As he often does, Jesus uses images familiar to his hearers. Today Our Lord presents an agrarian image—a farmer in the act of sowing seed. He does not sow the seed in a very methodical or meticulous way. He tosses it, scattering it recklessly. As a result, it lands on both good and bad soil. We might think him inefficient and wasteful.
This reveals something important and beautiful about God. Moved by a “reckless love,” God, sows the seed of his word, his message of life and salvation, relentlessly and broadly so that it might take root in all of us. God knocks even at the door of the heart that hesitates or refuses to open. God’s love which is a pure love, is not hindered by indifference, ingratitude or even animosity. He wants all to be saved.
The parable also tells us something about ourselves.
While the seed is disseminated broadly, the sower gets mixed results for his effort because the condition of the soil varies. We are that soil and the quality of our soil varies from person to person. This is what happens so often with the God’s word. This is why Pope Benedict could say that this parable is “autobiographical,” because it reflects the experience of Jesus. He experienced various responses to his teaching depending on disposition of his hearers.
For months, Mary dropped hints that she wanted a purse for her birthday. She strategically placed pictures of the purse about. George, her husband, found them taped the bathroom mirror, the TV remote, and the steering wheel of the car. George even received an email with a link to facilitate the purchase. The morning of her birthday, Mary found a beautifully wrapped gift on the breakfast table. Excitedly, she tore off the paper to reveal the gift of a blender.
What went wrong? Mary’s messages were clear enough, but George’s heart and head were not receptive. It is often that way in our relationship with God. Despite reading and hearing the word of God, the soil of our heart and mind is not receptive.
We are rarely just one type of soil, but all three described by Our Lord can be present in us at different times. There are times we shut down, stubbornly sticking to our own way of thinking. At times we can be shallow—enthusiastic for a time but then discouraged when the going gets tough. At other times, our life can become rather “thorny,” choked with distractions and misplaced loves that preclude God’s word from taking root.
What is our disposition when we receive God’s word”? What does the ground look like: a path, a stone, a thorn bush? With Fr. Nouwen we might pray, “Lord, how often have the worries of the world…choked your word. For your word to grow deep roots and yield a rich harvest, its needs a free, open, and untroubled heart. But how can your word be effective when it is received by a thorny heart, a heart restless and in turmoil? O Lord, give me a heart that can receive your word the way good soil receives the falling seed, and let your word produce new life and new love in the midst of this barren world.” [A Cry for Mercy]
