“Grace and Profligacy” 2011

Isaiah 55:6-9        Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

 Isaiah 55:6-9

6Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; 7let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!” 18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet 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. 22As 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. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, 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.”

 

The Bible is not always easy to interpret or comprehend.

            Despite all the years I have read and studied it,

                        there is a lot   that I am still trying to understand.

 

            I find that a critically important part of interpretation,

                        is learning about the context of a Bible passage

                                         because taken in isolation,

                                                I may easily miss what a text really means.

 

For example, Matthew 12 has a series of stories that describe      

            the increasing and intensifying hostility against Jesus.

                        That context of rejection found in chapter 12,

                                    is connected to the parable of the sower in  13.

            The parable tells about seeds being sown in 4 types of soil:

vs. 4-8

            And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

 

The seeds;   the miracles, the teaching and grace

            that Jesus was scattering about during his ministry,

                        were  being rejected by many, by certain types of soil --

                                    yet seeds sown in the fertile soil of his disciples,

                                                would yield an outrageously bountiful harvest.

          That was the immediate context of this parable.

 

This passage also had another later level of context.

            Several decades after the earthly ministry of Jesus

                        when the gospel of Matthew was being written down,

                                        that was a difficult and discouraging time

                                                of persecution and struggle for the Church.

 

By reminding them of this parable Jesus had told, the author

            was encouraging them to continue sowing seeds freely ---

                        -- because,   though some  rejected the seeds,

                                        those early Christians  were themselves,

                                      evidence of God’s gracious abundant harvest.

 

So this parable reflects both, 

            the reality of what happened when Jesus preached,

                        and it reflects the experience of the early church;

            that some people were receptive, and some were not,

                        some only briefly, and some become more fully committed.

The seeds sown by the sower are nothing less than

  the word about    God’s presence, God’s kingdom and God’s reign in our lives.

                                        Hearing about the four types of soil,

                                                the parable infers an obvious question,

**                                                               - “so what kind of soil am I?”

- am I hardened,  am I shallow,   am I easily distracted ---

              or am I   a faithfully fertile follower    and disciple,

                        in whom God is producing an amazingly abundant harvest?

 

Well, if I am honest, at various times, in various ways,

            I have been all of those soil types;            I am ALL of them;

                        in fact, I still grapple with all of those same issues;

                                    for they are    the obstacles that still interfere

                                                with God’s purpose and blessings in my life.

 

There are times when someone speaks to me

            that they might as well be talking to a rock;

                        and I do not hear what they are saying…  a hardened path.

 

There are times

            when an idea comes to which I latch onto with enthusiasm,

                        but there is no follow-through, & it dies.  Stony ground.

 

There are busy times, good ideas come, they begin to take root,

            then other things capture my interest and attention,

                        so they fade, and eventually wither.   Thorny ground.

 

            Other times something comes along that takes root,

                        it grows and blossoms, and produces abundantly…

                                    … and that is the good news à grace in abundance,

                                    God does for us  what we cannot do for ourselves.

 

That hope and reality   brings us back to God’s gracious purpose:

            -- that just as God is the good shepherd

                        who leaves the 99 sheep to rescue the one lost sheep—

-- and the God who runs out

            to greet, welcome and celebrate His prodigal son’s returnà

                        -- so too, God is the ever-extravagant wasteful farmer

                                                who freely scatters his seed,

                                                            even in places where it obviously

                                                                        may never grow or be productive…

                        … flinging seed everywhere, so that no one is left out…

… just as Jesus wasted his time and effort

       on hopeless outcasts, like lepers, tax-collectors & sinners.

 

When Jesus first told this parable,

       his listeners must have been shocked, the idea that any farmer

                        would be so wasteful with precious and costly seed ---

 

            --- that had to be saved and preserved from the last harvest,

                           or that had to be purchase from merchants or neighbors…

… that seed was costly and precious, and no one would waste ità

          on soil  where it obviously wouldn’t grow or be productive.

 

     The crowd would expect that the farmer would entrust

            his precious seed only the best and most worthy soil;

                                         yet in this picture of grace,

                                         this extravagant & wasteful farmer  is blessed

                                                 with shocking abundance   at harvest time…

 

… and that is the Good News that  our Lord has for us…

                        … because God knows   that one day it may take root;

                                    and as Christ begins to take root in our lives

                                                we become His sowers   spreading even more seed.

 

So perhaps

          instead of worrying so much about what kind of dirt we are,

                        or the worthiness of where we scatter

                             seeds of God’s compassion, hope and justice,

              we are called

                   to focus more on God’s gracious love, purpose and reign—and how we can become more Christ-like      by wasting more loveà

          and practicing gracious profligacy,  like Jesus did.

 

Jesus may not seem to have been much a farmer, prudent with seed;

            instead, he wasted precious seed by planting infertile soil;

                              but that is the example

                                    we are called and equipped to follow in response…

   … for freely we have received,  should we not also  freely give?

 

Therefore, the task of the Church is,

            to continue God's extravagant waste of perfectly good seed;

                        by continuing to waste it by putting it out freely ---

* by baptizing kids whose parents may not live up to their vows

            * by planning lessons, activities and Bible studies

                        even though only a few may actually show up.

 

* by the choir & others continuing to faithfully provide music

            even though they may not hear a kind word of appreciation.

                        * by continuing to call on the sick and lonely

                                    even though they may not seem grateful for a visit.

 

* by each one trying to do their part, their best,

            to serve and glorify God, though no one ever seems to notice.

 

In countless ways, as the body of Christ,

    the Church is called to waste extravagantly   the grace of God;

                   by planting seeds of mercy  and kindness  and forgiveness

                             even where they cannot possibly grow or matter…

            … because we never really know

                        when one of those seeds  just might germinate and grow.

 

When I was in the 7^th grade, I was an impossible kid ---

            --- ridiculously immature and difficult to deal with.

 

                        The Smedburgs were a young couple at our church,

                                    recently married and both school teachers,

                                                who volunteered to work with our youth group.

 

However self-centered, unappreciative or inattentive   we were,

            each week they were back with another lesson,

                             and I am pretty certain they never knew

                                    that sometimes I was paying attention…

            … and they would never have thought  I’d end up in ministry.

 

I still remember some of their lessons,

            but mostly   I remember their patient love that never quit.

They sowed seeds of God’s gracious love and compassion

          in ways that eventually germinated and grew;

                      and the seeds they planted, wasted in unlikely places,

                             did influence my life, and help form my faith.

 

Dan Chapman tells this story:

            At 11:30 pm on a cold snowy night in December, my wife and I received a phone call from a ‘girl’ downtown.  We were running what could be called a mission or outreach center.  We extended a hand to the homeless, prostitutes and drug addicts in the inner city.  We had approached this girl one wintry evening when we brought hot chocolate to the girls working on the street corners.  The hot drinks were our ‘icebreaker’ which allowed us to tell them we’d like to help them get off the street and return to a normal life.

 

          The call came just as we were about to fall asleep.  We had been really hoping that one of the girls we approached would actually call us.  The caller was in her late teens.  We were excited to have the opportunity to help her leave her life on the streets  – so without thinking we drove down and picked her up.

 

          That was when the catch came.  Her ‘boyfriend’ (also her pimp) wanted to go too.  Generally speaking, we tried to get kids away from not only the area, but also their circle of ‘friends’ (pimps, other prostitutes, etc.)  Against our better judgment, we took them both to her mother’s house in a city three hours away.  The drive there was one of the worst snowstorms that I have ever driven in --- it was hard to see the road.

 

          By the time we got back home, it was 5:30 am, and we had just enough time to shower and go to work.  For years we never heard from her, and figured that we had just wasted our time.  Without both good counseling and good follow-up help, most girls return to that lifestyle.  We assumed that happened with her as well.  Over the years we told this story, saying if we had it to do over again, we would neither pick them both up, nor take them so far away.

 

          Just last week, 12 years later, this same girl walked into the store where my wife works.  She recognized my wife immediately, hugged her and told her their story.  She and her boyfriend had gotten married, have four children, and are an active part of their church.  She has told many people about the snowy ride we all took many years ago.  Indeed, every time they drive in heavy snow they think of us.

 

          My wife immediately called me at work to tell me the news.  I was amazed to learn that the streets hadn’t swallowed up this young girl.  We were so relieved to learn that she did not succumb to life on the street, as street-life has claimed more girls than I can count.  For years, we thought that one night of lost sleep was just a loss.  But now that we know the result --- we know it was not a loss or a waste at all.

 

            The parable of the sower

                        is about   far more than being good and fertile soil;

            but more importantly,

                        following the gracious profligacy of Jesus,

                                    the example of the wasteful sower scattering

                                                precious seed onto unlikely and unworthy soil,

                           à     God produces outrageous and amazing abundance ---

 

- the parable is really about hope and God’s grace.

 

Our call and joy, as individuals and as church-family,

            is to keep scattering more seed,  and see what comes up!

 

          … for if we do truly believe, that God’s love is not limited,

                   then, we don’t have to limit ours either…

                                 … which means we can trust and sow graciously,

                                      leaving the results and harvest to the Lord.