in the good news and repent (Mark 1:15)! But I would also note how Jesus drew on basic observations from the world of his listeners, like wineskins and clothes. Some scholars suggest these parables are more similar to a proverb or wisdom saying.11 At first blush, these illustrations involved basic commonsense; but with contemplation, the meaning deepens profoundly. In a sense, his parables were passed on like family stories, perhaps embellished and glossed by subsequent storytellers, but for the purpose of connecting with a new listener in a different situation. The key is that, when the message hit home, you could never forget what the lesson meant to you.
Ironically it seems to me that the people who plotted to kill Jesus understood his message in a deeper way than many Christians in our country. When Jesus spoke, they realized that he was a threat to their way of life. Like the Civil Rights era attacked white supremacy in the South, so the Good News of Jesus Christ broke down political and religious barriers designed to keep people in places of inferiority. From our position of opulence and affluence, we are often too comfortable with our ways. But, if we claim to be disciples of Jesus, then we should be trying to live like the one who continued the traditions of Israel yet simultaneously turned the world on its head. For people of privilege, this paradox means taking a critical view of cherished traditions because, too often, what has been sacred to a few has been detrimental to many. Rather than denying the past, we need to study it carefully. We need to show up at the sesquicentennial celebrations and remember the past for its cruelty and horror in order to find a redemptive story.
I love the dedication of Walter Brueggemann’s book, Prayers for a Privileged People: “I am glad to dedicate this book to my new grandson, Peter William Brueggemann, who, like many of us, is born into some privilege and invited to a life of reflection, yielding, and glad obedience.”12 This is one of my prayers for Samuel Greene Taylor-Troutman. I pray that, for the rest of his unique and wondrous life, his name will remind him of where he comes from, both in his faith and family traditions. Not a perfect past, but not to be forgotten either: a blending of old and new like when he was wrapped so lovingly in a Velcro swaddle.
1. Perkins, “The Gospel of Mark,” 554
2. Boring, “The Gospel of Matthew,” 235
3. Perkins, 555
4. Perkins, 557
5. Perkins, 555
6. Culpepper, “The Gospel of Luke,” 131
7. Culpepper, 132
8. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon, 12
9. Boring, 236
10. Tyson, Blood Done Sign My Name
11. Williamson, Mark, 69–70
12. Brueggemann, Prayers for a Privileged People, v
Seeds of Grace
The Parable of the Sower
Let me first say that I am grateful for each person’s kind support of Sam and our family. But, while thankful for every giver, there are a few gifts that I would gladly do without! If the toy makes noise, then I am inclined to bury the present in the back of Sam’s closet, which serves as a kind of purgatory for all manner of musical stuffed animals and squawking electronic games.
On the other hand, certain gifts have special places of honor. His favorite books are prominently displayed in his nursery, right next to the rocking chair. And we have stacks and stacks of more books under coffee tables throughout the house, so that we can pull them out to read at a moment’s notice. I am aware this might involve a certain amount of projection on my part, particularly when I insist that these are Sam’s “favorite” toys. However, he genuinely loves the special ones, like the book about owls that includes pages with feathered eyebrows, shiny eyes, and sandpaper claws. He pats, pulls, and pokes these tactile images, and the only sounds emitted are his own contented coos and playful giggles.
One morning at church, a kind and thoughtful woman came to my office with the gift of a beautiful book called Plant a Kiss.13 The story involves a young girl who digs a hole in the ground and literally plants a kiss. After a period of waiting in which she diligently waters and cares for the kiss, it “sprouts” into a kaleidoscopic fountain of glittery bright colors. The girl collects this “fruit” into a red bowl and shares it with other children, far and wide. When the bowl is emptied, she returns and discovers that the magic of the kiss never runs out.
Once again, I may be accused of projecting my own values, in this case onto a biblical text, but this hopeful message reminds me of the famous Parable of the Sower. This teaching is a favorite of many faithful people and perhaps the parable that we most often hear in church, especially around children. We will shortly consider the validity of the popular interpretation that urges us to be like the good soil; but I believe the fundamental teaching highlights God’s fantastic grace from seemingly insignificant beginnings. So rather than consign the parable to the back of the closet by thinking we’ve already figured it out, let’s explore the texts anew with wonder like a child.
The Parable
| Mark 4:2–9 | Matthew 13:3–9 | Luke 8:4–8 |
| He began teaching them in many parables and said to them in this teaching: “Listen! Behold the sower who went out in order to sow. And in the sowing, some fell beside the road, and birds came and devoured it. And other seed fell on the rocky ground where there was not much soil; and immediately, it sprang up because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was burnt and, because it did not have roots, it was dried out. And other seed fell in the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it did not give fruit. But others fell in the good soil and were giving fruit after coming up and growing and bearing thirty and sixty and one hundredfold.” And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, listen!” | And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Behold! The sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some fell beside the road and, after they came, the birds devoured them. Others fell on the rocky ground where there was not much soil; and immediately, it sprang up because the soil was not deep. And after the sun rose, it was burnt and, because it did not have roots, it was dried out. Others fell on the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. But others fell on the good soil and were giving fruit, some one hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. Let the one who has ears, listen!” | He spoke through a parable: “The sower went out in order to sow his seed. And in his sowing, some fell beside the road and was trampled under foot, and the birds of heaven devoured it. And another fell down upon the rock and, after it grew, was dried out because it did not have moisture. And another fell in the middle of thorns, and as the thorns grew with it, they choked it. But another fell in the beneficial soil and, after it grew, produced fruit one hundredfold.” After he said these things, he called out, “Let the one who has ears to hear, listen!” |
Encouragement and Exhortation
Before
