The parables re-imagined

A common expression of Idiom used in American culture is “Let the chips fall where they may” the idea is that once you hedge your bets, let everything unfold and fall into place as it will. It’s similar to phrases such as “Cest’la vie” or such is life. For years I believed this Idiom came about from gambling and card games. However I learned that gambles and card players simple adopted the phrase, they didn’t invent it. The origin of the phrase seems to be found in wood chipping. The process of wood chipping is a messy one. Whether done with a modern day wood-chipper, or by hand, the messy nature of the work cannot be helped. Wood-chips are going to fly in every which direction, and there really isn’t much that can be done in the way of prevention. If you are trying to you are going to be exhausted and frustrated beyond belief. The best thing to do is simple to let the wood chips fall where they may. Hence the expression “Let the chips fall where they may” When the phrase was adopted and used by card-players, it utilized a similar sentiment. Once the bet has been placed and the work has been done, you’ve exercised everything in your power. You now just have to wait and see what happens. Jesus tells a parable which follows a similar mindset of “Let the chips fall where they may” and it’s a parable we are no doubt familiar with. This is the parable of the sower.

READ Matthew 13:1-9

Matthew 13:1–9 ESV

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.”

This is the parable the people Jesus was teaching found confusing. This parable might also be confusing to us, however it wouldn’t be confusing for the same reason. So why might this parable be confusing to a modern 21st century. So why might this parable be confusing to us?

When we picture farming, we picture large acreage fields that are often plowed and fertilized before the farmer ever plants anything. We imagine layers upon layers of deeply rich soil, as we have in Mid-West.

So when we read the parable of the sower, many people will be like Howard Knox. They wonder why the sower was being so careless. Many would assume throwing seeds into the road would require someone to be oblivious, because the roads running alongside fields in the U.S are usually separated from fields by a ditch, plus the roads are usually obvious, there is no mistaking what they are. However this would not be the case in first century Galilee. Walking paths and roads pass through property, they aren’t separated, and they aren’t always obvious.

We also wonder why the sower just throws seeds into the rocks. The fact the sower doesn’t seem to notice the rocks is perplexing. However this isn’t the best way to understand this. Farming today requires a lot of plowing and disking BEFORE planting. In the first century Galilee farmers wouldn’t often plow the ground until AFTER the seeds were planted. Therefore many farmers wouldn’t recognize rocky ground until after the seeds were planted. So the best approach for the time would to simply scatter the seed and let the chips fall as they may

So why was it confusing to Jesus audience? They would have understood agriculture of the day. They would have a clear picture of what Jesus is talking about, they wouldn’t understand how it applies. The gospel message hadn’t really taken root yet. Jesus was in the process of introducing it. The people where still living under the old covenant. The idea of the word of God having to take root seemed ridiculous. Because the word of God was already rooted in his people. However as we can see, the gospel message would not always took root so easily.

Because of this confusion, Jesus further explains his parable

Matthew 13:18–23 ESV

“Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

When the sower throws the seed into the dirt where thorns choke the seeds out, we get this picture of the sower throwing seeds into briar patches. It seems careless and pointless. However in reality the thorns that choke the seeds would be at best small saplings when the sower scatters the seed. The crops and the thorns grow up together, and the thorns win out.

Application When we apply this sermon to our faith, there are 2 major approaches one can choose, and they are both correct. The 2 main approaches focus on the following topics from the story

The soil One of the possible understandings of this parable focuses on the soils. Essentially the parable asks the question which soil are you? The parable also offers caution, because the soils look the same on the surface. When the gospel is sown into our hearts, many of the hearts of man will look similar on the surface. However, after the gospel takes root, we learn whether a person's heart is like the soil on the road, the rocky soil, the thorn ridden soil, and the good soil. The parable urges us to be careful to ensure the soil of our hearts is rich, hearty, and good for growth.

The sower The other possible understanding of this parable focuses on the sower. The parable focuses on the plight and predicament of the sower. The sower looks in his fields, and he doesn’t know where the good soil is located. The only logical approach is to keep sowing seed, because the more seed you sow, the more likely you are to find good soil. The sower couldn’t get discouraged by the seeds that don’t take, but rather celebrate the seeds that do take into the soil. When we sow the gospel message, we don’t always know the status of the hearts the gospel lands upon. Therefore we the only thing we can do is to keep sowing, and keep believing the gospel. Or, in other words “Let the chips fall where they may. The hearts which either reject the gospel, or the hearts where the gospel is choked out can be an extremely discouraging thing to witness. However we cannot let discouragement win, we must keep sowing. We should always celebrate and find greater joy in the hearts where the gospel is rooted and flourishes, because as Jesus says, the fruit of that seed could produce a crop that is more bountiful than we ever imagined.

I will simply conclude with this. We must be like the sower. We must always keep sowing and believing in the gospel, and celebrating every instance where the gospel takes root.