rocky soil into an oven that roasts the seeds so that no plants grow there.

Next, the sower casts seeds onto ground where weeds have already established a stronghold. These weeds choke the few seedlings that spring up. No plants grow there.

Finally, the sower plants seeds that land on good soil … fertile with no rocks and no weeds. The seedlings spring forth and quickly mature into plants that thrive.

Jesus wants us to share God’s Word like the sower who scattered the seeds. Some people will not listen to God’s Word.

Some people will not listen to God’s Word and they are like those seeds that fell on barren ground, on rocky soil, or on soil covered with weeds. Many people will listen to God’s Word and will heed His message. God’s Word will grow in them. Our task is not to judge the soils and try to determine where God’s Word may grow. No, our task is to share faithfully God’s Word with those who have ears to hear and to trust the Holy Spirit to work in their lives so that God’s Word will grow in them.

Prayer

O God, Master Gardener, You made every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. Our first job is tending Your creation. Our second job is sowing the seed of Your Word so that others may come to believe. You call us to be faithful and to look to You to provide the growth when we have done our part. In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord, we pray. Amen.