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Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Did he lose his job? When their father stopped going to his office, his two little daughters became confused. So, they asked their mother, "Why isn't Daddy going to work anymore?" "He left his office job to start a home business," she told them. "People pay him to do projects from home." She thought this explanation was good enough, until the day she heard their three-year-old daughter tell a friend, "Daddy doesn't have to go to work anymore. He just makes money in the basement."
That three-year-old's honest mistake reminds me that there is a big difference between hearing something and understanding it. Jesus understood that. Many people heard his message but were unable, or unwilling to understand who Jesus was and what he was all about.
It's interesting to note that Jesus taught about the problem of misunderstanding in his message to a very large crowd. Many people were attracted to Jesus' ministry for the wrong reasons. His teachings were unexpected. His miracles were exciting. He challenged the local religious leaders. For these reasons and more, large crowds followed him everywhere he went. Everybody wanted to see what he would do next.
But Jesus knew that even if large crowds heard his teachings, only a small number of them understood him. And a much smaller number lived according to his teachings.
How about you and me? How would our lives look if we completely understood Jesus' message and put those teachings into practice? More importantly, how would we impact others' lives if we lived out the message of Christ's kingdom?
Matthew tells us, "That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them about many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no roots. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seeds fell on good soil, where it produced a crop--a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear." (13:1-9, 18-23)
We, of course, are the soil that receives the seed which the farmer has sown. And to paraphrase Jesus' teaching, some of the soil is fertile and quite receptive to the seed. But some soil is rocky or shallow and resists the efforts of the farmer. And some of the soil is packed so hard it is practically hopeless as a place to grow crops. How do we know if we're among those who properly hear Christ's words and understand them?
One way to know is to see if there is any evidence of spiritual growth. That makes sense, doesn't it? People who understand Christ's words and live by them, grow spiritually. This thought can be intimidating or insulting to people who've spent their whole life in church. Aren't they good enough? Spiritual growth, however, isn't about being good enough. It's about being more like Jesus.
The more we understand the message and spirit of Jesus, the more our thoughts and values and actions will align with his. His Holy Spirit living in us changes us. And other people will see that change. Just like the tendrils of a plant break through a seed's outer coat and invade the earth, our inward spiritual growth will affect the people around us. This is what is referred to by the "fruits of the Spirit" in Galatians, chapter 5. The Apostle Paul writes, ". . . the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Gal. 5: 22-23) Such virtues occur unconsciously in those who saturate themselves with Christ's words.
A few years ago, authors Greg Hawkins and Cally Parkinson wrote a book titled Move: What 1,000 Churches Reveal About Spiritual Growth. The book is based on research done with 1,000 churches. More than 250,000 respondents, from every denomination and size of congregation took part in this study. An independent, secular research firm compiled the surveys.
And they discovered that there is one factor more than any other that contributes to a believer's spiritual growth. That one factor is reflecting on God's word. That's the key--reflecting on God's word. This is how we go beyond hearing the message to finally understanding the message--when we wrestle with, question, and reflect on God's word.
The fruitful life is never a static life, never a complacent or apathetic life. Those who understand Jesus' message evidence spiritual growth.
Another way that we know that we have properly understood Christ's message is when we put our faith into action. If you read through the life of Jesus, you see that he was bold, passionate about doing God's will even when it put his life in danger. He cared deeply about people and was even questioned for hanging out with the folks everyone else rejected. Jesus was always on the move, taking the message and power of God to the marketplace and to people's homes, to the synagogues and to the countryside.
As we grow to be more like Jesus, we will put our faith into action. Theologian Marcus Borg wrote, "Being Christian includes participating in God's passion for the world."
When people see a Christian, they should see someone who is passionate about doing the work of God in the world. Wendy Farrell, founder of a non-profit named "1U Project," is a great example of a passionate follower of Jesus Christ. In 2013, Wendy and her husband, Ryan, adopted a 15-year-old girl from a Ukrainian orphanage. Why a 15-year-old? After age 15, children age out of Ukrainian orphanages. Without social support, some of them end up on the streets. Even though the Farrells had four other daughters, they believed God would give them all the emotional, spiritual, and financial resources they needed to provide a family for this young teen.
In 2015, Wendy Farrell went further. She founded the 1U Project to provide support for an orphanage in Lviv, Ukraine. When God gave her the vision to form this organization, Wendy was intimidated. She didn't think she had the skills or resources to create something so impactful. But then, a thought popped into her head: As she put it, "The Lord created the one and only me for one purpose which is to share the love of Christ with others. And just like that, the 1U Project was born." With the help of her church, she collected money and clothes for the children of Ukraine. She also led trips to the Ukraine to introduce her friends to the orphanage. Her hope was to plant God's passion for the orphans in her friends' hearts, so they would also consider adopting a child or supporting the orphanage.
But then, in February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The citizens who couldn't join the Ukrainian army were urged to flee the country. And Wendy Farrell did the only thing she knew to do with the help of her church and the director of the Children's Path Orphanage, she flew to Poland and helped 31 orphans to escape from Ukraine and settle in Poland.
As the bus carrying the orphans crossed the border from Ukraine to Poland, some of the children began singing. Until the war is over, and they can return home, they have a safe place to stay and social support through the help of the 1U Project and its supporters around the world.
If you and I want to become more like Jesus, then our faith must be put into action. It's a sad truth: you and I can spend our whole life in church and never be fruitful.
Notice that only one-fourth of the seeds in Jesus' parable ever bore fruit. The rest failed to take root and grow, because although they listened, they never really understood. I wonder, will the message of the kingdom of God fail to make any impact on us? Do you and I want to live an ordinary life, or do we want to live a passionately, courageously effective life that draws other people to the truth of Jesus? Then let's commit ourselves to a life of spiritual growth and put our faith into action. Then our life will be a powerfully contagious witness to the truth and love of God.
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is a member of Maitland Church of the Brethren. He has a Facebook page and can be contacted by email: ce1133@verizon.net.