I was a Townie. By all rights, I should know absolutely nothing about farming. I grew up in a good-sized city in the middle of the USA. Our yard was patchy grass and Mimosa trees. No flowers. Certainly not any crops.
And yet…I know quite a bit about farming.
Like many communities in "the middle," my home town rested against a crescent of farmland. It was impossible for us to not know about farming. It was part of our economy, made headlines in the newspaper, and many of our friends and relatives lived and worked on farms. Scouting events were held at the Tobacco Barn.
We knew.
Much like the followers of Jesus, when we heard the parable of the sower in this week’s Matthew passage, we understood it. We knew about seeds needing good ground to produce the best crop, how weeds and brambles can choke out a section, and how birds and varmints will whisk those seeds away if they are not covered in enough earth.
One might wonder why Jesus told so many parables; why not just speak plainly? Why should they (and we) have to "figure out" what is meant by a story? Sure, we could understand the agricultural references—even though we were Townies—but why use that approach at all? Turns out, the Disciples asked first. Jesus explained: Not every listener could receive the direct teaching He had been giving the Disciples. There was no “readiness” in many people’s hearts.
Jesus said different things to different people; His message was and still is shaped to the listener. He assessed His listeners before He spoke to them. What do they need to hear? The leaders often need shaking up. The poor and oppressed need to know that God has not forgotten them. The ailing need a kind word and some intervention. And, of course, everyone needs to hear the good news in a way they can understand and appreciate.
Jesus used parables to first create readiness—prepare the soil—and then He planted the seed.
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PHOTO: Steve Orr
BONUS MATERIAL: His first listeners may have understood something that any of us might miss: In the Matthew passage, Jesus was also referencing the prophet Jeremiah: “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Do not waste your good seed among thorns.” (Jeremiah 4:3)
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Join us Friday morning for DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast. We meet at 8:00 on Zoom** and in person at Our Breakfast Place. We share scripture, fellowship—and even some laughs—over good food.
The soil is rich.
Blessings,
Steve
**Contact me for the Zoom link
NOTE: Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=150
Print them from here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/pdf//Ax_Proper10.pdf
Genesis 25:19-34
Psalm 119:105-112
Isaiah 55:10-13
Psalm 65:(1-8), 9-13
Romans 8:1-11
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Proper 10 (15) (July 16, 2023)
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