Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
What’s in your garden?
The kids are now old enough to where we are trying to find some EC activities that they enjoy and fit their personality. Madison loves Soccer and is going into her third year of playing in the rec league. Sam finished his first year of T-Ball in the spring and loved it. He still plays in our backyard and over at the in-laws. We tried Soccer with Anna and while she loved the uniforms, the friends and the post game snack she didn’t like anything that actually involved soccer. Run stop and sit on bench mid game because she was “hot and needed a drink of water.” So, in the spring this year we planted a small garden on the side of the house and she loved it and it is still going strong. In fact, my normally shy 6 year old is happy to talk about her garden with almost anyone. Just ask her “What’s in your garden?” and she’ll tell you about Broccoli, Lettuce, Tomatoes and weeds. In today’s passage Jesus is asking us a very similar question. I wonder how many of us will be excited to talk about it?
On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Jesus frequently spoke in parables. Jesus did this because of the power of story! Stories have a tendency to stick with us, to inspire us, challenge us, comfort us. I think a lot of you could name a story your parents or grandparents used to tell you often times before bed. We all have a favorite story because we can relate to it in some way. Jesus taught in parables so people could relate to them and remember them. Think of them as heavenly stories with an earthly point.
Jesus he uses an analogy they were all familiar with sowing seed. They were largely an agricultural society. There’s a chance that while he was telling this story there were farmers in the background actively working their fields.
Jesus then mentions 4 very common experiences with sowing seed. Ideally you want your seed to all go into good soil and spring up as a healthy crop that you can then harvest and sell. However, that was not always the case.
Some seed fell onto the wayside and was eaten by birds. What is the wayside? Well people frequently walked thru the fields and created all these little foot paths. The more people walk on grass what happens? The grass dies? Why because it gets trampled and nothing gets a chance to grow on it. I used to work at the CCB Operations center in Durham, not the tower but the op center near Hillsboro. My department was at the very back of the building so we would walk up this hill from the parking lot to get to the back entrance. Eventually so many people walked on that path that is killed all the grass back there and made a nice little 3 foot dirt path. I think they tried to re-seed a couple of times but eventually upper management gave up and just paved it for us.
Any seed that fell on the wayside either was trampled by foot traffic or eaten by birds because the soil was just too hard for the seed to penetrate. There is where a lot of us live even in the church. I know this is my story growing up. I went to church with my parents when I was young, and then we stopped by the time I was 8 or so. I would occasionally go with my grandmothers because they were “religious” and that was about it. By the time I was 18 I was an atheist in everything but name. I had no interest in the things of God. A lot of us are like that, even today right here in this church.
One point perhaps knew the grace of God, or maybe we thought we did but didn’t. We allowed life to beat us up and spit us out. We have let fear creep in our hearts to the point where we think the world is going to end during almost every election cycle. We get so wrapped up in our fears of politicians, immigrants, homosexuals and terrorists that we become barely recognizable as Christians when compared to the Biblical admonition to love our neighbor as ourself. We hear the Word of God day in and day out and it bounces off of us and is snatched away by the enemy.
Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. . 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Some of the seed fell on to stony places. Now I think right now what you are picturing is weeds popping up in a gravel driveway. Well not quite. You see before the farmer would sow seed he would plow his field and remove all the stones he found. However, in Palestine there were large plates of limestone rock just below the surface and beyond the reach of the plow. Anything planted here would spring up quickly and the farmer would think yes bumper crop this year! However, since the roots had no real depth as soon as the sun started getting hot the plants would wither and die.
You see this a lot in ministry. You present the Gospel to people. You meet with them, invite them to your home, make them part of your family. You take the time to personally disciple them, encourage them, love on them, hold them accountable, help them in every way possible and then poof they are gone. No goodbye, no explanation, no answer when you call. You see you can’t come to Christ unless you first count the cost. Jesus warned us that in him would be persecution, that it might cost you a job, a relationship, family, even your life. Yet, I have found that whatever I have had to give up for Christ, family, friends, money, careers, that He has blessed me 10 fold in other ways. Jesus is worth the cost, because He alone is worthy.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful
Some seed fell among thorns and weeds. When Madison was little we had a house out in Timberlake that was a new construction. New House, New Lawn. The first summer we were there I had a nice healthy crop of weeds and red dirt. That fall I talked to some yard people and went to Lowes and got seed, grass growing mats, seed spreader, sprinklers the works. I seeded & watered everything that fall and then winter came with its ice and wiped out all my hard work. I tried it again in the spring but by the heat of July all I had was red dirt and weeds. I found out that once you mow over them they blended in with the grass just fine. That was a lot easier than trying to pull them up by the roots and re-seed again so that’s what I did. It looked good for a season but the weeds eventually took over and I ended up with a front yard that was 90% clover.
A lot of us are content with showing up to church and putting on a good front here and for other “church people” but the minute we’re alone it’s the same old sins. We try to mow them down so it looks ok on the outside but inside the roots get stronger and stronger to the point where they take over. When we start to avoid God and the people of God there’s a reason for it. Usually some pet sin that Jesus wants to uproot but we are merely content with trimming it from time to time. That sin is your Idol because it has come between you and the Lord.
22 . 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Finally! Some good news right? The last three soils were tough. Especially when you come to the realization that ¾ of those seeds failed. Yet, look at how productive that last ¼ was! A 30x to 100 fold crop! Those of you with any type of retirement or investment account if you are doing better than 6% on your returns you are doing quite well. 30 fold is 30 times! You put in a $1 it produces $30 to $100! Why is it so successful? Because the soil was good.
Good soil doesn’t happen by itself. It takes a lot of work, a lot of effort, and it takes a lot of perseverance. Yet the payoff is tremendous. 18 years ago I wouldn’t have been anyone’s definition of good soil. Yet, the grace of God found me anyway. The people of God loved on me, prayed with me, prayed for me, took me in and held me accountable. I have taught this passage multiple times over the years and it wasn’t until recently that something hit home with it.
In this story that our Lord tells us, we are not the farmer, we are not seed, we are not the successful crop that grows, we are the dirt. The only thing that grows in the dirt is what has already been planted there and taken root. During this time of invitation we need to ask ourselves. What is growing in our garden?
