Weedy Soil

Third in a series on the Parable of the Sower

In my last blog I mentioned that my garden has been under attack by a horde of ground hogs. I even had a dream that they jumped on my car in the drive way to distract me while a multitude ate every plant on our 2 acre plot. Needless to say I have been discouraged. Disheartened by the critters and my busy schedule I got behind in weeding my vegetable plot. At one stretch this summer, the weeds kind of took over. Not good for the few struggling veggies!

Jesus analyzed his Parable of the Sower this way: “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22-23, NIV) Jesus reveals to more hazards for any would-be follower of his. Two things get in the way of blossoming into true disciples: “worries of this life” and the “deceitfulness of wealth.” What does that look like in our daily lives?

“Worries of life” are simply the everyday stuff that we are engaged in. Sometimes career, family, taking care of the household chores, etc. can consume our thoughts and time. We just get so absorbed with normal stuff and worries over our life that we have no place for God. We effectively block him out of our life.

It is interesting that he describes wealth as deceitful. In our culture our dream is to acquire wealth. It is our dream because we think it brings security and because it communicates that we are important and successful. It begins with the idea that I should provide for my family or self, but easily becomes the focus of our lives. Life becomes good when we have more toys and a larger pay check. We pursue gaining and keeping more stuff. Jesus makes it clear elsewhere that we cannot serve two masters. Wealth cannot be our focus.

So if you are a normal American you probably have a weed problem. Pull up the weeds. Make sure that Jesus truly is at the center of your life.

Second in a series on the Parable of the Sower

I understand the frustrations of growing food. Between the drought and overly aggressive ground hogs, I am a frustrated gardener. I had such hopes when I prepared the soil and planted by seeds and transplanted my plants. But then the ground hogs went crazy. Suddenly they found ways to get through my impervious fence. Who knew they had ladders? Needless to say I was disappointed with the results.

I wonder what the Father feels when he sees countless would-be followers fizzle and fail to grow. They seem to receive the seed for a short season, but soon the plant dies without producing fruit. Jesus calls them shallow soil. Listen to his words!  “Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.” (Matt 13:5-6, NIV) Then he explains:  “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”  (Matt 13:20-21, NIV)

What might make our heart shallow? After the initial blush of excitement over the Christian faith, reality sets in. God does not insulate us from trouble. He does not protect us from opposition from our enemies. For some our bubble is burst. We only tried following Jesus because we thought it would help us. We though he promised: “Follow me and I will make your life easy!” In disappointment we step away from following the Lord.

If you have been disappointed because of false hopes, let me encourage you to remove the rocks from your soil. Listen to the call of Jesus. It includes suffering. We should expect nothing less than the treatment Jesus himself received. It is in those struggles that we are purified. It is in disappointments that we learn to trust and grow in faith. May you be blessed with rich soil to receive the powerful seed of God’s word!