Matthew 13 1-9 2008
Pentecost 9
Matthew 13: 1-9
July 13, 2008
“Golf Anyone?”
Introduction: The parable of the Sower is such a familiar story. From Sunday school on, we’ve heard it. It’s easy to remember, and it seems readily understood. Besides, Jesus provides an explanation of His parable. For many of us, familiarity breeds boredom. We have heard the parable over and over and we are tempted to say yah, yah, yah, I’ve heard it already, I know it already. Even though we hear it with our ears we don’t always hear it or apply it to our lives. What was exciting becomes dull to our ears. With this dullness comes the distraction of the flesh, to think about things that are more exciting, like what were doing to after church today, what we will eat, or who we will see, where we will go. Even worse, with this parable we are tempted to think that it only applies to those other people…you know the ones…those outside of the church to whom the word of God will come, like seeds floating in the wind.
How can we hear the parable of the Sower in a way that is new and contemporary? How can we apply it to or own lives. Perhaps there is a way. Let me tell you the parable of the golfer.
I find golf to be an interesting game, over the years I have come to enjoy playing the game. I am even a peace with the fact that most of the time I don’t play it well. But I keep on playing and trying to get better, though not as often as I would like. I’ve noticed that people reactions are very similar to the way people hear and receive the word of God, like in the parable of the Sower.
Over the years I have invited people to play golf with me. Some of them have never tried the game before. Sometimes people react indifferently or even with hostility. They say, “Why would a person waist there time walking around chasing a little white ball with a stick in their hand?” They don’t want to listen to me as I explain that it is good exercise and can be a relaxing time away from the business of life. Their hearts a hard toward golf and they walk away.
Sometimes people accept my offer and join me for awhile. They hit a great drive off the tee. They look up with a smile, enjoying the moment, thinking how easy this game is. Then comes the next shot, the turf goes further then the ball, then the ball goes into the woods, then they loose the ball completely, and then they remember that that little white ball cost them a buck. Reluctantly they get out another one only to hit it in the lake. Finally they come to the conclusion, “Why would anyone want to play this stupid game?” They too, walk away, never to play again.
Sometimes I meet people that say they would love to play, “It’s a great game!” But I can’t play right now. “My honey do list is too long.” “I have to cut the grass.” “Can we play some other time?” Or, “Oh I’d love to play but to tell you the truth I’d rather throw a crescent shaped object at a stake in the ground.” We’ll OK, and of they go.
Sometimes I hear and see a positive response, “I’d love to play, can we play right now?” As we play I see that they are no better than me, some good shots, some bad shots and then some really bad shots. But after the round they say, “I really enjoyed playing with you. “When do you want to play again?” Golf, it sure is a great game.
So what does golf and all this have to do with the parable of the Sower? The Parable of the Sower is the story of God sowing the seeds of the good news in the soiled hearts of humans. What is the seed? It is the message that God loves us and sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world to save our sin soiled lives through His death on the cross. Without Him we were separated from God and destined to die without hope of living again. Through Jesus Christ, for all who believe in Him as their Savior, there is peace knowing that though we die we shall live again. The good news is that God is not distant from us. He wants to be part of our lives. More than that, He wants to be the center of our lives. This gives our lives purpose and meaning. We come to know God by knowing His Son Jesus Christ and listening to Him. God invites us to believe in Him.
This is the message of God that He sows into the world. The soil represents the hearts and minds of human beings. But for some people who hear this message, their response is indifferent and even hostile. They think, “Why would a person waist their time going to church, believing in something that they can’t see. Besides it doesn’t seem to make a difference, people that believe have just as many problems as those that don’t. It is just a silly chasing after the wind. So, with hard soiled hearts they walk away in unbelief.
Other people when they hear the good news get excited and believe it for a while. Then excitement fades as they realize their lives are still filled with difficulties and trouble, they still get sick, the people in their lives still die. Being a Christian in this world is not easy. To the people of the world, in school, at work, or even as we play, people think that we are un-cool, not with it, backward, straight laced, goody too shoes because, yes we do try to act differently. There are things that we just shouldn’t do. What’s worse, when we are caught doing these things, people find it difficult to understand when we say that we have sinned, and need to ask forgiveness. So we go to church to hear God’s word of absolution and to receive Christ’s body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins. So, for some people, it becomes easier not to believe and not go to church, and to walk away.
Then there are the people who hear the good news and believe it but then life seems to interfere and get in the way. A book salesman came to my door a couple of years ago. He wanted to sell me some books. I wanted to tell him about Jesus. He told me that years ago somebody shared the gospel with him. He came to believe in Jesus. Since then he has been busy, busy being a student, busy selling books, and busy doing the things that college students do. With sadness in his eyes he said I know I really should be part of a church, someday I will make time, someday…someday. So he walked away.
Then, we all know people that have heard the gospel and believed in Jesus and it shows in their church attendance and in what they do and say. We watch them go through life, experiencing the same joys and sorrows that are common to us all, believers and unbeliever alike. These people suffer temptation, they sin, sometimes in horrendous ways, yet they confess their sin and receive God’s grace in His forgiveness. These people sit with us and worship with us and we are amazed at their faith. If we were to ask them why they would say that it is here in the presence of God and in the face of Jesus that they find hope that gives joy and strength in adversity. They and we have been given a wonderful gift. It is the gift of faith that is given through the Spirit of God working through His Word and through Baptism and the Lord ’s Supper.
The Parable of the Sower someone has wisely said, is the picture of the human heart hung in a single frame, the hard hearted, the faint-hearted, the half-hearted, and the true hearted. It pictures for us the different reactions to God’s invitation to believe in His son Jesus and follow Him faithfully. But it also paints a picture for us of the different reactions that we too have as God continues to invite us to believe in His Son and live faithfully as His disciples. This is where we can apply our Lord’s parable to our Christian lives. At times, each one of us, is hard- hearted, like the hard soil. Sometime we say or think to ourselves “I don’t want to go to church today”, it’s just the same old thing week in and week out.” At times, each one of us is faint-hearted in our faith, or like the soil that gladly receives the seed of God’s word but has shallow roots. We say, “Oh I believe in Jesus and church is fine, but they keep telling me how I should live and what I should give and that pastor, well he even wants me to share my faith with other people. Church and God is part of my life, but come on now, you don’t expect it to be the center of my life do you?” At times, each one of us is half-hearted in our faith. We really want to do the right things and things that will benefit us spiritually, but we put those things off for another day, when the time is right. We think, “Next week I will attend Bible study along with church”, “Tomorrow I will read my Bible”, ‘One of these days I will do daily devotions.” Being hard-hearted, faint-hearted, and half-hearted, these come naturally for us.
Being true-hearted, like the good soil, this is a gift from God. Just as soil cannot make itself better and good, neither can we. God as the master gardener continues to work with us. For some people it means working on them to the point that they are ready to believe in His son Jesus and be saved. For some of us it is God working with us and in us to be more faithful to Him Like my invitation to play golf over and over and extended to everyone, God continues to invite us to believe in Jesus.
Each one of us is true-hearted as we trust in Him and understand that for Jesus sake God forgives us for being hard-hearted, faint-hearted and half-hearted. While this does not excuse our continuing in these ways, we find comfort knowing that each day by confession of sins and faith in Jesus Christ we begin anew. We can live like I play golf, sometimes playing well, sometimes playing badly, but all the while enjoying the grace of God and the forgiveness that we have in Jesus Christ. Amen