students of jesus

Plain, but subtle: Jesus told an unadorned story filled with great wisdom, a story so important he asked, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” Every Sunday school child knows this story by heart. Van Gogh painted it three different ways. Churches have invested untold fortunes to preserve the tale in stained glass. Jesus even took time to explain the story, so we think we get it. But hearing one answer is not the same as living all the answers.

When Jesus taught in parables, he led with the Parable of the Sower. Whether you read in Mathew (13), Mark (4), or Luke (8), Jesus put this story first. His disciples asked for an explanation, but I think the Lord gave us only the broadest brush strokes of his meaning. I think he invited us to meditate on his simple sketch and discover layer upon layer, meaning upon meaning. Perhaps he wanted us to fill in the details.  What if his story is the rough draft and our lives are the finished work? Woe to us if we think of this parable (or any parable) as a story with only one meaning. One sower, four soils, and countless seeds yield ten thousand permutations.

Consider the possibilities. Who is the sower? Why did Jesus use the metaphor of a seed? And why is the sower so careless with the seed? (Or is he?) How should the soil be prepared? Who should do it? How can it be done? The best teacher is not the one who answers a few questions, but one who suggests questions capable of changing your life. Each question gives way to an hour of meditation. Each meditation is a chance for the Spirit to speak.

For example, I began to ask questions of this parable. Why does Jesus describe the harvest from good soil as 30, 60, or 100-fold? What does God expect of me? How can I know whether I’m growing into my full potential as a disciple of Jesus? In short, what is the meaning of a fruitful life?

I began to see that my faith took root in the soil of the North American church, which (like all churches) is a mix of influences both godly and worldly. We are a people who prize action and effort. We judge results quarterly, monthly, and sometimes daily. Our cell phones can give us “market updates” refreshed by the minute. We are not farmers; we are capitalists. Results matter, and they matter now. You either produce results or the boss will get someone who will. Whether you earn minimum wage or Wall Street rewards, you’re only as good as the profit you’ve produced at the end of the day. But God is no capitalist; he is the wise steward of creation. He is the Sower of an imperishable seed.

I was challenged to understand what the sower expected, and when he wanted it; I was challenged to ask what fruit I had grown; and I was challenged to consider when the harvest comes. From my meditation I found great peace in this one idea: my life could (by his grace) produce 30-fold fruitfulness. What if—across the years of my lifetime—I could impact 30 other people with the word of the Kingdom? As I asked these questions pressures of North American life began to fade away. The marketplace pace of modern “ministry” gave way to the unforced rhythms of grace.

I began to see that in a lifetime of 80 years I could “afford” to invest deeply and patiently in the lives of others, without demanding an immediate return. I began to see the wisdom of God in the beauty of the seed and its slow decay. I began to welcome the good news that I did not need to abide alone but that by dying to self there was much fruit ahead. And most warmly, I began to welcome the harvest of my life: my spouse, my children and grandchildren, my neighbors and community. I found contentment that his parable could well be a promise, the promise of a 30-fold life, at the very least.

How about something completely random today? Here, like marbles across the floor, are 17 observations, without any unifying theme. All of them are from Matthew’s gospel, chapter 13. It’s one of my favorite gospel chapters, perhaps because it’s perfect for our modern brand of ADHD spirituality.

Jesus shared parables of the Kingdom of Heaven. We listen; the joy is in the discovery. Grab your Bible. It could take five minutes or we could spend an hour.

Verses 3-9: Why do so many people presume that an equal amount of seed fell on all four types of soil? Wouldn’t it make more sense that a tiny amount fell on the hardened path, and that lots and lots fell into stony or thorn-infested soil?

Verse 11: The secrets of the kingdom are given to disciples, not casual listeners. Really?—Would God actually conceal things?

Verse 12: Not only would he conceal things, he apparently entrusts treasures to those who have demonstrated that they will take care of them.

Verse 16: Yet he tells the disciples they are blessed beyond the prophets and “righteous.” He’s lavish with those who are following hard after him.

Verse 19: “Anyone” can mean me, too.

Verse 23: I remember Derek Prince pointed out that thirty and sixty-fold add up to ninety. He said the hundred-fold dimension is a kind of fruitfulness that exceeds the other two combined. After 30+ years I’m still not sure what Derek meant.

Verse 27: Why does everyone require the Master to explain himself? The implication is that it’s his fault. I wonder if I do that: do I demand that God explain why things go wrong?

Verse 29: Even in the presence of evil, God cares about the harvest. The wickedness of others doesn't throw God off his game.

Verses 31- 33: Jesus used little tiny “bookend parables.” Not everything has to be L-O-N-G.

Verse 36: People who hang around after the crowds go home usually get something extra. What’s my hurry?

Verses 44 & 45: Two more bookends. These are strikingly different. One guy finds the treasure, presumably by accident; the other guy has been purposefully looking for that one pearl. One guy recognizes what anyone can see—treasure. The other guy has trained himself to recognize something rare and precious. Both sell everything they have. Would I sell everything?

Verse 46: For the sixth time, “the kingdom of heaven is like . . .” Jesus is using images, not allegories. Where did these images come from? Well, what do you think he was doing those first 30 years of this life?

Verse 49: For the second time, “so it will be at the end of the age.” True, the Kingdom of Heaven is breaking into the here-and-now, but it is also about the end of the age. Do I live my life with the “end of the age” in mind?

Verse 51: Breathtaking! They answered, “Yes.”

Verse 52: Good news--we can be “trained in the Kingdom.” There’s hope for anyone who wants to be his student.

Verse 53: This should be the end of chapter 13. When Langton divided the scripture into chapters in the 13th century he got this one wrong.

Verse 53 (again): When you’re finished, it’s time to leave.

(Bonus observation, not counted in the 17: When Jesus uses the phrase "Kingdom of Heaven" don't think for a minute that he's talking about heaven as in "Go to Heaven when you die." He's not!)

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Have you seen the explosion of personality quizzes available on Facebook? Which Game of Thrones/Avenger/Muppet character are you? What state do you actually belong in? Which super-villain-American Horror witch are you? Who knows how many other quiz topics are available?

Carl Jung read our cultural urges quite well a half-century ago when he said, “The world will ask you who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.”

There is another quiz we should be eager to take, but it’s not on Facebook. It’s in the other book:
“The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."
Mark 4:14 – 20

Let me tell you about the first time I ever heard this parable. The night after I became a follower of Jesus a speaker used this parable to challenge new believers with an admonition continue as Christians. I just naturally assumed that I was the good soil. How could I be anything else? Sitting next to me that night was a friend from high school who had also just turned to Jesus. After the message she wept and wept and wept. Finally she composed herself enough to sob, “I just don’t want to let Jesus down. I’m afraid I might turn out to be one of those other types of soil.” I had assumed that I was the kind of person who was naturally good and would bear fruit, while she was moved to tears, crying and asking for the grace to live up her calling. At that moment I realized that after just one day she was already way beyond me in her walk with Jesus.

This quiz should be all over Facebook: Which kind of soil are you?

Jesus may have had more than one application for this parable. For example, do we think this parable refers only to the first time God calls to us? Perhaps Jesus was explaining the nature of every word God speaks to us. Each time God speaks all four possibilities are in play. Will his word penetrate my heart today? If he has a life-changing word for me today, will I let it take deep root? Will today’s cares choke it out? Or will the fresh word he speaks yield an amazing crop—today?

As a young Christian I thought Jesus was describing a fixed reality: too bad for those with hardened hearts, rocky soil, or lives full of weeds! Thank goodness I was the good soil! It never occurred to me that his words were a call for me to tend my own heart. I am never further away from the Kingdom than when I think his words are for someone else, but not for me.

Another question: why do most people assume an even distribution of the different kinds of soil? So many commentators discuss each soil condition as if 25% of the seed fell on each type. Can you imagine anyone sowing one quarter of their seed on a walking path? The greatest difficulties are the conditions below the surface. The rocky soil or the type filled with weeds may well have comprised most of the field. Perhaps the North American church struggles with power and fruitfulness because the vast majority of our hearts are shallow or filled with other concerns like worry or wealth. Do we know what lies beneath the surface of our lives? Do we dare ask him for his assessment?

Finally, this isn’t just any parable. Just before his explanation Jesus asked his disciples, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” (v 13) Jesus cautioned his students that this parable was critical to receiving the Kingdom of God (v 11). These very famous verses can still speak with authority today if we will take time to tend the garden.

If you have one buck and one hour, hop on over to Amazon or Barnes & Noble--today is the release of my mini eBook, The Man With All The Answers, and other spiritual stories for normal people. This ebook is the second in my series of short-short reading for incredibly busy people. It's also incredibly cheap -- 99 cents.

This collection of twelve very-short stories is fast food for the soul. You can read each story in five minutes or less, but the images and message could remain with you all day--or all week. From a Chicago city fireman to an Einstein-esque baby, the people in these stories will amuse and challenge you. Be careful--these characters could haunt you.

Some people will use these stories as entertainment. Others will find them useful as an imaginative devotional. Just because they are "fiction" doesn't mean they are not true. Pastors and small group leaders could use these tales to stimulate discussion and provoke people to reframe their view of spirituality. Parents will use these stories to draw out life-changing conversations with their children. That's the power of storytelling.

The short-short nature of each story means you can return to them again and again, or re-tell them over coffee with a friend. In the re-telling you can add your own twist or change the ending--it's up to you.

After assembling my first mini-collection of fiction, I understand the need to disclaim: these are works of fiction. Any resemblance between the characters portrayed and actual persons is purely coincidental (except for that one guy).