1
The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And
great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship,
and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And
he spake many things unto them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And
when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured
them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much
earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because
they had no root, they withered away. 7 And
some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit,
some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. (Matt 13:1-8 (KJV)
The
Collect
Pentecost
(Whitsunday)
O
|
GOD, who as at this time didst
teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy
Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all
things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of
Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of
the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
This 13th Chapter of Matthew is full of
beautiful parables that Christ employs to open our eyes to the nature of the
Kingdom of Heaven. In fact, this chapter is called the Kingdom chapter of the
Bible. The parables are stories of the natural which give rise to understanding
the spiritual. Longfellow wrote of Agassiz, the great investigator of Nature:
"Here is a story book
Thy Father hath written for
thee, -
Come wander with me, she said,
Into regions yet untrod,
And read what is till unread
In the manuscripts of God."
The
setting of this parable is a beautiful one if we use our imaginations to place
us on the shores of the Galilean Sea where it was delivered. Jesus has been
engaged in preaching and healing all the daylong and is tired, yet, while it is
yet day, He always will have time for those who seek Him. Sometimes, we may
find our closest friends and family need us little and will not seek our
counsel, but those who hear and listen to the voice of our Father in Heaven
will bear the badge of family in their stead. (see Matthew 12:46-50 for full
explanation). Can you employ that fertile imagination God has given to
see the azure blue skies over the Sea where Jesus stands? Can you feel the soft
sea breeze brushing against your cheeks and slightly rustling in your locks and
raiment? The multitudes gathered are many, yet we look to the surrounding hill
country and see many others making their way to the seaside meeting. The boats
rise and fall gently with the small tide coming from the sea, and their oars
are stowed and sails furled for future ventures out at sea.
The
Bible tells us that the multitudes gathered were a very great multitude. Times
have changed from that day when men and women would travel great distances by
foot to hear the voice of Christ and, today, will hardly rouse from bed to
attend the church only a few blocks away. In the Islands of the Philippines
where I visited our churches recently, women walk barefoot up steep mountain
slopes for hours on end to attend church.
The
venue is one at which two different endeavors of livelihood meet – the wheat
fields abounding with golden grain on the surrounding mountain slopes, and the
sea which provides food for countless souls stretching out to the misty
horizon. Christ has used both fish and grains of wheat to teach us the
mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Today, standing so near the sea water, He
will face the land and give a lesson on Good Seed – the Good Seed of the
Gospel.
1
The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
"The same day, after so much strenuous dialogue and labor, Christ is not
allowed a moments rest in the house into which He has gone for repose. The
crowds are great beyond the doors of that house. The greater need, in the Heart
of Christ, is not the security and privacy of the closed door, but the
multitudes without whose hearts are empty of the Bread of Heaven. So Christ
arises and goes to meet them as any gentleman would do a guest who arrived
unexpectedly. Our Lord ALWAYS has time for YOU! Since many are gathered about,
He sits by the sea side where, at least in one direction, there is only the
natural beauty and quiet of God's Creation.
2 And
great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship,
and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. `Far From
the Madding Crowd' by Thomas Hardy is a classical novel which exposes the
error and meaninglessness of following the crow3d and not the heart. Jesus
never becomes a part of the multitude or crowd. We must not either if we desire
to be righteous before God and independent of mind. So Jesus makes a line of
demarcation between Himself and the crowd. This separation is not due to any
repulsion He feels for the multitudes of people, but so that His mind can be
clear and His voice well heard, by the listeners. When our affairs become too
muddled with the diverse counsel and advice of all of our friends, we might be
well advised to withdraw from all the discordant voices to a place apart – a
place of seclusion where you can be alone with God.
3 And
he spake many things unto them in parables, Yes, in this setting,
Jesus speaks many parables to the people, in fact, seven, of the Kingdom of
Heaven. Behold,
a sower went forth to sow. Behold! An interjection evoking
undivided attention. When God speaks, are there any other matters that should
distract our attention from His Words? Pay attention, people! "….a sower went
forth to sow. Not just any sower, but one of special
character. The Sower is Christ our Lord. Christ
came sowing the Seed of the Gospel, and He has sown it in diverse places and
with great abundance. Notice, in the following account, the Sower
is not careful about where He sows the Seed, but broadcasts the Seed randomly
and every place – just as He speaks to the multitude now gathered of diverse
hearts and minds. Just ONE of those Seed He sows can produce such an abundance
of grain, down the lanes of time, to feed the whole world. Just one sharing of
the Gospel to one forlorn and hopeless, may result in that one arising from his
despair and becoming such a propagator of truth and goodness that the whole
world may be changed by it.
4 And
when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and
devoured them up. The Sower reaches into His endless seed-bag of
abundance and sows in a manner that we might consider careless. But God does
not count the cost when sowing seeds of blessing for all who will hear and
receive Him. So the seed is rejected? At least the Giver is just in making the
offer available even to those who exist along the margins of society by the way
side. Living by the wayside is not a wise place to stay for it is a place to
which Satan has ready access. It would be far wiser to remain in Christ – the
Way, the Truth and the Life. There are many scorners by the way side
who will ridicule the slightest sign of faith. But the Seed, nevertheless, is
sown there. Christ has some of His chosen Ones even among the dregs of society.
The fowl that come to devour the Seed are demons. Later we will learn in this
same chapter that those demons actually come and live in the branches of the
church itself. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When
any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh
the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he
which received seed by the way side. (Matt 13:18-19) We have
churches that constantly strive to increase their numbers by convincing men,
women, and children to make a simple confession of faith in Christ. Once done,
those churches fail to nurture that embryonic faith expressed through
meaningful Bible teaching. After a time, the tiny embryo of faith dies as an
ember separated from the fire of the hearth. Separation (or failure to
fellowship in church) causes the old man to grow stronger and return to master
the soul. The road less travelled is the very Road Christ appoints for us. Its
soil is less compacted by the feet of men. His way is straight and narrow and
leads upward to God. But the World chooses that broad road that is
well-travelled and leads down to destruction. Enter ye in at the strait
gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and
narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
(Matt 7:13-14) Have you found that Narrow Way?
5 Some fell upon stony
places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because
they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they
had no root, they withered away. What
encourages the development of a root system of faith? A constant study of the
daily Bread of Life (God's Word)! Just as the ground is broken and watered
around a newly planted tree, so must the first expressions of faith be
constantly watered and the environment softened and prepared for that unseen
development in the darkness of the soil (heart). But
he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the
word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while:
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he
is offended. (Matthew 13:20-21) The early Christian education
is so important in fortifying our youth to courage and steadfastness.
7 And some fell among
thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them. Can
roses and daisies live in fields of thorns? The briar is a parasite that sucks
the very life from whatever plant they attach themselves to. They choke and
starve the plant of the vital sap of life. It is very important how we choose
our associates and friends. We will become like the meanest friend we have, or
we shall cease to be who we were in Christ by association. If I see a person
who hangs out with drunks and prostitutes, I will consider him to have the same
character. When we allow our greed for wealth, power, or sex to dominate our
hearts, the Holy Ghost is offended and will not live in a filthy apartment. He also that
received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of
this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh
unfruitful. (Matt 13:22)
8 But other fell into good
ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some
thirtyfold. When
the soil (heart) has been prepared, and the water of life is made available,
the Seed (Word) will be nurtured in the darkness of the earth by the Holy
Ghost. The Sower is not anxious for He knows the Seed is a good Seed, and He
knows the Soil is a good Soil. He leaves the growth to God the Father. The tiny
Seed germinates, puts forth green shoots, and strives to reach the Light of the
Sun. By and by, the happy Sower is well pleased to see the first green evidence
of the plant break through the crust of soil and reach for Heaven. But he that
received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and
understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
(Matt 13:23)
As we said earlier, the Sower is Jesus Christ. The Seed is His Word. The soils
are four different kinds of hearts. Some readily receive the Word with joy, but
are made weak from following through in living that word out in their lives.
Can you imagine that each of these kinds of hearts had to exist in the multitude
to whom Jesus was speaking? Has the Seed of the Gospel been sown in your heart?
Have you nourished that Seed daily with the Water of Life? Have you made your
soil a place of sunlight and separation from the stony ground? Have you
received Seed with joy? Have you nurtured that Seed in the good soil of
your heart? Has that Good Seed begun to bear fruit in your life – abundant
fruit? Since all of the grain of this world came from a single seed, so can the
single Seed of Faith in a man's heart bear such an abundance of fruit that the
measure cannot be made. Have you borne fruit today?
