Sunday, July 10, 2011: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Of all the Gospel writers, Matthew has his eye most fixed upon the leadership of the church.
If you're reading this publication, you are probably a church leader. Paid or unpaid, on fire or burnt out, you love God's church and serve it with vigor and personal investment. You also allocate time for reading and reflection on the challenges and possibilities of Christian ministry.
For such leaders, Jesus' parable of the sower comes as a gift. Of all the Gospel writers, Matthew has his eye most fixed upon the leadership of the church. Matthew sets this parable in a prominent position, making it the grand marshal in a parade of parables and reinforcing it with commentary about the ears that hear it and the meaning in the story itself. The latter illuminates the former: the explanation of the parable illustrates the dynamic it describes. When Jesus stood in the boat telling this parable, he was himself the sower, casting the word widely among great crowds.
In verses omitted from the lectionary reading, the disciples wonder about this approach. "Why do you speak to them in parables?" Parables are confusing, ambiguous, a risky form of marketing. Jesus' response only deepens the perplexity: "The reason I speak to them in parables is 'seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.'" What kind of pedagogy is this?
