At least once a year, I have a consultation with my doctor where he goes over my most recent results. I’m pleased to report that at my last meeting I got a clean bill of health. In particular, he remarked I had the kidneys of a teenager. I only hope the teenager doesn’t want them back. Yet, despite this, I continue to monitor my health. I don’t just assume that because I am healthy now, I will always remain so. I have been back subsequently due to various other things. Likewise, I don’t simply rely on the last visit to the dentist, I go for regular check-ups to make sure my teeth remain healthy. If I take this much care over my physical health, why wouldn’t I do the same with my spiritual health?
We begin our look at the series of parables in Matthew’s gospel beginning with the parable of the sower. Jesus explains that the word of God is like a farmer sowing seeds. Some land on hard ground where it can’t take root and is snatched away. Some land on rocky ground where it can’t put down deep roots and when the hot days come, it withers and dies. Some fall on thorny ground where the weeds of worry, doubt or material desires crowd out the word. Only some land on good ground where the word can take a good hold and produce the crop many times over. Christians tend to think they fall into the last category and move on. But I wonder if there’s more to it than this?
Jesus scatters the word on all ground, not just the good stuff. Good ground doesn’t come naturally, it has to be worked at and cared for continually. It is possible for a piece of ground to move from being hard to being good; we can remove the rocks and weeds. Or if we leave it alone, what was good ground can become choked with weeds or packed too hard to plant on. Jesus scatters the word widely because He knows it is possible for all to hear it and receive it. This parable causes us to ask what sort of ground we are. It calls on us to recognise that we have hard places, rocks and weeds in our lives. It shows us that as the seed can only grow on good ground, then that is what we have to work towards. I think this parable calls on us to look closely at our lives and see where we are not producing good fruit and to dig down deeply to find out why. It calls on us to do the work in ourselves to make sure we can produce good fruit and to constantly maintain ourselves to keep us in this condition. We cannot simply assume we are good ground; we have to work at this, constantly.