Do you feel bad about mistakes? It can be hard to admit a mistake. “No, that’s not a mistake, that’s what I meant to do.” Of if you make a mistake, you might apologize over and over: “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Because one apology is not enough. Or did you ever blame someone else: or let someone else take the blame for a mistake you made? I think of when I was a kid, and in a group, and someone says, “Who farted?” No one raised their hand!
What do you do with mistakes? Mistakes bother us! So we might try really hard to do things perfectly. Or, we might just feel badly about ourselves: why we can’t manage to do what we think we should?
How does God feel about mistakes? In Matthew 5:48, Jesus says, Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. When I hear that it sounds to me like God is looking for us to meet an extremely high standard. Be like God, practically perfect in every way! Who can live up to that?
In the reading from Matthew 13, Jesus tells a parable, a made up story to make a point It is the Parable of the Sower. Jesus says, A farmer went out to sow his seed. Right away we know this is a farm, someone who makes their living growing things and knows how it is done. The farmer goes out to do what he does best: sow his seed.
Then Jesus says in verse 4: As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. But now, wait a minute, why did he leave seeds on the path? A farmer would know, the well-worn path is packed-down earth that isn’t much good for growing things. Oh well, let’s see what happens next.
Jesus says: 5 Some of the seed fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. What’s going on? I thought this farmer was a professional! Why is he sowing seeds in rocky soil? That won’t work.
Then Jesus says, 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Again, doesn’t this farmer know what he is doing?
Jesus says, 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear. Alright, now this farmer finally got it right. And this farmer had a great harvest! But why didn’t the farmer save and conserve the seed for the good soil? Why did this experienced farmer throw so much away on ground where it seems impossible for plants to grow?
In the story, the sower is God. And God doesn’t give up. God doesn’t write anybody off. God throws lots of love on the least promising places. Jesus is also the sower. Jesus goes out and talks to all kinds of people. The first time the sower sows, he leaves seed on the hard path. Jesus says, that ground represents the people who hear the word of the kingdom and do not understand. For example, the religious leaders hear Jesus, but they don’t understand. They hate Jesus. What does Jesus do? He could just not waste his time on them. But Jesus wastes his time on them anyway. Then there’s the crowds who seems to love Jesus, but after he is arrested, the crowds want him crucified. It’s hard to love people who you know will want you dead. But Jesus loves them all, he throws lots of love on all people.
Then Jesus says the seed thrown on rocky ground represents the people who at first receive the word of God with joy. But when trouble of persecution comes, they quickly fall away. The seed sprouts, but quickly withers and dies. You can think of the disciples as those who love Jesus but run away when he is arrested. Although later they came back.
Jesus says the seed thrown among the thorns are those who hear the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. A rich young man who comes to Jesus but is unwilling to part with his possessions to follow Jesus, is like the seed that starts sprouting, but is choked and nothing comes of it.
This farmer, the sower in this parable, does not sound perfect. He makes mistakes sowing seed. He is reckless with the seed he has, wasting it in places where it’s not likely to grow.
But through the parable Jesus is saying, I’m happy to waste time on people. People are not a waste of my time and resources. Think about it: Jesus invests so much time on his disciples, and they run away when trouble strikes. God throws lots of love on the least promising places. Jesus sows in bad and good places, and in the end there is a huge harvest!
God is generous and invests in people. God won’t give up on people. Which is pretty awesome news for you and me: we can trust God won’t give up on us but will keep working on whatever in us is hardened, rocky or thorny.
The good news is that God isn’t afraid of mistakes. When it comes to sharing the good news with people, there is no such thing as someone who is hopeless. That person you think will never change? God keeps working on them. The person you think would be the last person in the world to take an interest in God? God isn’t giving up on them. God throws lots of love on the least promising places.
Remember that Scripture passage, Matthew 5:48 where Jesus says, Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect. Listen to the verses before it: 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Perfect is a word that can mean mature. Be mature. Care about people it’s hard to care about. That sounds like a pretty good definition of mature: to care about people it’s hard to care about.
Jesus sowed the seeds of the good news widely, to everyone. But he looked for a response which was deep. Just like the harvest came from seeds that sent roots down deep, Jesus wants the words of God to go deep and take hold in a person’s heart. Jesus sowed deep and wide. Sometimes the unlikeliest people were part of the abundant harvest. You would think the religious leaders would be the people who responded positively. But Jesus said to the chief priests and elders: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.
When we are tempted to play it safe, Jesus teaches us to be reckless as we sow seed of God’s love. Don’t worry about mistakes, don’t conserve the seed you have, don’t worry about the best prospects.
A great example of sowing seed widely is in the Acts of the Apostles, when Saul was struck down on the road to Damascus. God told Ananias, a follower of Jesus, to go to the street called Straight, to Saul of Tarsus. Ananias said, No, he has been persecuting Christians! Ananias didn’t want Saul to get killed by Saul! Ananias thought, this will never work. Saul is the last person who would ever follow Jesus. But God insisted, so Ananias went to Saul, and Saul became the apostle Paul, who taught the gospel to so many people. God throws lots of love on the least promising places.
My homework for you this week is to make the mistake of believing the last person you would ever think would follow God, will! Pray for them.
It’s tempting to play it safe in life and to try not to make mistakes. Jesus invites us to take risks for the gospel. Be reckless in believing what’s possible. Jesus promises when we sow wide, there will be a bumper crop! Amen.
July 12, 2020.
Maureen Duffy-Guy's blog 