The Parable of the Sower and the Seeds, Extended Edition

 Luke 8:4-15 (NIV)

4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,

“‘though seeing, they may not see;

    though hearing, they may not understand.’

11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Once there was a little seed, who burst into life in the warm damp earth one glorious spring morning. First she pushed downward, searching for water, for nutrients, for more life. She was met with rich soil, with life-giving moisture, and so she began to climb upwards, searching for--something! She didn't know yet what it was. As she burst through the soil, she felt it: Light! All around her, strong plants who looked just like her sang songs of encouragement and sheltered her from strong breezes. When the water fell down from above, they taught her how to drink it up, thirsty, from the ground. As her roots grew deeper, the other plants around her showed her how to extract the moisture from below, too, along with the nutrients contained in the soil. And every day, those other plants told her: "We are here because the Sower sowed us here. He loves us each so much, and tenderly planted us in the ground. He brings us the food to eat, and the water, and the light. He can create life, and he is the reason we survive. Life is beautiful, beautiful, because he cares for us." The little seedling had never seen a Sower, or heard his footsteps, but since she couldn't really see past the other plants or look up for herself, she believed what they said to be true. She grew strong and joyful, learning to thank the Sower every time the water fell again, and every time the light came back, as the plants all swayed together in the breeze. She felt the deep connection with the plants around her as they whispered about how good the Sower was, how kind, how he noticed each of them. She felt the care and protection of the other plants, and when they told her it came from the Sower, she shivered with gratitude. It was true, it was true, it was true! She felt loved and connected and safe and sure. "Life is beautiful, because he cares for us." 

One day a new plant started to grow nearby, and the little seedling watched with curiosity. This plant looked so different. But just like the little seedling, this strange plant loved the soil and the water and the light, and together they laughed and sighed and strained upwards, always trying to grow towards that source of life. The first time the water fell, the little seedling thanked the Sower, and explained to the new plant about his care and his love for each seed. The new plant said, "Oh, I know the Sower! But she doesn't walk, she flies. She flies and carries seeds in her mouth, and drops them from the sky. That's how she plants us, and we must honor her and thank her for dropping us in just the right place." The little seedling was confused. That Sower wasn't the Sower she knew. But--how did she know? The seedling thought and thought and thought, and remembered that she'd still never seen the Sower, or heard his footsteps, or heard his voice. Everything she knew, the other plants had told her. She told this to the other plant, who said, "Well, I know the Sower, because she dropped me! At least...that's what I think happened. I remember falling; I know I landed." 

Soon after this, the other plants around the seedling surrounded and choked the strange plant out of their midst. They explained to the seedling, "That was a weed. They're dangerous. They take our resources, and they tangle our roots. The Sower pulls weeds; and he wants us to remove them too. Remember, we only grow because of the Sower. He placed us here with care, he loves each of us, and we love him. Life is beautiful, because he cares for us." The little seedling felt confused again, but she knew the taller plants were wise, so she accepted what they said. She loved the Sower too. 

Over time, the seedling became a strong stalk, and began to blossom, and grew as tall as the plants around her. One day she lifted her face and realized that she could see beyond her neighbors. She was on a high hill, in a lush grassy field, and could see the entire world (or so she thought) from where she swayed. She saw clusters of plants, some who looked like her, some who looked like her former friend, and some who were entirely new. As she matured and bloomed, she looked out across the meadow from her spot high on the hill, while other plants grew and died. She saw some seedlings sprout in a rocky outcropping, and watched as they were picked over by the birds. She felt sadness--why did the Sower plant them there? Didn't he care for every seed? She looked down the hill at the rolling green meadow below, and a patch of plants who looked like her former strange friend, growing and thriving together. She watched them each day as they blossomed and grew tall, but never saw a Sower tend to them. How did they grow on their own? Weren't they just weeds? How were they growing so tall and so beautiful? 

During one particularly long dry spell, she felt horrible thirst and began to wilt; some of the other plants called out to the Sower for help. Even in the hottest parts of the day as she drooped, she didn't feel completely scorched. Her neighbors thanked the Sower and laughed, saying, "Look how much he loves us! He protects us!" The plant looked across the meadow and saw other, formerly beautiful and verdant clusters of flowers, shrivel up and turn brown in the hot sun. She wondered why the Sower didn't save them. But one day, a hot breeze ruffled the plant and forced her to turn her face upwards.  With a shock, she realized there was a giant tree, shading her patch from the worst of the sun's heat. Was that the Sower? No--it was a plant. It had huge roots, grown over countless seasons. She'd felt them as her own roots pressed down through the earth. It was so different from how the Sower had been described to her; this couldn't be the Sower. The other plants felt her confusion and tried to help. One plant said, "The Sower sent the tree! He works through the tree! You have to trust in the Sower, even though you can't see him." Another plant said, "What you're seeing is an illusion; the Sower has enemies, and they want to confuse you. It's not really there." Another said, "Have you been talking to weeds again? Maybe you have rot in your roots, and that's causing you to become sick." A few plants whispered with concern--was she safe to have among them? What if the root rot spread? The plant felt embarrassed for questioning the Sower, and decided to ignore what she'd seen.

 Then, finally, the water fell. The plant thirstily drank it up along with her neighbors, rejoicing and thanking the Sower as they did. But this time, instead of only looking at her own companions, the plant stared intently out over the meadow. She saw the water falling everywhere, equally, on every type of plant. It couldn't be coming from one Sower who walked step by step, the way the other plants whispered he did. Try as she might, she couldn't see a Sower, even though the water rained down. She began to wonder--is there a Sower after all? How did she come to be planted there? If the Sower really loved each seed, why was he so careless, throwing some seeds on rocks and some seeds where there would be no shade? Didn't those seeds matter to him as much as she did? Why did the plants who didn't know the Sower get the same water as she and her neighbors did, each time it fell? Why hadn't she ever seen him, or felt his hands in the soil around her, or felt the earth tremble as he walked past? The autumn came, and the days grew shorter and cooler. The plant felt herself begin to change, and her flowers began to droop. One day, a strong gust of wind shook her so much that small pieces of her began to tear free. She started to panic, but then instinct rose up in her, and she realized--they were seeds! She was releasing seeds. She watched them float away, and finally allowed herself to whisper the truth she'd felt might be there all along: She was a Sower. She came from a seed, and created new seeds, and the wind, and the water, and the light, all worked together to plant those new seeds. Were there other Sowers? Maybe. But the one she'd been told about all of her life was nowhere to be found. The plant waited for the rush of disillusionment and depression--no one had tenderly, carefully planted her in the ground. No one had stood over her, sheltering her from the sun or watching her grow. She didn't even know where her own seed had come from, or how she'd landed just there. But after a moment of sadness, she began to feel strength, and joy, and peace. She felt gratitude for the shade of the tree and the nutrients in the ground and the other plants around her who'd helped her grow strong. She felt courage as she bent and sheltered these new seeds, one of which had fallen right next to her. And as the new seed nestled deep into the damp earth beside her, she whispered to it: "Welcome, little Sower. You are alive. You can create new life. We are all connected, and together we will grow and thrive. I will fight to help you survive the drought, and the storms, and the animals who want to pick you apart or tear you away. No one is coming to care for us--but life is beautiful, beautiful, because we care for each other."