So many of us look for gratification in an instant, or at least, I do. It’s easy to do so because in some senses our brains are wired that way. Take the first bite of food when meals have been long delayed and in that first bite you will find a chemical release in the brain to the effect of “aaah”. Its better if the food is something we like, but satisfying a hunger is not something that takes an inordinate amount of time, just sit, eat, and in 30-45 minutes (on the high side), you go from hungry to satisfied. If you chose healthy foods, your body will continue to thank you for several hours, and if your choices are consistent in healthy foods, your body will thank you with a richer life generally over a longer span. But you can’t feel that same gratification of health and long life in a moment. That takes time and history to demonstrate.
Relationships provide a similar gratification model. Courtship, when romance is new, provides those immediate chemical lifts in the brain. A body just feels good in the presence of that one we seek, and long to pour out our affection upon. Intimacy may be the height of that expression, but even simple human contact can go a long way in the brain in satisfying our need to love and be loved in return. Like healthy choices in our diets, healthy choices in our relationships can yield a level of satisfaction and comfort in our entire lives the depth and breadth of which we cannot contain in just a few moments in time. Looking back over years however, into relationships founded in Jesus, intimacy will have grown, unity will have grown, even similarity in tastes and interests will have grown (never identical, but enriched from the embrace of tolerance and a desire to please). None of the real benefits of a loving relationships can be captured completely in any one moment. Instead moments accumulate, and aggregate over time. The present and the end being ever better than yesterday ever could, defying imagination.
But still we search out the gratification that happens in the moment. Even rising from a night’s deep sleep has a satisfying appeal. And on occasion, when any gratification is not fast enough, we tend to make worse choices to try to compensate for the delay we are reluctant to wait out. I want the good health, and I know my life will be better with it, but a string of donuts just seems to have my name on them. For me, this “Dunkin Donuts” phenomenon is not isolated just to my choices in diet. The same, get rich-quick-ideas, begin to infect my notions of spiritual growth. In fact, I wonder who ever coined the phrase “spiritual growth”, isn’t it possible to just get there, and be there, and not have to wait? I mean, look at what happens in the resurrection of the righteous; everything is transformed in the “twinkling of an eye”. Whatever work that has not been completed in us by then, will be completed in a moment. So why is that moment delayed in the here and now? Why do we have to endure “journey”, instead of just attain immediate “arrival”?
Matthew wrote about this rather unpleasant notion of delays in his gospel in chapter thirteen. Don’t get me wrong, the fact that there is journey gives us hope. Being stuck in our sins, just as we are today, would be crushing. But being freed from them quickly is a hard idea to let pass-by without human regret. Strangely, these concepts emerge from the lips of Jesus Himself, through the mechanism of parables. And while a parable is obviously not a direct examination of facts, the themes and concepts reveal a truth that only stories do. And when every parable in a series are based on the same commonality, the same underlying theme, it is even more difficult to ignore, or press for some other way that “we” might prefer, but the Savior clearly does not. The context for the preaching begins picking up in verse 1 saying … “The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. [verse 2] And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. [verse 3] And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;”
The same day Matthew talks about is a continuation of the preaching Jesus has been doing, likely in the home of Peter, where Jesus’ mother, brother, and sister were unable to gain access to Him because of how packed the crowd size was. It looks as though crowds continue to grow there, so Jesus decides to go down to the shores of the Sea where there might be better acoustics and more room for such a great crowd. But even here the people continue to press in upon Him, to the point where it is getting impractical to preach even here. The solution presents itself in the form of a small boat which Jesus gets in and takes just a little way offshore. Jesus is then able to preach there while the people make themselves comfortable on the beaches, and up the nearby hills around the water, somehow able to hear every word He utters. Jesus opens with a parable (or targeted story) about a farmer. Any story about a farmer does not present a get-rich-quick model, the farming model is anything but. And so this story stays in the lane of a journey, not an instant arrival.
Jesus continues in verse 4 saying … “And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:” The notion of planting seeds itself creates an entire series of events that will need to follow in order for a harvest to be gained at the end of what is clearly a process. No farmer goes out, plants a seed in the morning, and harvests an orange tree in the afternoon, or wheat, or any other kind of fruit, vegetable, or nut we eat from plants planted in the morning. It is going to take time from seed to harvest, that timing fact is indisputable. Thus this parable relies upon a model of journey, not instant arrival. The other ideas of this story are worth examination. This farmer would appear to be a bit careless to us. Instead of first plowing only a dedicated place in the earth, and only there planting His seed, He throws it nearly everywhere He goes. And so this story is about how the earth and conditions react to having seed thrown there, not about a restrictive Farmer who only plants in a dedicated place.
Before we continue with the story it might be worth getting the explanation in real time (for those of us who hate waiting) 😊. Jesus offers that interpretation Himself beginning in verse 18 saying … “Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. [verse 19] When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.” The Word of God is the seed. The Farmer is Jesus. The folks who hear it are us, the people of the world, and of the church. And as sad as it is to say, even when Jesus, through the means of the Holy Spirit, brings to us His word, we sometimes are reluctant to hear His word, delivered His way. Instead we maintain our own ideas about what His Word says. We look at the same words, and continue to hold to an entirely different interpretation than the lens of the Love of God might reveal to us. This stubborn internal interpretation stands against what Jesus says, and what Jesus means. It might even have the complete support of the church, as it did in the days of Christ Himself. It is entirely possible “the church”, that is “any” church could be wrong about what Jesus is trying to tell them.
And in this error is found a foothold for the devil to use this stubborn point-of-view as leverage to bring down the rest of our faith, until no faith remains. He only needs on stubborn point-of-view we refuse to yield, whether that is church doctrine, or our own stubborn ego that will not let go to the leadership of Jesus trying to get us His message, His way, into our stubborn hearts. To refuse to be led is to open this door wide open. The phenomenon is no different than what you have in your real life every day. You watch CNN or FOX news, and you must make a choice what to believe. The same events are portrayed widely differently, from widely different perspectives, and you must choose which one you believe. That choice is often governed by your point-of-view long before you turn on the television itself. You watch the one that already fits your point-of-view, and perhaps only consider changing the channel when the story or presentation does not. You likely have some friend which you can listen to, and believe implicitly. Others you listen to, but take nearly every word with a grain of salt. This comes from experience that has likely taught you (perhaps the hard way), who you can believe, and who you should validate highly before you do so.
Understand here though, it is not just the fact that you have an incorrect point-of-view that leads to the trouble of a lack of harvest. It is that you refuse to be led. It is that you refuse to hear what Jesus says, clinging rather to what you want to believe, or what your church tells you to believe. What Love has to say, what Truth has to say, what the Holy Spirit is prompting you to reconsider; are all things you discard in favor of the certainty of your point-of-view. You lack trust in Jesus to perhaps know better than you, or the church, or anyone else might “know”. And in this condition, the devil attacks. You are not just left alone, you are under attack by satanic forces. And with this improper understanding you leave yourself open to a chain of events, which eventually deny a loving God, and embrace the “power” of self-reliance and self-love. This attack is relentless and spoils what otherwise might have been a full harvest based on Trust in the Truth, and the Love of God.
Let us return to the parable in verse 5 saying … “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: [verse 6] And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” Yikes, this sound like me, and folks like me, who look for the quick fix, instead of the recognition of the journey itself. The interpretation is found in verse 20 saying … “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; [verse 21] Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” Yup, looks like I was right. We have moved from an audience of folks outside of the church to an audience of folks inside the church (in case that was not clear). This section of the story talks about people who hear the word, understand it, and embrace it, at least at first.
The Love of God has a very strong initial appeal to anyone who hears it. It is a very strong lure, as only love can truly be. So in this case, that love is embraced with joy. Folks in the church might remember when the gospel of Jesus saving them caused joy within them. But for Jesus to save you, you must allow Him to save you, just like you did when you first heard the word. What happens here is not a day-one problem, it is a day-two problem. You hear the word and then after the feelings subside, it comes down to “now what”? Forgiveness has been assured so you have that. Salvation has been promised so you believe you should have that. But 2 months after a baptism, or first acceptance of Jesus, comes the nagging question “now what”? And to answer that question, your friends, family, and the church have an entire list of things for you to do to fill it that are missing one critical ingredient.
You are told to pray more, read more, study the word more, attend church more, and perhaps even take a leadership position in the church ministries area somewhere. This list is not a bad one. This like might have secondary benefits for you and people you serve. But at its heart, this list is a list, a set of activities designed to distract your brain from asking the critical question “now what”? The entire list is designed to bring you closer to God, but that closeness is based on what you do, what actions you take. Then there is the experimental learners list. These are the folks who do and recommend to you, that you do what Jesus did. Instead of reading and praying and being largely alone, or relying upon group think, they ask you to do what Jesus did with others. Get out there and feed the homeless, shelter those in need, reach out to the poor, the sick, and the ones in prison. Don’t just focus on kids in the church, reach out to kids on the street, or kids who have little to eat.
Another excellent set of recommendations that constitute nothing more than another list. And frankly both lists are awesome sounding lists of distraction designed to keep you from asking the nagging question “now what”? The essential problem here is that by following both lists, you “do” the work of getting closer to Jesus in your own hands, for your own reasons. You are not being led, you are leading. You are busy in doing this, perhaps too busy to hear a still small voice. “Who” you are has not changed. Not at all. You may find pleasure, and spiritual “joy” in following the lists, or you may just be getting tired of following them. The basic problem there is that you are “doing” your salvation, instead of having Jesus “be” your salvation. Any changes in you, are likely coming from what “you” do, and therefore are short lived. You are not truly trusting Jesus to save you, because you are not submitting first and asking Him what He wants. Being led, is entirely different than presuming leadership, or taking action blindly.
When Jesus drives your car, you will go to places you did not imagine. Not because they were on a list, but because that is where Jesus wants you to be. Like Jonah, you may highly prefer NOT to go. Like Saul, you may believe you are not worthy of being there and are the “smallest” of your church or faith. But where Jesus brings you is where He wants you to be. Who you encounter then, becomes who He wants you to reach out to. That may just be an old nemesis at work, or a long-estranged family member, or worse one of those “sinner” people who exist outside of the church and commit plain and open sins on purpose with no regard for the law or obedience or any other list. But if you submit, submit your desires, and submit your thinking, you will grow and have a testimony only you can actually have. Submission leads to transformation, and a harmony with how God loves. Without that in you first, all the actions are fruitless, or highly dwarfed compared to what they could be. Actions must begin with submission, and come from being led, not forever laying out your own pathway.
But folks who follow the distracted list method eventually wind up in the same place … offended. They are not ashamed of following Jesus, they are irked that they do not get enough credit for what they do. A great minister should be a GREAT minister, recognized by his congress and congregation for what he does. A great worker for the poor should be honored for his work, and cheered on by his peers. Humble service is only humble when other people are watching, and great works for those in need are only great if they are cataloged somewhere. When disputes over doctrine arise, churches split because the ego of believers would rather split than find resolution, common ground, or failing that, tolerance. Instead the ego of these believers leads them to equate “the Word of the Lord”, with the position they hold in their minds, the other guys clearly wrong, and the survival of the faith dependent upon separation with those others, who are now clearly wicked people. They offend us with their presence. We must depart from them immediately.
Whether conservative or liberal in positions and inclinations, the result of following the list-based method of distracting yourself from the nagging question “now what?” leads to the same result … offended. The joy of first hearing that Jesus would save you, is lost in trying to figure out what to “do” next, instead of figuring out how to “submit” next and let Jesus drive the car completely. Instead of learning to follow His leadership we assert ourselves believing “we” must do something. And the still small voice is over-shouted. And the ones who truly need us never find us, because we never go there, preferring to stay out of Nineveh, leading a quiet happy life in the hills of Judea, never having encountered a whale let alone be saved from its belly by a force far greater than ourselves. And the potential Jonah becomes an influential member of the Sanhedrin, “doing” what he believes is right, while the people of an entire city perish for lack of him following God and reaching out to the broken when called. For who could hear the call, we were talking too loud already. And besides those Ninevites offend me, with all their wicked ways, and unrepentant attitude about it. This section of the parable was targeted at those in the church.
Returning to the parable we pick up in verse 7 saying … “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:” The usual thought here is that the company we keep acted as the devils agents in our demise but hold that thought. Jesus interprets in verse 22 saying … “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” Aaarrgh! American idealism exposed for what it is in two quick verses, a method of finding your way out of harvest. Again the audience is inside the church, those who did hear the word, but were pragmatists. The pragmatic believer thinks the wealth of his church depends upon him, upon his gifts of tithe and offering. The pragmatic believer thinks his family should be safe and sound first, before charity can truly begin. The pragmatic believer accepts the ideas of the ”blessings” of wealth, not of destitute dependence. And so is deceived by riches.
How many of us have prayed to “win the lottery, so that we can fund various ministries in need”. How many of us have prayed for that job, that promotion, that bonus, so we can pay off our debts and keep our family secure. And how many of us have been willing to work to get there, skip the vacations, work the excessively long hours, miss meals, miss kid’s events, be more or less an absent parent in favor of providing bread on the table and a roof over the head. How many families use day care, because both parents work, because “they have no choice”. How many of those same families skip tithe or offerings all together because there is “no” increase, too much debt, and are barely scraping by at the moment. We shun charity because of our pride. We buy things that perpetually keep us in debt. And the deceitfulness of riches is something we consider a message for somebody else. After all, we are in the church, and we are only being pragmatic, relying upon “doing our best” and waiting for the Lord to “do His part”.
But that is not how salvation works. That is not how total trust in Jesus works. It is how we try to hold on to control, keep our faith in ourselves and what we “can do” not in the nebulous promises of some old book 4000 years in the making. Faith, in the world of pragmatism, is the last straw, the last option, after all other actions have already been exhausted. It is never the first thing, the first option, only the last. And deceitfulness robs us of what could have otherwise been real blessing and real salvation and real change in us.
Jesus concludes the story of this particular parable beginning in verse 8 saying … “But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. [verse 9] Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” He then interprets in verse 23 saying … “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” The journey is not the same for everyone. The potential of every life is not the same. But the theme is. The results are similar even if the path taken, and the end result differ in expression. Hearing the word is the beginning. Understanding it, that is letting it change “who” you are. This is understanding not based in lists of activities, but in full submission and surrender to Jesus, for Jesus to do ALL the work of saving you and perfecting you. Throw the lists out the window and let Jesus decide what today will bring, and only today. Because today is all you get.
And what happens to your life? What is the answer to “now what?” It is submit, and open your eyes. Some will have thirty, but not just thirty people they influence towards the kingdom of heaven, not just thirty but thirtyfold. Thirty times some number. Or sixty times some number. Or a hundred times some number. Maybe the base number is only you, but maybe they multiply against each other – thirty times sixty times one hundred. Or maybe they multiply annually, each year taking 30 times 60 times 100, and multiplying that sum again each year. The point is not the size of the harvest, it is that there will be one. The reason why giving you instant attainment is not the right idea, is that you would miss the harvest every year and lose the testimony that comes from growth. The failures may not be your proudest moments, but the redemption from those failures point others to “how” to connect to Jesus to see perfection begin in them as well. Learning to trust, instead of do, takes time.
And other people are impacted and affected along the way. To lose your own journey is to lose your opportunity to accompany others in theirs. The point of redemption is not just about you, it is about the entire world. Instant attainment of perfection leaves you with too big a mystery to explain, and too little time to learn to truly trust in Jesus to save what ONLY Jesus can save, namely you. What we miss, will be completed at the end of all things. But what we might impact before then could be substantial. Not because it was a line item on a list of things meant for you to do to keep you focused on the fact you were doing something. But because what you do, is what He leads you to do. It will not always go perfectly. You will make mistakes. But you will learn from them. And when your motives come from a harmony with God, through a submission to Jesus, then “who” you are led to, will make all the difference in the world.
I pray we have the surrender to be “Jonah”, and not just read his story. I pray we have the submission to be “Daniel” or make a different ending for “Saul” should the temptation of power and wealth ever come our way. Instead of doing what we think is right, and believing we have certainty in His word – let us be led to what He thinks is right, and hear His Word the way His Love shows us, through a lens of Jesus Christ, and through a still small Voice, that we do not ignore, or over-shout with our arrogance and pride. Even when our beliefs are grounded in the church and its traditions, there is room to be wrong, and room to hear Him over the noise. And these thematic parables had only just begun …
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