July 13, 2008
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 10 – Year A)
Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9. 18-23
This morning’s lessons, the Old Testament and the Gospel, are once again familiar stories. I’m sure most of you have heard the story of Isaac and Rebekah’s two sons, the twins, Jacob and Esau, so utterly different, even from the time of their birth, both physically and temperamentally, and each one preying upon the favoritism of a parent.
And then there’s the gospel, the story of the sower and where the seed fell. In an agricultural society this setting for a metaphorical story is highly appropriate. And Jesus was extremely skilled at this kind of teaching, using stories to make a point, stories of fishermen, stories of shepherds, stories of the rich and the poor, stories of the lame and the blind and sick, stories of weddings and funerals, stories of people and events and circumstances that were common knowledge and common experience. And usually that point he was making was to teach how his audience was beloved of God regardless of who and what they were, and most importantly how as individuals they should love one another and leave judgment to God.
Now, I read this passage from Matthew and, yes, it is so familiar but most of us hearing it today are not farmers, at least not here in
But then I had what might be called an Epiphany. Instead of the thinking of the sower as being God, or Jesus if you prefer, and the seed being the Word and the kinds of soil being groups or types of people who upon hearing this Word react in a variety of different ways, all the traditional meanings, I was struck by another way of reflecting upon this parable, a way more personal and a far cry from the finger pointing and self-righteousness that the standard interpretations lend themselves to. With respect to that, what comes to mind is the scene where the Pharisee is thanking God that he is who he is and not someone like that poor sinner, the tax collector, over there. (Luke 18:9ff.) Ah, yes, finger pointing! Yes, I think it is too easy for us to be like that Pharisee and think of ourselves as the “good soil,” the fertile ground, maybe even the blessed, and think of “those out there”, wherever “there” may be, as the “path,” no top soil at all, or the “rocky round” or even the “thorns.” They are the unfortunate ones, the unlucky ones, the ones to be pitied, the ones who don’t “get it” or don’t “have it.” It is that kind of thinking, whether it be political, social, or theological, that tears communities, families, and churches asunder. That kind of thinking says, “My way is God’s way.” But that is not what Jesus taught, now is it?
So the epiphany, the revelation that I had as I tried to read this parable with an open mind, a new mind, setting aside the allegorical explanation attributed to Jesus when his disciples questioned why he spoke in parables to the people who came to hear him, my epiphany was this. Yes, God is the sower but all those different kinds of soil are parts of me, parts of my personality, my different moods, different attitudes, different feelings, different reactions. For instance, when someone says something to me with which I disagree, may be I respond in anger. Maybe I respond without thinking about their point of view or their circumstances. Without listening to them. That could well be reaction from the “path,” where there is no compassion, no understanding. Then again maybe I do listen and consider agreeing or making a compromise, but after a while selfishness or stubbornness or just plain contentiousness takes hold. Would this be the “Rocky ground,” allowing what Paul would call the “law of sin and death” to take hold? And what of the “Thorns?” How does that scenario play out in this personal soul searching, examination of behavior? Any of the above examples could easily fall into that category, too, but I think there is another milieu that fits the definition more closely. What about when one just follows the crowd or does not stand up for what is right, for whatever the reason, fear of standing alone, fear of what others might say or do? And I have to admit to avoiding such a confrontation just this past week with someone whose political views I don’t espouse; I let her just carry on in spite of how wrong I felt she was. Out of politeness (!) I did not challenge her opinions. I allowed myself figuratively to be choked by the “thorns.”
The examples I have chosen, I realize, are pretty simplistic. But there again what Jesus had to say to his disciples two thousand years ago and what he still says to us today through the gospels, was and is pretty simple. “Let anyone with ears listen!” he says, meaning don’t just “hear” but think about what he is saying, reflect on it, let it permeate your whole being until you live his word, to love God and love one another, and it lives in you, and then you can and will say, “God’s way is my way.” And thus will it be as Paul says, that “The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.”
So, may I suggest that we leave here this morning, not thinking about sibling rivalry as it is demonstrated in the story of Jacob and Esau, nor about growing healthy plants versus weeds, but rather reflecting on how we hear and use Jesus’ words to build community, to strengthen relationships, to be reconciled one with another, and above all else, to say, “Your will, O God, not mine, be done, here on earth, not just in heaven!”
And I also suggest that as a prayer for the coming week take home your bulletin so that you have on hand the Collect for the Day which for once really seems so right on with the readings, to be especially relevant to our daily life. I suggest you change it to the first person, make it yours, and pray it daily. I’m sure it’ll be well worth whatever effort it may take. So let us pray:
O Lord, mercifully receive my prayers as I call upon you, and grant that I may know and understand what things I ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them, through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Sonia F. G. Stevenson, M. Div.
Church of the Good Shepherd