Many of you have gardens.
And all of us, all of us probably know something about planting
seeds.
We know that not all the seeds which are planted into the ground end up as full-grown plants.
Some of the seeds which are planted don’t make it along the way, for a variety of reasons. But
even so, we know that the seeds we plant will, in many cases, produce plants and yield a crop of
fruit or vegetables. The seeds sown will achieve the purpose for which we plant them, in spite of
the many other failures that may occur. That, in brief, is the message of our story for today. It is
the story of the seed sown into the soil, and the different results that happen. “The Parable of the
Sower,”
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus is talking about the word of God that is preached, and how that
same word will, in some cases, be taken away or die, and in other cases, take root and grow and
produce an abundant crop. This text is one of two very important stories Jesus tells in the Gospel
of Matthew having to do with how we hear God’s word, how we listen to it.
the point about how very important it is that when we hear the word of God being preached to us,
that we take great care how we listen, that we take it to heart and not let it go in one ear and out
the other.
In today’s parable, several different kinds of soil have the word sown onto them, but not all end
up with living plants. In other words, many people have the word preached to them. But not
everybody receives it in faith. So take care how you listen. The Sower comes with a life-giving
seed. Jesus came into the world to put that life into the seed. Without Jesus, there is no seed, no
gospel to plant.
But take care how you hear that word. See that nothing will take away or kill off or squeeze out
that word in your life. Don’t give up, in spite of the obstacles. God will clear those impediments
away. Jesus has defeated the devil, that old buzzard who would swipe away the word. God will
clear away the rock just below the surface of your heart; he’ll remove that rockiness--and
sometimes he has to blast it away--through the preaching of the law to lead you to repentance.
And don’t get caught up in the worries of this life. God is your heavenly Father. He will take
care of you, just as he cares for the flowers of the field. Trust in him and not in yourself.
God will do everything that is needed for the word to grow in your life, so that you will be a
healthy plant, bearing the fruits of faith. He sends his sower to keep on preaching the word to
you. Jesus feeds you with all the nutrients you need, with the rich food of his heavenly feast. He
waters the plant, to refresh it and give it life, with the ever-flowing waters of Holy Baptism. God
takes care of his garden. He will cause you to grow. Listen to his word even now. This is it,
happening right now, today. The Sower is busy sowing his seed, the good news of new life in
Christ. He who has ears to hear--and that’s you--let him hear.
