What a waste! “A sower went out to sow,” Jesus tells the crowd. But where does his seed land? Some of the seed falls on hard ground. It can’t grow and so the birds come and eat up the seed. Some seed falls on rocky ground but because of the shallow roots of the new plants, they soon wither up and dry in the heat of the sun. And then some seed starts off well, but the weeds choke the young plants and so they die. That’s a lot of seed. What a waste of seed!
And what a waste of time on the part of the sower? Why isn’t he a better steward of the seed? Why doesn’t he choose which ground to sow the seed on, rather than indiscriminately throw it out, quite literally, by hand? What a waste!
Of course, these days we’re much more sophisticated, advanced, and cost-effective when it comes to our farming practices! We’ve seen incredible advances in farming sciences and technologies, better strains of seeds, and technologies like GPS navigation systems fitted onto tractors that can plant an individual seed with millimetre precision into the ground.
And yet there can still be so much waste. A farmer sows the seed, and some falls down a mouse hole, only to be eaten by mice. Some seed gets choked by the weeds that have grown because the chemicals and sprays are no longer so effective. Certain diseases and insect life can build up resistance to chemicals and sprays that in the past killed them. Then in our Australian climate we have drought to deal with, or fire or frost or too much rain at the wrong time. All of these natural weather events can transpire against the farmer getting a good crop.
And then there are natural ecological disasters like locust plagues. They occur regularly in places like East & Central Africa. The locusts destroy the crops, and the people starve. We’re talking here about plagues of biblical proportions. Hundreds of billions of locusts that annihilate any seed that manages to germinate and poke its head above the soil. What a waste!
But year after year it’s the same old story. “A sower went out to sow” You could say the farmer keeps on doing it because that’s all they know. But given the risk, why even bother to sow the seed, when there’s always the chance that their efforts will not bear fruit? Why sow the seed when there is such a risk of waste?
Think about it. What if the farmer decided not to sow any seed at all? What if he decided not to plant a crop because he guessed that there might be a hailstorm that year. Or a drought, or severe frost, and it might all come to nothing? Well, he could do that, but we all know farmers are risk takers, and it’s about managing risk. All farmers have reasonable expectations that nature will be, this year, on their side. If only the big supermarket chains were. And so, they work according to their hope for a harvest. Hope keeps them going.
And hope is important because the farmer doesn’t make the crops grow on his own. He isn’t responsible for photosynthesis. He doesn’t cause the heads of grain to form on each plant. I should say, he or she! But he or she sows with the expectation that there will be a harvest, even, God-willing a bumper harvest. And in our Gospel reading the parable ends in joy, in a celebration of a great harvest. Now, to be sure, there is waste, wasted effort, wasted seed, and disappointment, but the story ends with astounding success and a remarkable harvest.
Jesus was and is still today, very realistic. He knew there would be waste when it comes to the Gospel and the life of the Christian. Of the thousands of words that I’ve spoken and read in a church service, that I’ve preached in my sermons, how many have really, truly, hit the mark and impacted on your life? Don’t answer that! It seems like so much of what we do on the name of the church and mission is just such a waste of time and effort. We help and support those in need, we encourage our family members in the faith, and they show little appreciation or thanks for it. And nothing changes. Why do we even bother? The truth is so much of what we do in the name of mission can seem like an extraordinary waste of time, especially when you don’t see the rewards for it, or there is little difference made in the life of the church or to growth in church numbers? After all, aren’t we all about bringing people into the kingdom of God, extending God’s kingdom, and making disciples through baptising and teaching?
It can all seem such a waste, a waste of time, a waste of energy and effort, and for what? And yet at the end of it all, despite the waste, despite the disappointments, the moments of despair and lack of hope, Jesus promises a harvest. God’s Word “shall not return to me empty” as the prophet Isaiah reminds us, “but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).
So, there you have it. Our reason for doing what we do, for holding on to hope, for sharing the Gospel, and for going to work in God’s mission, whether it is here in our own backyard, or overseas in places like Thailand that we will hear about a little later. God calls us into his mission field, and he makes it clear that our efforts are never in vain. We might get to see the harvest. We might not. But God promises his faithful people, you, and me, that there will be a harvest. So, today all that God asks of us, is that we sow the seed; that we continue to speak His Word at whatever time and whatever place we find ourselves in. We’re simply called to share the Gospel with others, trusting in God to provide the increase where and when he wills, and according to his good pleasure. We’re simply called to sow the seed, and to do it out of love and gladness for the grace we have received. Jesus calls us to serve our neighbour in need, to labour with patience, to do our best to help those in trouble, and to use whatever gifts and abilities God has given us for his service. And when we have done our part, he promises that our labour will never be in vain. There will instead be astounding results, even if we don’t live to see them!
I don’t know why some have ears to hear and others don’t. It’s a mystery that Jesus doesn’t explain in this parable. Why is there so much, or at least it seems that way, waste!? Why don’t people hear the Word and believe? Why have so many people hardened their hearts, become apathetic or even aggressive towards the Gospel and towards those share its life-giving, life-transforming message?
Some people like to try and give easy answers to this question of why only some have ears to hear. One easy answer that people give is that there are differences in people. Some are “good” fertile ground, they say, while others are the poorer soil.
This answer is appealing to some people, because with subtle pride they like to thank God they are not like others. The problem is that we are just like others. We’re all poor soil (Romans 3:9-20, 23). The good quality of the soil is based not on who we are, but only on God’s grace, like the “good man” who is a “good tree” (12:33) with a “good treasure” (12:35) in his heart. The treasure is Christ, and the goodness of the tree results from being grafted into Christ through our baptism.
Another “easy” answer that some people like to give to this question, “Why are only some given ears to hear?” is that some seed is bad and other seed is good. But the parable offers no hint that the seed is bad, and remember the seed is God’s Word, and none of God’s Word can be bad.
As I said earlier, Jesus doesn’t answer this question of “Why are only some given ears to hear?” Instead, he clearly emphasises in this parable the importance of listening and hearing God’s Word. And God’s Word can only be listened to and heard, if we speak it, if we put it out there to do its work. And that is because it is the Word that gives understanding, not our human reason. Sure, there are things that can prevent the word from being heard, but no matter where that word falls, we must never stop speaking it. And that is why you should keep on returning to where God sows the seed and to where there is already good soil. That is why it is so important to return to this place, Sunday after Sunday. It is here amongst the good soil of the communion of saints, and here in you, in the good soil of your baptism, where Christ lives in you and the Holy Spirit is at work in you. Daily casting aside those things that impede your growth in the faith. He’s here, present in the good soil of your confirmation, of faithful preaching and teaching, in the mutual encouragement of being together, physically with each other, in the bread and wine of Holy Communion, and in the liturgy of the church where God speaks his word, casts out seed and promises to produce a rich harvest.
There is a great deal of waste, feelings of frustration and despair in God’s Kingdom, his church here on earth. It’s so easy to become discouraged, to feel defeated and to be defeatist when it comes to our participation in God’s mission. At times it all appears rather bleak. But then we need to remember, God is really the one doing the sowing. We’re just his co-workers. So, we don’t have to worry too much about our own ability to target the right hearers. Let’s just throw it out and see where it lands. We’re simply called to sow the seed, and yes, sometimes to sow it in what might seem the most unlikely of places. But then we trust in God to provide the increase when and where he wills, and according to his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). Remembering all the time that the harvest is dependent on God.
And if by chance we fail to extravagantly sow, we have God’s words of forgiveness, and we have his promise of a harvest at the end of time. And so, we continue to sow the seed, the Word of God, praying that we and those for whom we sow it may be there together when the final harvest is gathered in.
Amen.
