In my sermon upon today’s Gospel Reading that I held two years ago, I said that I loved the parable because of its very easy-to-understand description and explanation of four ways to approach faith:
The first way is where the seed is thrown on the path. Here, the grain does not take root, and the birds can therefore easily come and eat it. The birds being Satan.
The second way is where the seed falls on rocky ground. The grain may well take root there but will struggle a lot with the hard ground and therefore not make long roots, so when the sun comes, faith disappears again. The sun being trials – bad things we encounter as we live our lives.
The third way is where the seed falls between thorns. The thorns suffocate the roots of the seed, and therefore the ‘faith’ that ends there does not live very long either. Jesus explains that the thorns is to be understood as earthly things that tempts us away from the word.
The fourth way is where the seed falls on good soil. Faith prospers and bears fruits in multitude. This is the way we are encouraged to follow. We are encouraged to prepare ourselves by being good soil so that when the seeds of faith are thrown, we will grow in Christ.
The description and explanation of these four ways to approach faith is what makes the parable great. The parable is genius – not least because the description and explanations are ever current.
It is current for us contemporary readers. It was current for people living in medieval times. And it was current for the people Jesus spoke to and to his disciples.
Now, I do not know what got me thinking like this, but as I read the parable as I prepared for today’s sermon, I started to wonder if one could not argue for a fifth way – a fifth approach to faith – that despite not being presented as a way, still is a way that we as human beings can follow.
Could a fifth way in the parable – a fifth approach to faith – not be where a person thought of him- or herself not as seed, but as a sower?
In the parable, the sower is without doubt God. But as you probably know, a multitude of Biblical Readings talks about humanity trying to become or act like Gods.
All fail in their attempt – it is a far-off way to follow. Yet it seems to be a possible approach to faith for us sinning beings. Hence, in a way a fifth approach to faith exists in the parable.
What can we then say about this fifth approach. How does it elaborate on what is said in the four other approaches?
Well, first, such an approach would be a way were a person would not think of oneself as one who needs to listen. Ones only task is to throw seed.
I cannot say if it a tendency that is more and more common in our world, but I will argue that it is a way that many people seem to follow. At least I can come up with a multitude of examples on persons who have a hard time listening, but instead far to lightly are coming up with solutions and explanations, orders and decrees.
I do not want to mention any names – it seems irrelevant to do so – it is far more important for us to acknowledge how this seems to be yet another tendency that we as humans can fall into.
If the above mentioned fifth approach to faith in the parable is in fact a growing tendency in our society, it could be due to democracy. After all, democracy gives a voice to all.
Democracy without doubt is a good thing, but with the parable in mind, a pitfall that lies within democracy is if it develops people that forgets to – not only utter oneself – but forgets to listen as well.
Democracy gives us a voice – gives each of us seeds. But the seeds are only earthly. The seed in our hands is only worth something if they are transformed though us being good soil, transformed through us listening to the real Sower – God.
“Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”
For the sake of not only faith, but democracy as well.
Amen.