So that Grace May Abound
Jesus taught by telling stories or parables. Parable means, “To place side by side.” In a sense they are comparisons; a simile, a metaphor, or a heart-felt story. Jesus used them because everyone likes a good story. Think about it, you could probably list most of the parables that Jesus told. You may not remember all the details of them or the differences they have in each of the gospels, but you could list them and give a general meaning of them. Although, if you compared how you understood the parable with others you might find they differ with another person’s. That is the power of teaching with parables. We all bring our own story to Jesus’ stories and hear, by the help of the Holy Spirit, what we need to hear in our lives at that juncture. Today and the next two Sundays we will study the parables in Matthew, chapter 13.
The meaning of our parable today hinges on who the sower is, what is being sown, and what grows out of the seed sown. Jesus seems to answer the second question telling us the seed is the word of the kingdom. Does that mean hearing his word? Or does it mean hearing about Jesus? Does it mean seeing Jesus as the Word? Or could it be about faith? Or could it be all of the above? Who is the sower: Jesus? God? the Holy Spirit? I will stop here, but we can continue on in this manner about every aspect of this parable. In his book, The Parables of Jesus, Joachim Jeremias suggests that you look for the part of the parable that does not make sense to help flesh out a meaning. Which is not always an easy task itself.
What I see here is a foolish sower. Who would sow precious seed where they know it will not grow? No sower would. But God would! God does not look at the likelihood of the seed growing or the nature of the person receiving the word. God gives to all the same gift and allows the one who has received it the freedom to do with it as he or she sees fit. God shows no partiality. Jesus died for all. That is grace, for we have not always been good soil. We have lived on hardened paths and amongst the rocks and thorns of life. Yet God’s word came to us, sprouted, and grew.
The question now is, “What fruit do you bear?” The fruit of love, I hope. A love so deep for Jesus that you cannot hold it in. A love that shows no partiality. A love shared with others without thought of cost or how it will be received because God gave his own son for you. Allow Jesus to grasp you into his arms so that grace may abound in your lives and the lives of those you meet each day.