As The Farmer Scatters Seed . . . • July 13, 2008

Genesis 25:19-34; Psalm 119:105-112 or Psalm 25; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

Sermon by Michael R. Martin
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY

Matthew 13:1-9 (NRSV)

The Parable of the Sower
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 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. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!"

The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."

We have entered in our readings into the “season of parables.” Now, there is no such thing as a season of parables on any clerical calendar that I am aware of, but our readings over the next weeks will re-introduce us to many of these teaching stories. This parable of the farmer sowing grain onto four soils is the first of Jesus’ many parables recounted by Matthew. It takes place on the shores of Sea of Galilee. It is said in some gospel translations that a boat was always kept ready and waiting, and here Jesus takes to the boat perhaps that he might better be seen and heard by the immense crowd that had gathered. Keep in mind that this parable is shared at time when Jesus faced opposition. Parables, like satire and other relatively obscure forms of speech, are frequently used when straightforward speech could be life threatening. Parables are still used today as a rabbinical teaching tool (in Hebrew, parables are often called meshalim). I would say that there are two main questions for you to keep in mind as we explore these parables in our readings in the weeks to come:

• First, what is the main point of the parable?
• and most importantly, how does this parable speak truth to you, today, in our time, in your life?

I often wondered if Jesus decided to use this particular parable first as a lesson in parables – he certainly spells this one right out for us; or perhaps Matthew chose it as something easy to cut our teeth on. It is a simple, straightforward story. It was very applicable to the agricultural life of the times, so it was accessible to the people – they could easily understand the imagery, as I think we still can today. Who here hasn’t at one time or another broadcast grass seeds over the soil, or perhaps fed chickens by broadcasting feed, as pastor Linda used to love to recount? So we can identify with that farmer, sowing seeds.

Just in case you have never sowed seed or fed chickens, I have a modern day equivalent parable for you – recount the hydroseeding out in front of our house. Road construction nearing completion, some areas top soil, some still stony sandy soil, some areas pavement, some concrete curbing. Nowadays, road crews use hydroseeder to sow seeds over large expanses. . .

So, in front of our house, some of this mixture was sprayed onto our paved driveway, some was sprayed onto the sandy rocky subsoil, and some was sprayed onto the clean, rich loamy topsoil. Yesterday it rained. Yesterday it rained a LOT. Most of the seed mixture on the driveway washed away, but some is stuck in little cracks where the pavement meets the concrete curb. The seed mixture stuck pretty well on both the sandy soil and top soil. The sun will come out, the seed will sprout – what do you suppose is going to happen to the grasses that start growing? The grass stuck on the pavement will grow, tucked into the spray mixture, but the roots will have nowhere to go, and soon the sun will wilt them and they will die. The grass mixture on the sandy, rocky subsoil will also sprout, the roots will take hold, but the sand will hold little moisture. So although these grasses will grow, they will not thrive. Ah, but the seed that landed where it was meant to land, on the rich loam, it will sprout, the roots will reach down into a soil that holds moisture for it and the grasses will do well here.

So, there is the parable, for the old-time farmer or modern soil conservationist in you. But the easy thing about this parable – it’s a pretty short hop to see how this story can relate to God’s word and our mission as disciples. Believe me, some of the parables are not so easy to decipher, to relate to our own lives. But here, we have God’s Word -- the seed, and God’s disciples – the farmer, and the people of the world – the soil. We are not the seed, YOU are not the seed. The Good News is the seed! And although you and I are in the world, we are not the soil, WE are not the soil. We are among God’s chosen people, YOU are among God’s chosen people. God has nurtured your life from before you were born, and made you who you are, and led you, to this very here and now. God’s seed has been planted and tended and taken root in your heart and soul. YOU, my good friends, are farmers. Or, if you’d rather, you are the person directing the nozzle of the hydro spray truck – it IS after all a heck of a lot more efficient!

"Precision Farming" In Millennium

As we enter the millennium, a new system of crop management called "precision farming" is bringing agriculture into the Information Age

Precision farming is based on the idea that no two clumps of dirt are alike. The "modern" agriculture of the last 50 years has tended to treat whole tracts of land, from back porch to fence post, as great, homogenous plots of potting soil. Some areas end up overfertilized; other don't get enough herbicide. Still others get the wrong seed variety, so costs soar and crop fields suffer.

Precision farming delivers more personalized attention. As Daney Keppel of the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultant says: "If you spoon-feed each plant based on what it needs, it'll probably do better."

The technique employs such innovations as Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), computer mapping systems, and a Star Trek-like crop monitor that uses beams of light to get a reading of "plant health." The technology is allowing farmers to collect and absorb unprecedented amounts of data about their fields and crops, and to tailor their husbandry to the findings.

Lasers measure field topography—the hills and valley—and multiple soil samples are analyzed for fertility, salinity, pH and a dozen more obscure properties. Satellite images are used to pinpoint problem areas in the fields. Every sandy patch, strand of Russian thistle and shortage of phosphorus is recorded with GPS locators and plotted out on maps so that the same area can be monitored year after year.

At harvest, electronic yield monitors built into combines automatically log the weight and quality of the crop.

As any farmer knows, you have to have two things first and foremost to grow a crop. . . good soil and good seed. Our mission, then, is to tend to the soil so that it is ready to accept seed, and plant seeds wherever and whenever we can. The nice thing about being God’s farmer is that you don’t have to do it all. You may never know the fruits of your labor, but perhaps that little bit of soil you cultivated in someone was just the planting bed needed for the next farmer that comes along. And after that farmer, someone did a little watering, then someone took out a hoe and did a little weeding. And before you know it, we’ve got another honest to God farmer on our hands!

I’ll reiterate what I said a few weeks back. We sit in this church at a time of incredible opportunity and challenge. We are by and large not happy with the way things are going, we have an inspired church council willing to evaluate change, and we have a new pastor who comes to us loaded with experience and energy and ideas. None of us is here by accident, nothing that has come before is wasted. I want to see this church bursting with farmers who come eagerly in each Sunday to get a little well deserved watering and tending so they can take it right back out their into the fields.

Can you IMAGINE what that would be like? How exciting that would be?
I know I am preaching to the choir here, or auctioning to the farmer, or whatever. I wish I could teleport our entire membership into this room right now and give them the same story. If I could teleport our membership here, I suspect we’d have mixed company -- farmers of all types and soil of various qualities -- but that’s ok, too. The body of Christ is made of many parts, each with a special purpose.

I am blessed that I can come here and worship with you, that you come here and worship with me, that we can worship together as often as we do. I am ready to do more.
I won’t ask for a show of hands, but if you are ready to do more, pray with me.

Heavenly Father, Creator God, continue to keep our church under your careful guidance. I praise your glory and am ever thankful for the gifts you have given me. I offer myself to you, Lord, in service. Guide me, Lord, that I might give what is most needed, where it is most needed, when it is most needed. Continue to water those of us gathered here with your blessings, Lord, that we continue to grow in your love. And, as always, I ask that all things be your will, Lord, not mine.

Amen

Michael R. Martin – July 13, 2008
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30AM & 10AM

Weeds & Waste Places • July 20, 2008

Genesis 28:10-19a; Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24; Romans 8:12-25; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Sermon by Michael R. Martin
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NLT)

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds
24 Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. 25 But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. 26 When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.

27 “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’

28 “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.

29 “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

Parable of the Wheat and Weeds Explained
36 Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.”

37 Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39 The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.

40 “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

Jesus explained that the kingdom grows quietly and abundantly, yet evil still exists in the world. Jesus gives the meaning of this parable in 13:37-43, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seeds are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil." That the enemy came while everybody was asleep does not indicate neglect on anyone's part; that he went away does not indicate his absence. Instead, these details merely highlight the stealth and malicious intent of Satan (the enemy, "the evil one").

The "weed" Jesus referred is generally considered to be darnel, AKA darnel rye-grass or cockle (Tare in old bible translations) (Lolium temulentum), a weedy plant that looks very much like wheat in the early stages of growth, but becomes distinguishable when the heads of the wheat appear. The seed is not poisonous but it is often infected by a fungus which is very toxic. Darnel is a member of the rye-grass family and occurs throughout the US, where it is generally considered a noxious weed. The plant stem can grow up to 1 meter tall, with inflorescence in the ears and purple grain. It grows plentifully in Syria and Israel. It usually grows in the same production zones as wheat and is considered a weed. The similarity between these two plants is so extensive that in some regions cockle is referred to as "false wheat." It bears a close resemblance to wheat until the ear appears. The ears on the real wheat are so heavy that it makes the entire plant droop downward, but the "false wheat", which ears are light, stands straight. Interestingly enough, this weed is related to perennial rye grass, which is heavily planted as lawns and ground cover.

Jesus' hearers would have understood how no one would have noticed the weeds until the plants came up and bore grain. Only then would the weeds appear. A heavy infestation of darnel (indicated by it being "sowed" among the grain) would cause the roots of both plants to become entangled. To sow darnel in a person's wheat field was punishable by Roman law. This was a known practice in ancient warfare and feuds—destroy a nation's (or person's) agricultural base and his military might would also be destroyed. The presence of Satan's children among God's people would also serve to weaken them. Because no one recognized the weeds, both grew at the same time. This real-life situation gave Jesus' hearers a picture of God's kingdom growing and thriving alongside evil in this world.

On Noxious Weeds

Because of my work in lake management and county soil & water conservation districts across the United States over the past twenty years, I have become quite familiar with weeds. A weed is simply a plant that grows too abundantly where it is not wanted. Most distressing to the environment is the non-native invasive species. These are plants that don’t normally grow in the US and grow so well that they quickly overtake native species, disturbing and sometimes destroying the natural environment once they get introduced. Many weeds were introduced in the 1800s, when enthusiastic botanists brought to the US examples of new plants found in Europe and Asia. Plants such as Eurasian milfoil, which chokes lakes, ponds and waterways across the US, including most of NY and a number of popular lakes here in the Adirondacks. One small fragment of this plant can start a whole large colony within a year or two and entirely take over a lake in less than five years. This plant is a perennial, and is so hardy it even continues to grow under the ice.

One invasive plant, purple loosestrife, can produce up to 2.7 million seeds per plant yearly and spreads across approximately 1 million additional acres of wetlands each year, with an economic impact of millions of dollars.

A terrestrial plant, the giant hogweed, is a member of the carrot family, related not only to that favorite food of cartoon rabbits, but such common roadside plants as Queen Anne’s Lace and yarrow. Looking much like a giant Queen Anne’s Lace 2 ½’ in diameter, the plant grows 8 – 15’ high, with a 5’ wide deeply divided leaf. : Hogweed is a public health hazard. Giant hogweed produces a clear, watery noxious sap that causes severe photodermatitis in humans and animals, meaning the skin becomes so sensitive to ultraviolet light that skin contact followed by exposure to sunlight produces painful, burning blisters that may develop into purplish or blackened scars. This can be long-lasting, even permanent. Contact with the eyes can cause temporary or permanent blindness. This plant is known to occur in fields and waste places in New York. My baby sister had it growing in her garden in Laconia, NH.

Some high percentage of what we consider wild flowers are what we botanists call naturalized escapes. In other words, someone planted them in their flower garden and they spread into the wild and became established there. The percentage may be as high as 80 – 90 percent. Read any good botanical guide, such as Newcomb’s wild flower guide or local reclusive genius Michael Kudish’s Guide to the Flora of the Adirondacks and you’ll begin to realize just how many wildflowers are indeed escapes and naturalized plants. The other thing one quickly learns is that many of the common, meaning abundant, plants grow in what botanists call disturbed and waste places. This doesn’t mean trash dumps, but anywhere the earth has been disturbed and the natural plant community destroyed. Examples are railroad beds, edges of parking lots, abandoned farm fields.

This is a good lesson for us, if we consider God’s master creation, the human, to be like the plant community. Many people are naturalized escapes, growing in places where they find themselves. A high percentage are weeds. Unlike the Wheat and Weed parable, which spoke of a specific weed, not all weeds are bad. Many are pretty to look at – in fact, if it weren’t for the “weeds,” including the naturalized escapes, we wouldn’t have a very diverse population – of humans or wildflowers. But some of the weeds are very bad.

Here we have another parable where Jesus through Matthew provides an interpretation. Jesus spoke this words while at the sea. There he spoke publicly to the crowds. Jesus' movement back into the house signifies a movement away from the crowds and to private discussion with his disciples. Jesus described the identity of the important parts of the parable of the weeds recorded in 13:24-30. Jesus explained to his listening disciples that the good seeds are believers, sown by the Son of Man in the field of the world. In this world also existed those who were not children of the kingdom; thus, they were children of the devil, sown by him into this world. At the end of the age, the angels would come and the harvest would begin.

GOD DOES THE WEEDING

Jesus' reference is to the kingdom of heaven and is not limited to the church. However, the church is in the world as well as in the kingdom of heaven, so the truth also applies. There are good seeds and bad seeds, children of God and children of Satan, in the church. At first glance, the works of each may be difficult to distinguish. Jesus appealed to us to be appropriately inclusive (we should avoid exclusiveness and arrogant separatism). We should strive for unity with others even when it may present the risk of "weeds." The work of judgment is God's. Yet we must not be naive. Satan has a strategy and his children are at work.

The young weeds and the young blades of wheat look the same and can't be distinguished until they are grown and ready for harvest. Weeds (unbelievers) and wheat (believers) must live side by side in this world. God allows unbelievers to remain for a while, just as a farmer allows weeds to remain in his field so that the surrounding wheat won't be uprooted with them. At the harvest, however, the weeds will be uprooted and thrown away. God's harvest (judgment) of all people is coming. Make yourself ready by remaining faithful to Christ and obeying him.

13:40-42 "Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

At this harvest, God will separate his people from Satan's people. As the harvesters collect the weeds into bundles to be destroyed, so Satan's works and Satan's people will be thrown into the furnace of fire. According to the Life Application Bible, the "furnace of fire" is not a name for hell but is a metaphor for final judgment. Jesus often used the term "weeping and gnashing of teeth" to refer to the coming judgment. The "weeping" indicates sorrow or remorse, and "gnashing of teeth" shows extreme anxiety or pain. Those who say they don't care what happens to them after they die don't realize what they are saying. God will punish them for living in selfishness and indifference to him. Jesus, who has already identified himself as the Son of Man, revealed that he will inaugurate the end of the age and the final judgment.

TRAGEDY OF EVIL

Followers of Jesus do not fear God's final judgment, but we must respond to it with

• tears, for the separation and suffering that will fall upon evildoers. We must never gloat over or feel indifferent to the fate of those facing judgment. God mourns over lost souls, and so should we.
• sharing the gospel, since many need to hear and all who respond in faith will be saved from judgment. Christians ought to always be witnessing people.
• lifelong service, because no matter what your job, profession, or education, all you do should be dedicated to God. God uses your work to advance his kingdom and overcome evil.

13:43 "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!"NRSV Reflecting words from Daniel 12:3, Jesus described the final glory of the righteous: "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever" (NIV). Those who receive God's favor stand in bright contrast to those who receive his judgment. The "kingdom of their Father" is another name for the kingdom of God and heaven. Heaven will be a glorious place! The message is vitally important, so anyone with ears should listen!

Michael R. Martin – July 20, 2008
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30AM