Stories have the power to touch us in
deep ways because a good story uses images and pictures that
are close to us and help us understand with both our head and heart what the
story-teller is trying to get across to us. A story can change us in deep life
altering ways. Growing up in the church, it was the stories of Jesus’ grace
filled encounters with people that finally got to me and helped me to give my
dreams and life over to Jesus: the stories of Jesus and the Samaritan woman,
the woman caught in adultery, of Zacchaeus the tax collector; all people who
lived on the fringes of society, not really accepted by the people around them and
yet embraced and shown acceptance by Jesus. Then there are the stories of the
lives of Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and others who inspired me to completely
trust Jesus and search for his call on my life.
Jesus is a master story-teller, able to touch the
hearts and souls of the people around him, teaching us to see the world through
the eyes of God. Often, we only see what’s directly in front of us like a horse
wearing blinkers to keep it staring only ahead in a narrow line, unable to see
the amazing things of God that surround us. In the stories of Jesus, we meet
his Father over and over again. Jesus reminds us that God is our father and his
love and his desire is for us to come home to him. He uses the images of
everyday life to show us what the kingdom of God is all about. Because of this,
the people were fascinated by Jesus and came from all over the area to hear
Jesus speak.
The Jewish people were looking for a
messiah, God’s
promised messiah whom he was sending and would save them. The people kept
looking back to the good old days when their own king sat on the throne in
Israel. It’s kind of like today, where so many followers of Jesus keep looking
back to the good old days when politicians and leaders listened to the church
and Christianity was the dominant force in society. So many followers of Jesus
continue to be shocked that our governments no longer listen to churches and
shape society around what the church tells them is right and wrong. This past
week the Alberta government threatened to pull finding from any school that
refuses to allow GSAs. The problem with looking back to the good old days is that
they often aren’t nearly as good as we think they are. There’s a reason God
sent his people Israel into exile and let them be conquered by their enemies,
there’s a reason why so many people have walked away from the church and
Christianity in our own life-times. We too often focused on the sin, forgetting
how much Jesus loves the sinner. We forget we’re also sinners.
Jesus is the Messiah, but he doesn’t
come to set up a throne, instead he uses stories to show us the true kingdom of
God. A large crowd is gathering around Jesus. He often taught outside the
cities where more people could gather around and hear him, so I’m imagining
Jesus standing on a small hill surrounded by farmers’ fields when he sees a
farmer working in the field, planting seed. In Jesus’ day the farmers planted
their seed by taking it in their hands or a scoop and scattering the seed in a
side to side motion over the ground. Jesus says, “A
farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along
the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky
ground and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred
times what was sown.”
Jesus explains the story, telling us that the seed is the word of God. The farmer scattering the
seed scatters it generously, he’s not stingy in throwing the seed around
because the more generous he is in scattering the seed, the larger the crop. When
we hear Jesus talk about the word of God we hear the word ‘Bible,’ but for the people listening to Jesus they heard something
else. They heard Jesus say the teachings and calls of the prophets to return to
God was being scattered into their hearts, the wonder and beauty in creation
itself was calling them to God, the words of the Torah was being planted in
their lives and the still quiet voice of God was being set into their hearts,
minds and souls, calling them to be with God and listen to his voice, his love,
and his call on their lives. God’s word is not only the words in this wonderful
book he’s given us; it’s every way he’s reaching out to us.
Jesus explains that the soils the seed
falls on
are the heart conditions of the people. Some people will never accept Jesus no
matter how often they hear the word of God; it’s like the seed on the pathway.
Some people believe the word of God when they hear it, but there’s no depth in
their hearts and lives for the word of God to be nourished and grow, so it
fades away after a while like the rocky soil. Other people hear and accept the
word of God, but then get distracted by the worries and pleasures of the world
and so the word of God is choked out and Jesus gets forgotten.
The majority of the seed falls on fertile
ground
where it multiples like crazy. These people accept the word of God and it
changes their lives! Today, these are the people who accept Jesus as their
Saviour, knowing that they’re sinners unable to save themselves and need Jesus’
sacrifice on the cross to make them right with God again. This changes their
lives; life becomes an expression of gratitude and grace because know they’re
forgiven and accepted and want everyone else to experience the same life
changing relationship with Jesus. This is what Jesus is getting at when he says
the good soil “stands for those with a noble and true
heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
When I hear this story of Jesus, it gives
me hope.
The word of God is getting scattered around generously and there’s plenty of
opportunity to hear it and grow your relationship with God through Jesus. I
know my heart and I know it’s not always good soil in there. There are rocky
places and plenty of thorns in my heart and life. Remember, Jesus is using the
image of a farmer for a reason, a farmer is always working his fields to make
them better. I remember growing up helping out on my uncles’ farms, every spring they headed out into the fields to pick rocks, the first crop of the year as one of
my uncles said. They worked hard every year to expand their fields, turning over new
fields after clearing them and getting rid of the weeds and thorns. It’s hard
work to create good soil.
If you feel as if your faith isn’t as
exciting
as when you first accepted Jesus, it feels like life is dusty and dry, Jesus
reminds us that he’s the living water and is willing to water our souls and
work with us to pick the rocks out of our lives that try to prevent the word of
God from setting deep roots in our hearts. When worry creeps in and creates
fear and anxiety, when your life begins to revolve around the next toy, the
newer car, the next promotion or big deal, Jesus reminds us that true joy and
meaning are found in a relationship with him. He offers you peace and brings
meaning and purpose as he invites you to join him in growing the kingdom of God,
beginning with your own heart.
Jesus comes to bring new life, he goes to the
cross to deal with those rocks, thorns and hard soils in our hearts that are
there because of sin and washes them away and brings forgiveness, acceptance
and grace. As Jesus ends the story, he reminds us that hearing
and embracing the word of God is the heart of God’s kingdom. You were
led here this morning by the Holy Spirit in one way or another to open your
heart to the living water, the new life found in Jesus, to get your heart soil
worked over by the Holy Spirit to get you to Jesus or to give you a story from
the Master Story-teller to scatter this week wherever the Holy Spirit leads you.
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