Sowing seeds

A sower goes out to sow seeds. Some fall onto the pathway and the birds eat them up. Some fall onto stony ground and sprout, but wither when the sun scorches them. Some fall where there are thorns growing, and cannot grow because the other plants choke them out. Some, however, fall into good soil and grow strong and healthy and become a good crop.

This little story is recounted in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 13, and the narrator is Jesus, who is speaking from a boat offshore, to a large crowd of people. It’s a simple tale, one that the listeners could easily understand and relate to, in their largely agrarian economy. Yet like all the parables, indeed like all the greatest classics of human literature that have followed in the centuries since, it is symbolic of the greatest struggles of human existence.

Jesus himself explains the meaning of this parable. The seed is the word of God. The places where it falls describe the hearts of men. The seed falls onto the path and the birds eat it up- this describes how the evil one, Satan, can immediately snatch away the effect of God’s word. As a result of the fall mankind is disposed to be evil and love evil things unless a Godly influence has been at work in their lives. There are some hearts which are so hardened by evil that they have built fortresses of resistance to God which require much prayer and spiritual warfare to break down. We remember, however, that Jesus Christ alone holds the victory over sin and death.

The seed which falls on rocky ground describe those who receive the word of God with joy, but fall away when trouble or persecution comes.  Theirs is a faith which may be based on what God can do for them, rather than what they can do for God. For some, church life and its social activities may have taken precedence on developing a relationship with God. This is a challenge for those of us involved in ministry. We have the responsibility to teach God’s word and disciple new converts. Unfortunately, there are charlatans praying on the susceptible by promoting ministries which may be highly attractive to the misinformed. Such ministries may emphasise material prosperity or supernatural manifestations rather than teaching the gospel.

Following on from the rocky ground, other seeds can fall into better soil, but that which is already producing weeds. I think that there is probably no better analogy than this for the western world at present. No wonder the gospel is thriving in countries where life is difficult, where poverty and hunger abound, where the church is persecuted. In the west, we have such a plethora of activities and entertainments and work pressures and financial responsibilities to draw us away from God. We can live a comfortable life without opening the Bible or attending a church service. So much of our media is antagonistic to Christianity. Atheism is promoted as being intellectual. The Bible is described as a collection of antique fairy tales. For someone from an unchurched family to convert to Christianity is to face ridicule.  Yet we know that worldly things in themselves do not produce peace or happiness. Western society experiences unprecedented levels of relationship breakdown, crime and mental illnesses such as depression.

Finally, and thankfully, we have the seeds that fall into good soil, growing and flourishing and producing a fine harvest. This is symbolic of the person who hears the word of God, understands it and develops both personally and in his or her ministry to other people, blessing others and extending the kingdom of God.

How then, do we ensure that we become “good seeds”?

As a gardener, I know that cultivation is not successful by random chance. Good soil is produced by being tended. Plants grow because they are fertilised and watered, their roots protected by mulch in hot weather. Weeds must be rooted up before they choke other plants. Fencing keeps my dogs from trampling on the vegetables. Results take effort and resources.

So, it is if we want to be fruitful in our ministries. We must cultivate our hearts to develop a relationship with God. We need to be strongly grounded in the word of God, knowing what the Bible teaches us. This is only achieved through daily devotional time. We need to spend time in prayer and worship. We need to edify our souls by listening to music and reading material which glorifies God. We need the strength that comes from meeting with other Christians in a godly church community.

I heard once of the practise in some African communities of hanging a seed bag on the wall of the home. The seed bag contains the seed to be sown for the next harvest. The home will contain other seed which is to be eaten, but that which is in the seed bag holds the promise of food in the future. If, in times of famine, the family needs to resort to eating the seed in the seed bag, all hope is gone.  This reminds me of the need for us to store in our hearts God’s word, to treasure and tend it daily so that it will produce a good crop. If we neglect the things of God we will become lacking and dry in our spiritual life, with nothing to share with others. It’s not an onerous duty to love the things of God, indeed the happiest and most fulfilled people I know are those whose lives are totally committed to His service.

May God bless you throughout this new year and may your life bring gladness to His heart and glory to His name. Amen.