July 10, 2011
4 Pentecost, Proper 10
Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 – 23
I considered reading just the first part of the Gospel and not the ending because I think the ending throws us off track. The ending of the reading, with its ostensible explanation of Jesus’ parable of the Sower, seems to fly in the face of everything Jesus was about. He so often spoke in parables because he wanted his listeners to really take in and think about what he was saying. Jesus rarely made things easy for his listeners. He wanted them to get inside the stories he told, maybe even to be shocked by them, but to come away with lots of questions and keep pondering them for their lifetimes. But instead, the early church couldn’t resist throwing an answer in there. Most commentators agree that this interpretation of the parable that takes up the second half of our reading this morning is a later addition. It’s an explanation of the parable that suited the Church in the time and place where it found itself. And it’s certainly one possible interpretation of the parable; but it’s not the interpretation of the parable. That just isn’t how parables work. Parables are meant to be open and layered and deep and changing.
Every time we read the parable with the explanation attached, it shortcuts our imagination. It’s like doing your homework with the answer key open – only the answer key is skewed, or at least incomplete. And if all you do is read the question and skip to the answer and assume it’s right, you never really get to the heart of the question.
So let’s try this parable again. Pretend you didn’t hear that so-called explanation that we just read. But this time, instead of just listening, we’ll experience the parable.
(This is when the kids from the congregation came up to help - I wish I had pictures - they were great!)
Once there was a sower, someone who scatters seeds. (blow bubbles) The sower went out and scattered seeds.
Some seeds fell alongside the path and the birds of the air came and ate them up. (kids tried to pop bubbles with stuffed bird toys)
Other seeds fell on rocky ground (kids put out stones), where they didn’t have much soil. (kids act out the seed's movements) The seeds sprung up quickly, but when the seeds tried to put their little roots down among the stones, they could not push their way into the ground. So when the sun rose, they were scorched and withered away.
(Kids put out sticks, then act out the seed's movements) Other seeds fell among thorns. The seeds began to grow but then the thorns grew up and choked them.
Other seeds fell on good soil. (Kids act out) The seeds were able to push their little roots down into the good soil and they grew and grew. When they were all grown and ripe for the harvest, they were gathered up. (Group hug)
And the harvest was thirty, sixty, one hundred bushels of grain.
(Then the adults were brought in with some Godly Play style wondering. I've tried to summarize what I remember from the answers. Great stuff!)
I wonder who could the Sower really be?
(A few answers from the congregation:
-God? If so, scattering seed with great abandon! Abundance, generosity, persistence. Eventually produces bountiful growth.
-How wasteful this would have seemed in Jesus’ day!
-Jesus? Investing so much in those who don’t look very promising to the outside world. Tax collectors, sinners, stubborn disciples
-Us? Called to be as abundant and generous as God – shout the good news to all who would hear it and share our love with everyone
I wonder what the Sower used for seed?
-Jesus
-Word of God, Bible, even this parable
-Love
-Maybe not a one time thing, but constant and everywhere – surrounded by seeds all the time and some we notice and take in and others pass us by
-Seed as small, mysterious, working below the surface – not showy and obvious
I wonder what are all the different places where the seed falls?
-Different types of people as the different possible soils; soil’s different ways of responding to the seeds as our different receptivity to God
-Our goal is to become the good soil and bear fruit – through prayer, works of love, discerning and listening for God
-Each of us as entire Path - We each experience each of these types of soil. (Together or over life time.) God keeps trying to reach each of us until it finally gets through – persistence of God!
-God’s working in the world over time? Abundant harvest is God’s vision for the world that will take root and flourish in due time
-Soil can’t change itself, but Sower keeps on scattering seed anyway – maybe something will get in there!
I wonder what the birds are?
-In the parable words, the birds seem bad, but in this story for Godly Play, the birds come in a gold box and are the same birds used in the parable of the mustard seed that grows so large that the birds of the air come and make their nest in it.
-Maybe birds as the people of the world that may not be the expected ones to take in the seeds but might help to expand God’s reach even further (often they carry seeds in their own way and end up planting them elsewhere)
-Or birds as bad - the things that come and steal away the seeds before you even get a chance
I wonder what the rocks are?
-Things in our path making it difficult for the seed to grow in us
-Pain and trouble, oppression.
-Things that wear us down and weary us.
I wonder what the thorns are?
-Things growing in us that might seem innocent but can grow strong and choke the seed
-Riches, success, busy-ness, bad influences, fear,
-Systemic evils in the world
I wonder what the good earth is?
-Carefully prepared with prayer, love, discernment and therefore receptive?
-If prepared, by whom? Not by the soil – by the Sower!
-Or just lucky?
I wonder what the harvest could really be?
-Beyond what anyone ever expected – incredibly abundant harvest
-Like the squash that Don Heinrichs is giving away – enough for everyone to end up with, even those like us who ignored our pitiful little gardens and don’t deserve them
-The Kingdom of God
-Christians
4 Pentecost, Proper 10
Matthew 13: 1 - 9, 18 – 23
I considered reading just the first part of the Gospel and not the ending because I think the ending throws us off track. The ending of the reading, with its ostensible explanation of Jesus’ parable of the Sower, seems to fly in the face of everything Jesus was about. He so often spoke in parables because he wanted his listeners to really take in and think about what he was saying. Jesus rarely made things easy for his listeners. He wanted them to get inside the stories he told, maybe even to be shocked by them, but to come away with lots of questions and keep pondering them for their lifetimes. But instead, the early church couldn’t resist throwing an answer in there. Most commentators agree that this interpretation of the parable that takes up the second half of our reading this morning is a later addition. It’s an explanation of the parable that suited the Church in the time and place where it found itself. And it’s certainly one possible interpretation of the parable; but it’s not the interpretation of the parable. That just isn’t how parables work. Parables are meant to be open and layered and deep and changing.
Every time we read the parable with the explanation attached, it shortcuts our imagination. It’s like doing your homework with the answer key open – only the answer key is skewed, or at least incomplete. And if all you do is read the question and skip to the answer and assume it’s right, you never really get to the heart of the question.
So let’s try this parable again. Pretend you didn’t hear that so-called explanation that we just read. But this time, instead of just listening, we’ll experience the parable.
(This is when the kids from the congregation came up to help - I wish I had pictures - they were great!)
Once there was a sower, someone who scatters seeds. (blow bubbles) The sower went out and scattered seeds.
Some seeds fell alongside the path and the birds of the air came and ate them up. (kids tried to pop bubbles with stuffed bird toys)
Other seeds fell on rocky ground (kids put out stones), where they didn’t have much soil. (kids act out the seed's movements) The seeds sprung up quickly, but when the seeds tried to put their little roots down among the stones, they could not push their way into the ground. So when the sun rose, they were scorched and withered away.
(Kids put out sticks, then act out the seed's movements) Other seeds fell among thorns. The seeds began to grow but then the thorns grew up and choked them.
Other seeds fell on good soil. (Kids act out) The seeds were able to push their little roots down into the good soil and they grew and grew. When they were all grown and ripe for the harvest, they were gathered up. (Group hug)
And the harvest was thirty, sixty, one hundred bushels of grain.
(Then the adults were brought in with some Godly Play style wondering. I've tried to summarize what I remember from the answers. Great stuff!)
I wonder who could the Sower really be?
(A few answers from the congregation:
-God? If so, scattering seed with great abandon! Abundance, generosity, persistence. Eventually produces bountiful growth.
-How wasteful this would have seemed in Jesus’ day!
-Jesus? Investing so much in those who don’t look very promising to the outside world. Tax collectors, sinners, stubborn disciples
-Us? Called to be as abundant and generous as God – shout the good news to all who would hear it and share our love with everyone
I wonder what the Sower used for seed?
-Jesus
-Word of God, Bible, even this parable
-Love
-Maybe not a one time thing, but constant and everywhere – surrounded by seeds all the time and some we notice and take in and others pass us by
-Seed as small, mysterious, working below the surface – not showy and obvious
I wonder what are all the different places where the seed falls?
-Different types of people as the different possible soils; soil’s different ways of responding to the seeds as our different receptivity to God
-Our goal is to become the good soil and bear fruit – through prayer, works of love, discerning and listening for God
-Each of us as entire Path - We each experience each of these types of soil. (Together or over life time.) God keeps trying to reach each of us until it finally gets through – persistence of God!
-God’s working in the world over time? Abundant harvest is God’s vision for the world that will take root and flourish in due time
-Soil can’t change itself, but Sower keeps on scattering seed anyway – maybe something will get in there!
I wonder what the birds are?
-In the parable words, the birds seem bad, but in this story for Godly Play, the birds come in a gold box and are the same birds used in the parable of the mustard seed that grows so large that the birds of the air come and make their nest in it.
-Maybe birds as the people of the world that may not be the expected ones to take in the seeds but might help to expand God’s reach even further (often they carry seeds in their own way and end up planting them elsewhere)
-Or birds as bad - the things that come and steal away the seeds before you even get a chance
I wonder what the rocks are?
-Things in our path making it difficult for the seed to grow in us
-Pain and trouble, oppression.
-Things that wear us down and weary us.
I wonder what the thorns are?
-Things growing in us that might seem innocent but can grow strong and choke the seed
-Riches, success, busy-ness, bad influences, fear,
-Systemic evils in the world
I wonder what the good earth is?
-Carefully prepared with prayer, love, discernment and therefore receptive?
-If prepared, by whom? Not by the soil – by the Sower!
-Or just lucky?
I wonder what the harvest could really be?
-Beyond what anyone ever expected – incredibly abundant harvest
-Like the squash that Don Heinrichs is giving away – enough for everyone to end up with, even those like us who ignored our pitiful little gardens and don’t deserve them
-The Kingdom of God
-Christians
Comments
Post a Comment