July 13, 2008
First Congregational Church in Thetford, Vermont, UCC
Isaiah 55:10-13 and Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Talking in riddles
Following the scriptures assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary, we
continue to make our way through Matthew’s Gospel this morning. We are now in the
third of the five narrative/discourse sections. This time, Jesus is teaching in the form of a
sequence of parables. The word parable is translated from the Hebrew word “mashal”
which can refer to stories or fables, proverbial sayings or riddles. In other words, this is
not straight forward teaching, as evidenced by the fact that two thousand years later we
are still trying to understand the meaning of some of these enigmatic lessons. This
morning’s Gospel lesson is in two parts. In Matthew verses 1 – 9 we heard the “parable
of the sower.” However, in versus 18 – 23, we heard Jesus take the time to explain this
parable to his disciples, before continuing with additional teachings using more
unexplained parables, which fill out the remainder of chapter 13.
So we have the explanation of the metaphor, but what do we need to do with the
information that was provided? How can we apply this first century teaching to our
twenty-first century lives?
The low down on dirt
Long before I went to seminary for a Master of Divinity degree, I completed a
Master’s Degree in geology. Soil science is not my expertise, but as I sometimes teach
introductory Earth Science classes at Johnson State College, I have been exposed to its
complexity. Soil is not simply dirt. In studying Earth Science, we systematically examine
four aspects of our planet’s make up. Specifically, we examine the hydrosphere, which is
all water on earth and its various cycles; the solid earth or geosphere deals with rocks in
their various states of formation; the envelope of gases that surround the planet is called
the atmosphere and includes the study of weather, which is part of what keeps the water
cycle moving; and the biosphere is the last piece of the puzzle, which includes all life on
earth. These spheres interact with each other in various ways.
But soil by definition is the only intersection of all four spheres. There is solid
inanimate material and organic material, with air and water in the spaces between the
particles. So even though the surface of our Moon is covered in broken rock fragments
and dust, without an atmosphere or water we can’t actually call it soil, it’s called regolith.
Interestingly, scientists are referring to what the Martian probe is collecting as “soil
samples,” because there is an atmosphere on Mars, and evidence of water, which yields,
at least, the hope of life.
Soils can be categorized by the minerals found in them, and how those react with
climate and the amount of vegetation in a particular region. Soils develop over time as
part of the natural break down of solid rocks. To produce a soil that nurtures life – soils
that support the growth of healthy plants that yield more seeds - there must be a balance
of ingredients. Perhaps it is this kind of balance that produces the “ears to hear” that
Jesus calls his listeners to cultivate. Jesus outlines four types of soil in the parable, the
path, rocky soil, soil that is also producing weeds, and “good soil.” Only one is capable
of producing the desired outcome of nurturing God’s kingdom on Earth. Let’s dig a little
deeper into each of these soil samples to see what we might unearth.
Stuck in a rut
In the parable of the sower, the first place the seed lands is on the path. The soil of
the path is compacted from being continuously trodden. Seeds landing there simply lie
on the surface, unable to snuggle into the dirt. Birds can easily pick them off and
consume them. Jesus explained, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does
not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown on the heart: this is
what was sown on the path” (Matt 13:19).
It was just a few decades ago in this country that you could assume that certain
references to Biblical stories could be comprehended as part of our general cultural
literacy. For example, most folks would recognize a reference to Adam and Eve, Noah’s
Ark, or Cain and Able. During the launching of the UCC’s “God is Still Speaking”
campaign, I heard national spokesman, Ron Buford, say that today, 80% of twenty-year-
olds have never been to church. Not just a UCC, or a Christian church, but 80% of
twenty-year-olds have never participated in a religious service of any kind. I have a
friend who is a law professor at Boston College. She told me that when she teaches first
year students about “good Samaritan” laws, she invariably has to explain what the term
refers to. Some of these references are not so much a part of our common cultural
language as they used to be. For some young listeners, this soil has never been broken up
and turned over so that it can be receptive to whatever seeds might be cast upon it.
Similarly, this path could refer to a way of walking that is so well worn that it has become
a rut. It may be smooth and easy to travel. Practice may have become routine. Tradition
may have become rigid. And it will not yield way to recognize and receive new
blessings.
In either scenario, there is no way to integrate new insights (seeds) into the
existing framework, so they simple lie on the surface, until they disappear.
Between a rock and a hard place
The second soil type that the parable describes is rocky, where the roots are unable
to develop sufficiently to sustain the life of the plant. The sun parches the sprouts and
they wither away. Jesus explained, “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the
one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no
root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of
the word, that person immediately falls away” (Matt 13:20-21).
While we live in a culture that is still nominally Christian, we also live at a time
that allows us to be exposed to our pluralistic world in new and exciting ways. We can
easily be exposed and learn from other faith practices and religious traditions. It is
possible to dabble in several at one time. Other traditions may be attractive, since the
Christian faith doesn’t have a spotless history, and many people have been wounded or
alienated by the faith of their upbringing. My concern is for those who might abandon
Christianity as a way of being in the world to avoid the work involved in truly practicing
any tradition. I believe that we have to go deep to find the true jewels of any tradition. I
fear for those who broaden their spiritual exploration at the cost of deepening it. To pick
and choose what’s appealing at the surface doesn’t provide the sustained and healthy
spiritual growth offered by any of the traditions. I compare this trend to grazing at the
spiritual salad bar. While it might be tasty and interesting to sample the variety, in the
end, it may not provide anything nourishing to sink our teeth into. This approach could
fail to provide the deep nourishment that sustains and satisfies and relieves the perpetual
hunger to fill our emptiness, or the stamina to see us through the challenging times of our
lives.
In his book, Living Buddha, Living Christ, Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn
writes about ecumenism,
People are stable and happy only when they are rooted in their own tradition and
culture. To uproot them would make them suffer. There are already enough
people uprooted from their culture today, and they suffer greatly, wandering
around like hungry ghosts, looking for something to fill their spiritual needs. We
must help them return to their tradition. Each tradition must establish dialogue
with its own people first, especially with those young people who are lost and
alienated. During the last fifteen years while sharing the Buddha’s Dharma in the
West, I always urged my Western friends to go back to their own traditions and
rediscover the values that are there, those values they have not been able to touch
before. The practice of Buddhist meditation can help them do so, and many have
succeeded. Buddhism is made of non-Buddhist elements. Buddhism has no
separate self. When you are a truly happy Christian, you are also a Buddhist.
And vice versa (pages196-197).
What matters more than what faith we’re practicing, is that we are sincerely practicing.
Jesus was absolutely steeped in Judaism, and everything that he taught came out of that
tradition. He wasn’t trying to practice a new religion, he was helping people to deepen
their understanding of the faith they already claimed to practice.
A rose among the thorns
According to the parable, the third potential pitfall for the seeds being dispersed is
to land on soil that is thick with the growth of thorns. Jesus explained, “As for what was
sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and
the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing” (Matt 13:22). Contemporary
culture, as did ancient culture, teaches us that happiness is dependant on wealth. While
survival depends on access to certain basic needs, there is a spiritual danger in amassing
and hording material possessions. Those objects divert our energy and resources to
support their own rapid growth. Our spirits perish from neglect. To fill the void we feel,
we acquire more things, but the cycle is unending because those weeds can never satisfy
our deep need.
The good news of the Gospel is countercultural. It challenges us to direct our
energy toward supporting the growth of a new culture, one that will ultimately bring
down the existing materialistic one. I’ve pulled weeds from my flowerbeds with roots
that seem to reach halfway to China. It is difficult work to remove this unwanted
growth. Vigilance is required to keep the weeds from taking over and obscuring our view
of the flowers.
The good earth
The parable’s lesson in Jesus’ time and in ours is to be “good soil.” Jesus
explained, “this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit
and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (Matt
13:23).
The proof of the “good soil” is in what it yields. It is not enough to ingest the
seed as the birds did. That might nourish the eater for a short term, but if the seed isn’t
allowed to germinate and grow, then it is only as useful to others as what comes out of
the bird’s back end.
The word of God is so much more than what the seed appears to be on the
surface. It contains the potential for growth itself. But we have to do the work of
cracking this seed if it is to nourish our growth in spirit, so that spirit can bear fruit, which
yields more seeds. The crop itself is nourishing; it produces fruit, which contains seeds so
the fruit multiplies the nourishment. There is nourishment for us now, with the promise of
continued nourishment of additional people into the future.
Between the parable of the sower and its explanation, in the section of Matthew
13 skipped over by the Lectionary for today, Jesus quotes from Isaiah,
For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they
have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with
their ears, and understand with their heart and turn (Matt 13:15; quoting Isaiah
6:9-10).
There is much more to God’s word than human language can capture. This is one reason
we use images to aid our understanding: word images as in parables; visual images as in
paintings; or sound images as in music. These sensory resources help us have ears that
hear and eyes that see and hearts that are not dull, but enlivened. Antoine de Saint-
Exupery captures the same wisdom in his story, The Little Prince. In the goodbye
exchange between the title character and his friend the fox, the fox tells the prince, “Here
is my secret. It is very simple: one only sees well with the heart. The essential is invisible
for the eyes.”
Getting dirty
I can’t listen to a story like this parable without trying to find myself within it,
and I hope that you’ve tried to do the same. Which kind of dirt would best describe you?
The seeds were scattered quite freely so we all have equal access to them falling on us.
What would you need to do to become the kind of “good soil” that supports life?
Or are you a plant in the story? What obstacles keep you from thriving in a way that you
will produce a hundred fold, or maybe sixty fold, or even thirty?
Or could you be a gardener who prepares the soil and nurtures the growth of the
plants?
Are you able to find God in the scripture passages we heard today? Perhaps our
two paintings can help our eyes to see more clearly.
Vincent Van Gogh painted the Sower with Setting Sun in 1888. This painting
depicts the seed being widely and freely scattered, suggesting the accessibility of the
“word” to everyone. God’s grace seems to be freely given; God’s provision is universal.
This is suggested by today’s Psalm (65) and the Isaiah passage as well, as they both
remind us of the rhythm of nature. While this sower scatters the seeds and moves on, and
may seem distant and remote, there is help for the seeds built into Earth’s natural cycles
to support life and growth.
Rex Goreleigh painted Planting in 1943. I love the maternal nurturing of the
individual seedling suggested by Goreleigh’s image. She is hovering over the individual
plant tenderly encouraging it to grow. God’s care and nurture is also specific and
particular.
While I think Van Gogh’s painting is truer to the content of the parable, if we put
the two images together, I believe we get more complete picture of God. The God who
cares enough about all humanity to initiate opportunities for life sustaining spiritual
growth, is also the God who cares enough about each individual to be as accessible as the
air we breathe and the rain that falls from the sky.
The gift of the incarnation is that God was willing to get low down and dirty right
along with us. The gift remains with us as we – the church – embody Christ in the world.
We get low down and dirty as best we can so that we can be good soil. We endeavor to
hear God’s word and understand. We aren’t afraid to be broken up occasionally and
turned over. We do the required work to remain balanced and spiritually healthy. We
celebrate the blessings we receive by responding to the call to nourish the lives of those
who are starved for love and meaning.
In the words of Julian of Norwich
Be a gardener,
Dig a ditch
Toil and sweat,
And turn the earth upside down
And seek the deepness
And water the plants in time,
Continue this labor
And make sweet floods to run
And noble and abundant fruits
To spring.
Take this food and drink
And carry it to God
As your true worship
Let the (low down and dirty) people of God say, “Amen.”
Sermon 07/13/2008