Keep broadcasting!
Reflection on Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23
Do you like stories? Your response to that question might be an enthusiastic “yes!” or it may be a more guarded “well, it depends what you mean”. “Story” might imply “fiction”, but even if you think of novels there are a huge number of genres; do you prefer sci-fi or crime, romance or thriller? Of course a lot of these translate into the stories we see on our screens, in traditional film and in television box sets, or in the theatre.
But then there are others kinds of stories; the story of the natural world, the story of engineering, the story of science; and then what we call history – the story of nations but also the story of societies, the story of power but also the story of the marginalised. Some people in history will warrant a biography, but each one of us has our own stories. Which is a useful reminder that story is not always the same as fiction – but maybe every story involves some interpretation. Stories are our way of making meaning of the world.
When we say Jesus was a story-teller, we don’t mean that he told lies. Far from it! He told the truth – but sometimes he told it enigmatically, and his stories can be difficult to interpret. We try to interpret them, because we know they are teaching stories, or parables. When I was at theological college we were told that the point of parables is that they have one simple meaning – but biblical scholars still debate that. If Jesus had wanted his teaching to be really simple, wouldn’t he have just said exactly what he meant, instead of telling stories? The thing about stories is that they excite the imagination, open up possibilities, intrigue and amuse us. Stories are an invitation to reflect, to engage. They are so much more than a teaching point or even an illustration.
The parable we have heard this morning is usually known as The Parable of the Sower. At one level it’s a snapshot, a brief video perhaps. “A sower went to sow.” It couldn’t be more straightforward. As we watch the seeds being broadcast – the original meaning of that word – we see them landing in different places. On the path, on the rocky ground, amongst the weeds at the side of the field, and in the ploughed field itself. This is what you would expect with traditional farming methods. Some of the seed will be wasted, on the edges of the field, but most will fall in the good soil and be fruitful – some of it, very fruitful, as Jesus poetically says, “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty….”
Although the sower lends his name to the parable, it’s the seeds that Jesus is interested in; so this could be called the parable of the seeds. Despite the fruitfulness of the main crop, Jesus draws our eyes to the fate of the seeds that fall along the margins. On the beaten-earth path, the seeds can’t germinate and are eaten up by the birds. Amongst the rocks there isn’t much soil, so the seedlings are scorched by the sun and they die. Where the seed falls amongst thorns, it doesn’t have a chance.
“Let anyone with ears listen!” says Jesus.
The problem, as Jesus knew full well, was that people don’t listen. They might hear and they might react – but some of those reactions will be over-reactions, defensive or aggressive. Jesus encountered a lot of people who didn’t like what he was saying. So at a simple level – remembering that rule I was taught at college – this parable is saying that some people will be fruitful in their spiritual lives, and some won’t be. Some will be like beaten-earth, hard and unreceptive, some will lack depth and soon give up, and others will be so distracted by the weeds and the thorns of life that they will never come to anything. This is essentially the message that is driven home in the explanation which follows the parable – the seed is the word of God, and we are the different types of soil. So now this could be called the parable of the soil. Which kind of soil are you?
This is the way that this passage has traditionally been taught and at a devotional level it could be quite helpful to think about how receptive we are to God’s word. Do you harden your heart to God, are you somewhat shallow, or are you simply too distracted? There may be something significant here for you. That’s the way story works.
The fact that this is the only parable to be given such a detailed explanation does make some people question whether this interpretation comes from Jesus originally. Did Matthew, or someone else in the early church, add this? Why is this parable given an interpretation when others aren’t? And a detailed one, at that? I’m not sure we can know the answer to those questions.
But as we emerge from lockdown and look to the future, many Christians are asking what we might learn from this time and what the future of church might be in our country. Assuming we want to be fruitful, “some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty….”, what do we need to do now?
I think the answer is simple and beautifully illustrated in this story. “Keep broadcasting!” The picture of the sower generously and indiscriminately scattering the seed reminds me that Jesus often puts God at the centre of his parables – the Shepherd, the Father, even maybe the Samaritan, and, humorously, the unjust judge. So, maybe this is the parable of the sower, after all, because God’s example of apparent foolishness is to scatter the seed everywhere, even though he knows that some of it will not be well received.
One of the lessons of lockdown for me, related to trauma healing, is that we need to find ways of telling our stories and of listening to one another as we do so. Some of our stories will have God at the centre of them, as we have learnt new ways of being with him – or as we have struggled to find connection with him at all. Stories of lament will be heard alongside stories of success. That’s as it should be, and reflects the biblical witness. Life is not all one thing or another, and lockdown life has been no different. But it is as we tell our stories, and are listened to, that we can find acceptance, healing and hope for the future.
This parable is essentially optimistic. Focusing too much on the problem areas of the field makes us forget that this is a parable about growth and fruitfulness. Some of the seed is wasted, but much of it is not. So as we return to our churches and, God willing, to some form of normality, we need to continue telling the story of God and offering people this good news. Some will not hear it, some will reject it, but some will accept and become part of God’s great harvest. People love stories, so let’s not be afraid to tell them!