Sunday's Message: The Parables of Jesus - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)

During the months of September, October and November, we'll discuss the following parables found in the Gospel of Mark:

• September 22 - New Wine and Old Clothes (Mark 2:21-22)
• September 29 - A Strong Man (Mark 3:23-27)
• October 6 - The Sower (Mark 4:1-20)
• October 13 - Lamps and Baskets (Mark 4:21-25)
• October 20 - A Growing Seed (Mark 4:26-29)
• October 27 - The Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30-32)
• November 3 - Clean and Unclean (Mark 7:14-23)
• November 10 - The Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-11)
• November 17 - The Fig Tree (Mark 13:28-31)

During the service on Sunday, October 6, we used Mark 4:1-20 to better understand that parable of the sower. Below is the text and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page. 

In the last week, we’ve all been witnesses to a natural disaster that I think has shaken the whole country. I mean, not only did a Category Four hurricane make landfall on the Florida panhandle a little over a week ago, in the days that followed, it’s caused all kinds of destruction as it moved north, and I’m talking about in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, mountainous areas that just weren’t prepared for this kind of storm. For the last week, this has been our focus. 

And, at least for me, the response has been, well, mixed. I mean, on one hand, I think some of it has been pretty disappointing. For example, it sure seems as though a lot folks are using this tragedy to make political hay, with some saying that it proves, without any doubt,  that climate change is an immediate danger, which it doesn’t; while others are saying that the money needed to address the crisis has already been spent on immigrants or Ukraine, which it hasn’t. But that hasn’t stopped folks from saying it. And frankly, I find the fact that some very important people have spent so much time talking about this foolishness rather than figuring out how we can actually help, well, it makes me discouraged and frustrated and a little bit angry. Man, it’s enough to make you crazy. But I’ll tell you, all this political nonsense shouldn’t distract us from what’s happening on the other hand. My gosh, there are stories all over the place about regular people, rolling up their sleeves and opening their wallets to make a difference, you know, to provide things as basic as food and water and shelter, and I don’t know about y’all, that gives me hope. But you know, it wouldn’t, if all I’m looking at or listening to are men and women who present misleading and sometimes false information just to benefit themselves. You see, if we allow ourselves to get distracted from all the good that’s being done, I don’t think there’s much chance that we’ll get beyond the discouragement and the frustration and the anger that comes from pointing fingers and assigning blame.

And I’ll tell you, that’s really what we’re going to be talking about this morning, and we’re going to use another one of the parables Jesus offered in the Gospel of Mark to do it. You see, we’ve already looked at the stories of the new wineskins and the old clothes; therefore, we understand that we might need to change in order to address what’s new, while also remembering that the old and the comfortable still have value. And then, last week we talked about the story of a strong man, a parable that reminds us to work for our unity and to trust in God’s power. Now that’s what we’ve discussed. And this morning we’ll move on to the parable of the sower, a story that should give us confidence as we do the best we can in the world that we have even if it’s not the one we want. And as we’ve done in the last two weeks, we’ll approach the story by answering three questions: first, what did Jesus say; and then second, what does it mean; and then third, what are we going to do about it? And hopefully, by the end of the message, we’ll be able to move beyond the discouragement and frustration and anger to a source of hope we can trust.

But as I’ve said before, we can’t apply something that we really don’t know; therefore, I believe we’ve got to start with the question, what did Jesus actually say? Well, this was what the Evangelist Mark wrote:

The next time Jesus taught beside Lake Galilee, a big crowd gathered. It was so large that he had to sit in a boat out on the lake, while the people stood on the shore. He used stories to teach them many things, and this is part of what he taught:

Now listen! A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have deep roots. Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked out the plants. So they did not produce any grain. But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants grew and produced 30 or 60 or even 100 times as much as was scattered.

Then Jesus said, “If you have ears, pay attention.”  [Mark 4:1-9, CEV]

Now this was what Mark wrote. 

And you know, within the story itself, there seems to be three important figures. I mean, we’ve got a farmer whose only job was to scatter seeds in a field, right? And within that field, there were basically two kinds of soils. I mean, on one hand, there was soil that wouldn’t produce any grain. In other words, it was not productive. Now there were several reasons for this lack of productivity. For example, some of the soil was hard and birds ate the seeds. And some of the soil was shallow, and even though the seeds would sprout, they just couldn’t last long. And some of the soil was full of weeds that would choke the growing grain. And so, on one hand, the sower had to deal with soil that wasn’t going to be productive no matter how diligent or skilled he was in scattering seeds. On the other hand, though, some of the seeds fell on productive soil. And as a result, the sower could count on an outstanding crop, and I’m talking about some really good ground where the plants would grow and produce 30 and 60 and maybe even 100 times as much as he’d scattered. In other words, although the sower needed to recognize that some soil was pretty much worthless, he could also trust that some of the field would produce a bumper harvest. Now, I think that was what Jesus said.

And as to what does it mean? Well, unlike nearly every other parable, Jesus himself offered the explanation. Just listen to what Mark wrote: 

Jesus then told them:

If you don't understand this story, you won't understand any others. What the farmer is spreading is really the message about the kingdom. The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But Satan soon comes and snatches it away from them. The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. But they don't have roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce 30 or 60 or even 100 times as much as was planted. [Luke 4:13-20, CEV]

Now, that was what Jesus said the story meant.

And I’ll tell you, I really appreciate the fact that he did this for us. I mean, in the story, the farmer represents people, you know, like us, men and women who are out there in the world, scattering the seeds and sharing the good news of God’s grace and love through the words we say and the work we do and the attitude we show. That’s who we are. And in our world, well, we’re going find two kinds of people. I mean, on one hand, there’ll be folks who, no matter what we do, man, they’re just not going to be productive, not in terms of faith. And it really doesn’t matter whether it’s because they’ve developed, for whatever reason, a hard shell or they have short attention spans or maybe they face so many difficulties just living that they don’t have the time or the energy to focus on being active followers of Jesus. You see, from the perspective of the sower, in other words, our perspective, the reason they are the way they are isn’t that important. No matter what we say or do, some folks are just not going to respond. On one hand, that’s just the way it is. On the other hand, though, some will. You see, right now, there are people who are ready. They’re ready to hear about the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Man, they are ready not only to believe but to share that good news themselves. Of course, as a sower, we don’t know who they are, because our job isn’t to prepare or to evaluate the quality of the soil; it’s just to scatter the seeds. And so, as we’re living our life and being the kind of people we were called and empowered to be, according to the explanation offered by Jesus Christ himself, we can expect to run into some folks who may never be examples of the faith while, at the same time, we’ll encounter men and women who have the potential of showing the world what it means to “love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and [to] love others as much as we love ourselves.” [Mark 12:33b, CEV] As sowers, there are two kinds of soil, two kinds of people. There always were and always will be. You see, that’s what I think the parable means?

Which, of course, leaves us with the third question: What are we going to do about it? I mean, what are we going to do, knowing that, when scattering seeds, a sower is going to have to deal with soil that’s not productive as well as soil that is? And what are we going to do, understanding that we’ve been called to share the good news out there in the real world, and that, no matter how well we do it, some will just not live it and while others will? What are we going to do? Now that’s a great question, and let me briefly suggest three possible answers.

For example, first, we can simply accept, accept our job.  In other words, we can accept that our job is to scatter the seed, to share the gospel, to live the faith. It’s not to change the soil. It’s not even bringing in the harvest. Instead, right here and right now, it’s to share, through our words and work and attitude, the gospel we believe. That’s our job. And you know, it’s interesting, it’s the exact same job Jesus gave his disciples right after his resurrection and right before his ascension. Just listen to what the Evangelist Luke wrote: 

While the apostles were still with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, are you now going to give Israel its own king again?” 

Jesus said to them, “You don't need to know the time of those events that only the Father controls. But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world.” After Jesus had said this and while they were watching, he was taken up into a cloud. They could not see him, but as he went up, they kept looking up into the sky. [Acts 1:6-10, CEV]

You see, we can accept our job, and I think that’s the first thing we can do.

And second, we can also recognize, recognize that a lot of folks aren’t going to respond, at least not the way we’d like them to. You see, for all kinds of reasons, some are just not going to come or come back, even when we invite them. And even if they come, some are not going to stay. And even if they stay, some are not going to become as involved or as active as we’d like them to be. That’s just the way it is. Therefore, instead of compromising what we’re called to scatter, you know, like sowing some weeds instead of wheat, so the field looks better or maybe feeling discouraged or frustrated or even angry, because we did what we were told and all we got were well-fed birds and wilted seedlings and strangled wheat, in other words, instead of being throw off by the world as it is, maybe we need to recognize that what the Lord said about the church in Laodicea is just as true now as it was back in the day. 

I know everything you have done, and you are not cold or hot. I wish you were either one or the other. But since you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spit you out of my mouth. You claim to be rich and successful and to have everything you need. But you don't know how bad off you really are. You are pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

Buy your gold from me. It has been refined in a fire, and it will make you rich. Buy white clothes from me. Wear them and you can cover up your shameful nakedness. Buy medicine for your eyes, so you will be able to see. [Revelation 3:15-18, CEV]

You see, in my opinion, we can recognize that, in spite of our best efforts, success is not guaranteed. And that’s the second thing we can do.

And third, after we’ve accepted our job and recognized that not all soil is productive or all people responsive, we can simply trust, trust that some are. In other words, we can trust that, as we’re out there doing our thing for the Lord, some people are going to come. And some people are going to stay. And some people are going to be every bit as involved and as active as we’d like them to be. And for that reason, I’m telling you, we can have hope, because just like some won’t, a whole lot will. But you know, if we take it upon ourselves to change the message we share or if we become so discouraged and frustrated and angry that we stop doing much of anything outside these four walls, we’ll never meet those men and women who are ready to grow and to produce. All they need is a seed. And you know, I think that’s what Jesus realized when this happened:

Jesus went to every town and village. He taught in their synagogues and preached the good news about God's kingdom. Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “A large crop is in the fields, but there are only a few workers. Ask the Lord in charge of the harvest to send out workers to bring it in.” [Matthew 9:35-38, CEV]

You see, we can trust that right here, in this community, there are folks who will respond to the good news, but they’ve got to hear it or better see it. And for me, that’s the third thing we can do.

And even though all this is really about how we can live as Christians, I think these ideas can offer us some direction as we deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. You see, whether you’re talking about a natural disaster or a field that’s ready to be planted or a world that desperately needs to hear the good news, we can accept the job we’ve been given. And whether you’re talking about people who will spin human pain so that they benefit or a field with unproductive soil or a world with folks who just won’t or can’t believe and grow, we can recognize that, for good or for bad, that’s just the way it is. And finally, whether you’re talking about all those people who are willing to open their hands and hearts to human need or a part of the field that has the potential of producing more grain than you can imagine or a whole bunch of men and women whom God has prepared to hear and to believe and to live, we can trust that the harvest will be magnificent. You see, this is what I believe we can take from the parable of the sower. And next week, we’ll focus on the story of lamps and baskets.