The Parable of the Sower: A Response

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Matt 13:1-8

Closing my eyes I envision myself as one of the crowd. While on the riverbank your robe grazes me as you walk past. I look up trying to see your face, but you were ahead of me by the time my gaze meets the height of your face. I heard what you said. I really like the last part about the seed growing to way more then I’d expected. I don’t know who I am in the story yet, but if I’m the seed, I hope to be the one that grows and multiplies 100 fold. I wonder; will I be able to look out and see my crop or vineyard one day?

“Well done!” “Good and faithful!” “Blessed!” that’s all I want to hear. If I’m the farmer, I hope when I see you we will sit, and you’ll listen as I tell you about how good a farmer I’ve been, scattering seed as I trod through this life. But I’m a city boy. I don’t know the first thing about farming. Except that to get milk I got to fiddle with the cows udders. And that chickens give you eggs, so if I do it write I won’t starve.

I’m also not perfect. I make mistakes and I don’t always get it right. That’s what I appreciate about some of the songs we sing... “I came here broken yet you made me whole.” “I came here mourning but you give me joy.” “Hearts returning to you, broken lives are made new.”… It gives me hope. I’m my worst critic. As your farmer, I will probably be shocked at how big my crop is. I may even be curled up in a ball, soaking the ground with tears of joy or amazement. This will happen after I beat you in a thousand meter dash of course ;)