In the parable of the sower (Matt 13:1–23; Mark 4:1–20; and Luke 8:4–15), Jesus tells the story of a farmer sowing his seeds, scattering them into both good and bad soil. Jesus then interprets the parable, explaining the outcome for each terrain where the seeds fell.
Interestingly, the farmer in this story seems quite inept. We don’t know how much farming experience he had, but he surely could not have been an expert, scattering the seed so haphazardly that it fell in both the good soil and the bad. The parable seems to acknowledge this inefficiency when it says that “still other seed fell on good soil (Matt 13:8, NIV).” You might say it was just sheer luck that he managed to sow at least some of his seeds in good soil! Would you hire this farmer?
However, it might come as a surprise to perfectionist readers to note that at no point in the story does Jesus criticize the farmer. He does not focus on the inefficient sowing method or his waste of precious seed. It is surprising that Jesus would completely ignore a great opportunity to teach about doing things in the best way possible—planning properly, using the best strategy, knowing your target, executing things masterfully—and about the importance of being good stewards, ensuring a good outcome by putting the seed only in good soil. This could have been a master class in efficiency. But instead of pointing to the flaws in the sower’s method, Jesus goes on to explain the results of a “scientific study” on what happens in each terrain when seeds are wasted, and the wonderful result when seeds are planted in good soil.
At this point, Jesus isn’t looking like such a stellar teacher either—C’mon, Jesus, stop focusing about the physical properties of a leaky roof! Let’s address on how to fix it! However, there is sense in all this, and an important reason why Jesus—ever the skilled teacher after all—refrains from analyzing the sower’s inefficient method. It is because we have to learn what is really important. Before Jesus unveils to His disciples the meaning of this parable, He explains what the seeds represent. In Luke the definition is very clear: “the seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11, NIV). The seed is the gospel; the seed is the proclamation of the kingdom of God. And this message is for every kind of terrain.
Jesus is telling us it is our responsibility to spread the seed, the word of God, to everyone—to in fact be intentional in our “inefficiency” so every single “unsuitable place” receives some of that precious seed. God does not judge you for being inefficient in spreading the word of God. There is no accountability for the outcome of spreading the word; just spread it all over, and don’t stop. We are called to try any method available to us to spread the word of God, without worrying about perfection.
Consider this: Jesus knows we are human. He knows how easily we get discouraged when we don’t see the expected results. The parable of the sower is an explanation of the different outcomes we should expect; it is an affirmation that we should keep spreading the word of God regardless, without being discouraged.
And that is our evangelistic responsibility: to spread the seed without thought to where it will fall.
Every time I walk into an airport, I am subjected to a barrage of attractive advertisements. And every time I ask myself: Where is the advertisement for Jesus’s message of hope?
Every year, companies compete for the best, most memorable Super Bowl advertisement. And I wonder: Where is the advertisement inviting us to learn more about Jesus’s love?
There are dozens of billboards along the highway showing products and services. And again I ask myself: Where is the billboard advertising what Jesus offers us?
I could go on enumerating the many “mass advertisement” methods used today to target large audiences. The simple fact that so many companies are using them points to their effectiveness.
So why aren’t we using them? I don’t think the answer has to do with money. The problem is that we want to be efficient, and these methods offer very little evidence of the results. Our product is not tangible, so it is difficult to see the return from the investment. And therefore, that kind of advertising doesn’t seem financially justifiable. It’s practically like throwing money out the window and just hoping for the best!
But this is precisely the kind of hopeful attitude displayed by the sower in the parable—not focusing on being efficient, but just throwing the seed all over without seeing where it will fall. As Christians, we’re accustomed to doing things because of “hope.” So this is exactly what we should be doing!
The parable ends with a promise: if we spread the seed “inefficiently,” then at some point somebody’s heart will be “on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown” (Mark 4:20, NIV).
Just spreed the seed! This is our call. We may not see the financial justification for it now, but when Jesus returns He will harvest the results of our “inefficiency.”
Are you ready to be an “inefficient” farmer?
Copyright© Italo Osorio 2019