Sermonette: June 5, 2023

Jesus said to his disciples: “Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

– Matthew 13:18-23

The above Scriptural passage is one we should review and pray over during different stages of our lives. The first time we read it we view ourselves as one of those who is going to bear fruit that will yield "a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold." It sounds so simple. However, the reality is that in order for the seed to ultimately reach the rich soil it often must go through the other not so rich soils to get there. And indeed the other reality is that some seed never reaches the rich soil.

Let us go through an example of how someone's life might move through the different soils. In any one of them, the person may remain and never advance through their life. Perhaps the individual hears the passage for the first time when they are elementary age, during a Vacation Bible School or Sunday school, and the instruction is more about crafts and games. The message of the parable is never really understood even at a basic level.

Maybe, that same person encounters the passage when they are older, perhaps at a youth conference or retreat when they are a young adult. They are enthused regarding the message and are determined they are going to be a prime example of rich soil where God's seed will yield an abundance of fruit. Yet, after they return back to ordinary life and the enthusiasm fades, there is no yield.

In fact, they then go to college where their professors and their peers belittle and make fun of them because they profess to believe in God. The pressure becomes so intense that they abandon their faith altogether and might even turn hostile to others believing in God, as they used to.

They have proceeded through life with little or no faith. They might still go to church from time to time but it isn't something that moves their heart. They have climbed the corporate ladder are married and have a well-paying job. Some type of crisis erupts such as money problems and they do not know where to search for answers. They turn to drugs, alcohol, or pornography to numb the emotional pain they are suffering. They plunge deeper into despair and happen to reach for their Bible and come upon the above Scriptural passage and they realize that indeed worldly anxieties and the lure of riches has choked their faith. They get down on their knees and they vow that they will be really serious about faith this time. They want to change. They want to be an example of someone where God's seed of faith has been planted on rich soil that will yield a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. They are witnesses of the faith and share their life's journey with others. They open their heart to Jesus, they attend church services regularly, and they spend time reading and listening to the Word of God. In short, they develop a deep and personal relationship with Jesus.

Later, they reflect upon their life as they sit in a wheelchair at the nursing home. They reach for their tattered Bible that they have used to get through life's ups and downs. Coming across the same little scriptural passage they realize that they indeed have been an example of seed planted on rich soil that has yielded the fruit of faith abundantly to others. They are grateful that their faith journey did not end with the foolish atheism of their college years or the worldly anxieties and the lure of riches of their earlier adult years. In retrospect, it was hitting close to rock bottom that saved them.