The Sower

Scripture:

Mark 4:3-8

Quick Summary:

A farmer plants seeds on different soils with different results.

The Point:

When we share God with others, we will not always get the results we want...but we should still share with everyone.

Questions for Family Time:

1.  Why did the farmer waste seed on all those places?

        a. Because, maybe there was some good soil there. Maybe a plant would grow.

2. Who does the farmer represent?

        a. Me!

3. What does planting the seed represent?

     a. Sharing God’s word with others, that they could grow into a disciple of Jesus.

4. What do the different soils represent?

     a. The path is like people who don't even really listen. The rocky place are those who accept it for a minute and then go after the next thing. The thorns are like those who let the troubles of the world steal their hope. The good soil are those who accept God's word and live it, who grow to share God's word themselves. 

Deeper:

            I love the garden metaphor in this story…but not because I am a good gardener. Here is how I garden: Every winter, I start getting excited about what I will plant. I keep adding to my list until spring finally breaks, and I have listed way more than I can care for. I go to the store and get plants and seeds, trying hard to not pick more than I really can manage, always trying a couple new things I know nothing about but the kids like from the grocery store. One year I experimented with beets. One year it was kale. I plant my garden, and hope some things will take. Sure enough, with a little time, sprouts appear. Sometimes, things sprout I didn’t even mean to sprout, what my mom always called volunteers. These guys were from last year’s garden or seeds in the compost that somehow germinated. One year, I was so excited about some volunteer pumpkins; I let them take over the garden.

            The thing that I often seem to struggle with the most in getting things to grow is the balance of waiting and care. Too much attention and the plants die from being over-watered. Too little attention and they end up choked out by weeds. There is a balance between waiting and not forgetting that I often don’t strike just right. The other thing I have learned is that different plants like different soil. What made my beets grow in abundance may have very well been the reason my other plants refused to sprout.

            Jesus tells us this story about gardening right after sending out his disciples to share the word of God. I imagine they came back with mixed results. Jesus shared with them that people are like seeds in the garden. Their environment and experience makes a big difference in whether they are ready to do something with God’s word.

           

           You would think that at this point, it would be clear. He would tell his disciples to seek out those who have the best environment, the “good soil” and only plant there. Why waste the work in planting seeds among paths, rocks, and weeds?

But Jesus, he never tells a story like we are expecting. Instead, he tells us to plant everywhere. There will be people who we share God with that won’t even be listening. There will be people who will be excited, until the next thing strikes their fancy. There will be people who let the influence of others around them pull them away from God.  But there will also be people that hear the word of God, and are changed forever. These people will go on to plant more seeds than we did.

            We often make the mistake of thinking that we are the plant in this story, and somehow it is our job to make sure we are in good soil. But we are not the plant. We are the farmer, the gardener. We are the ones who are throwing God’s word into the word, sharing the love of Jesus with everyone. Even in places that seem like bad soil. Sometimes we have disappointing results. Sometimes we have great results. Whatever the results, we keep on planting.

            I think Jesus told this to his disciples to remind them that those moments when they felt they had failed, when their effort seemed fruitless, it’s not always the farmer’s fault. It’s not the seed. There are other things that we have no control over that keep people from God. Our job is to do the best we can on scattering the seed, and trust God to work on growing it. Just like I am learning with my garden, we are always balancing waiting with care. Jesus reminds us to not be so distracted with the ones who don’t allow God’s word to change them, that we forget to see those who do, who go on to plant their own seeds.

Personal Reflection:

How do you spread the seed of God’s word? Where do you spread it? How do you balance waiting and care?