That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, 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 brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’ Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says: “You will indeed listen, but never understand, and you will indeed look, but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; so that they might not look with their eyes, and listen with their ears, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.” But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Matthew 13:1-16
The push is on to get the gardens going now. We have had so many cold nights, with some frost, that it was not smart to start planting fragile seeds and plants. Yesterday afternoon, we got some beds ready and our eldest daughter and our son-in-law, built us a raised bed as well as helping with tasks to get us ready to plant. Jesus told parables all the time, stories to help people understand the ways of God, our Creator. As an agrarian people, they heard clearly since they knew completely. They all had times when the soil went bad or there were rocks hidden which choked the roots. They knew the damage thorns and weeds could do to tender crops and they understood how vulnerable some people are. We are invited today to be good and loving gardeners, tending to the weak, clearing the weeds away and making abundance happen among people and places that were once rocky and barren.
Wondrous Creator, you teach us through nature
how vulnerable and tender life truly can be
and how we can listen, learn and grow again.
We want things instantly and completely easy
we refuse to take the time to weed and to clear
and we miss the gifts that are abundant in the garden.
Lord Jesus, help our eyes to see and our ears to listen
make us patient with the tender growing vulnerable ones
so we might learn your way of renewing our earth together. Amen.
