GOOD SOIL

 JUNE 2, 2022

MATTHEW 13:23

“As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”


All this thinking about Jesus the gardener yesterday led me to thinking about some of Jesus teaching about soil. Matthew 13:22-23 says, ”As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Good and bad soil is something Jesus’s listeners would have understood well. Planting in good or bad soil meant having food or going hungry. It meant the difference between having money or poverty. For an agricultural culture it was a matter of survival.

Jesus’s parable might not have as direct a connection to many of us as it did in his day, that is unless you are a gardener. There is a principle that remains in these words and teaching that do have relevance for us. The Bible reminds us that we all have spiritual soil. The Bible describes God’s Word as seed. This seed grows, takes root and is revealed by our thoughts, actions and the overall postures of our hearts. Simply put, being receptive to the seed of God’s word will result in harvest of life-giving fruit. Galatians 5 teaches that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; … Galatians 5:22-23 Now that is the kind of life soil we all want, good soil.

However, the Bible does also teach another reality that is possible that the spiritual soil of our hearts can result in our being unreceptive and open to the powerful work of God in our lives because we are consumed with too many cares and concerns.

Back to gardening for a moment, I have heard of people who will till their garden’s soil twice a year. In their view, they believe that by doing so it results in “good soil” that yields better results. They tell me that tilling can control weeds and negate the impact of insects on their plants. Tilling aerates the soil, in areas where there is a lot of clay, breaks up these clumps and allows for deeper root growth.

I wonder if this is what Jesus is teaching here, that our spiritual soil needs tilling. I think that’s why I find these paintings of Jesus the gardener that we talked about yesterday so meaningful.
Remember, Jesus comes to Mary with gardening tools in hand, read to do some tilling(?)

Now I want to say that we will need to cooperate in this tilling process. God wants us to open our hearts to him, to trust him. He gently shows us his love, whispers his perfect plans to us, and waits for us to trust and surrender. Through the grace of God, we can till the soil of our hearts, living receptively and surrendered to his loving kindness and perfect will. I believe that our Creator will cultivate a willing heart, and plant the seeds of truth in us and liberate us from the cares of life creating unproductive soil. God will work in us so that we yield fruitful lives.

 

Here is a song we used to sing before the Sermon at our Church. Let us make it our prayer today.