Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23 Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Reflection Jesus is not stingy with his seeds or with his words. Holding nothing back he broadcasts both seeds and words without judgment or concern about the lay of the land or the precondition of the listener. How is Jesus able to do this?
I believe Jesus is able to extravagantly give himself away because he is not attached to outcome. He is fully aware that all manner of conditions will interfere with the fruitful propagation of seeds across the land, still he lavishly disperses them. Likewise, Jesus has no illusion that his words will take root in the hearts of all the people and change the world, still he freely disseminates his wisdom knowing that one seed can bring forth multitudes of grain, one person who hears and understands his words can generate boundless goodness.
Now if Jesus is satisfied with impressing a few fruitful seeds and gainful listeners, I wonder why many of us think we have to come up with strategies and action plans to change the world? Instead of being stymied by the prospect of having to execute world transforming action plans, thereby consigning ourselves to endless head scratching, team meetings and entropy, what if we took Jesus’ seed spewing example to heart?
What if we decided to distribute our love and desire for goodness wholeheartedly, without judging the hearers nor the seeking visible effects of our love?
Many years ago I had a twelve year old client (the youngest I ever saw) who when introduced to me screamed hysterically and became violent. One year later I agreed to see him again. This time he sat across from me in silence, until he squeezed his substantial body under a chair, where he remained in silence for the duration of our meeting at which time I said, “Thank you for being with me today.” This monthly event proceeded unchanged for nearly a year except that eventually he would fall asleep under the chair, until one he day got under the chair, propped his head up and looked at me. I said, “It is good to see you.” I cannot remember what he said, but for the first time he did not look afraid.
What does it take for our souls to feel safe, to come out of hiding and be seen? It takes whatever it takes. No treatment plan or program strategy will guarantee an outcome. All we can do is stand with Jesus at our side, refusing to be stingy with the seeds of our love, withholding judgment and forgetting about outcome.
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