6 Pentecost
Shelagh Balfour

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

This parable of the sower and the seeds which Lissa just read, is such a familiar one that I wouldn’t be surprised if many of us could offer a fairly decent paraphrase of it. And it comes with an equally familiar explanation, which is clear and to the point. We know it so well, in fact, we might wonder if there is anything left to say about it. Fortunately for me, there is.

It helps to begin by setting the parable in its context. It is placed at the beginning of a series of parables about the kingdom of heaven, and is itself a kingdom parable as we will see. There is no preamble to it, nothing going on that seems to prompt it. Jesus simply gets in a boat, turns to the crowd, and launches into the story.

It begins with an imperative “Listen!” Pay attention to what is being said here. But then Jesus tells a very ordinary story about the mundane act of sowing seeds and what happens to them when they fall on different types of ground. This is not news. If you sow seeds on the hard path birds will see it as a free snack. Plants with too little soil to root in will wither in the heat. Everyone knows this. So what exactly is the point of the parable?

This, it seems is what the disciples want to know. The parable hasn’t come with any interpretive clues and they are puzzled. So Jesus explains. The parable of the sower is about hearing the word of the kingdom; listening for understanding. Jesus begins it with that imperative “listen!” He ends it with another “let anyone who has ears listen!” (Both have exclamation marks in our version to help make the point.) Later, as he prepares to unfold the meaning for the disciples he tells them to “Hear the parable of the sower,” and the explanation itself is all about hearing and understanding. The first person in the story, represented by the seed sown on the path, hears the word of the kingdom but doesn’t understanding it, and so it doesn’t stay. The last person, the one who bears fruit a hundredfold, or sixty, or thirty, has heard and understood.

This raises a couple of questions for us. What is the word of the kingdom? And how do we listen to understand?

There are different ways we can look at the word in this parable. It is a rich image with deep roots and we don’t have to confine ourselves to a single meaning. In fact, I think it’s better if we don’t. In this context, we can say the Word is Jesus and the word is what Jesus teaches. And what he teaches is that the kingdom of heaven is breaking into the world through him. Further, there is a way of living, kingdom living, that will lead you and me to bear much fruit. But to understand what that is we need to listen with our whole being to the word Jesus is teaching.

So, how do we do this? How do we have ears to hear? Let me offer three foundational practices that help us develop the skills.

First, we pray, regularly and often, spending quiet times of listening and being in God’s presence, getting to know God. When Jesus spoke of the Good Shepherd in John’s gospel, he said that the sheep heard his voice and they followed him because they knew that voice. In the same way, as we spend time in prayer, we learn to hear and to know God’s voice.

Second, we read God’s word. By reading scripture, we learn about Jesus’ life, his teaching, and his saving love for us that through his death and resurrection leads us to new life. We learn about the grand story of Salvation from beginning to end.

Third, we talk about it. We help each other grow in understanding when we share our questions, when we grapple together with harder texts. There are passages, like the parable of the sower, that are so familiar we are certain we know what they mean. But the Bible is a living text and our understanding is changing and growing all the time. So, find a study partner, talk to a friend, ask questions of someone who has more experience with the text. And talk about what God’s word means in your life today.

You may have noticed that today’s psalm, a portion of psalm 119, is also about God’s word. It begins with Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light upon my path. In her reflection on the psalm (which is in your bulletin) Lissa says the psalmist is sharing the discovery that meditating on God’s word shapes one’s worldview, gives direction, preserves life, and brings joy. I encourage you to read what Lissa has written as she describes the ways we share the word at St. Peter’s.

“Listen!” Jesus said. Those who hear and understand the word bear fruit – a hundredfold, or sixty, or thirty. This is what we long for, to understand the word of the kingdom and to show that word to the world by our lives. To quote the gospel of John once again: God is glorified in this, that you bear much fruit and become Jesus’ disciples. Amen.