"Cultivating the Soil" (Mark 4:1-9 & Proverbs 24:27)

What do you make of this parable from Mark's Gospel?

It is generally called the “parable of the sower”, but might be better referred to as the “parable of the (four) soils”. Generally we see this parable as describing various responses to the gospel message – three of these unfortunate, and only the fourth one being advantageous.

This would also include ourselves in a bit of a self-assessment, as we test what sort of “soil” we are, and how effectively God’s Word can be implanted in us. This then brings the obvious challenge about what we can do about the quality of our “soil”. Can we do something that will make us more receptive to the sown seed?

Yet, lest we get too fixated on ourselves on the one hand, or conversely, too judgemental of others, might there also be a challenge here as to the amount of (good) work being put into the “soil” of our neighbourhoods in preparation for the gospel to be heard! For, actually ‘cultivating’ the “soil” of our community may assist a bigger more positive response.

The first point to make, when we look at this parable, concerns the generosity or the breadth of the sowing. Despite the possibilities of uncooperative or underprepared soil, the sowing happens everywhere. This is because you can never tell exactly what the quality or the readiness of the soil might be. It may appear on the surface to be one of the three soils that will not respond well to the sowing, but the reality might be quite different ... you can never quite tell!! Unless each particular soil is given an opportunity you would never know whether a beautiful plant would emerge or not.

God has always sown generously – the blessings of God’s glorious creation has been given to everyone – God’s grace has also been offered and shared universally. So those of us who bear the good news of Jesus must follow in this generous pattern.

Then back to the four “soils”. There were the three “soils” that proved to be difficult for planting, and the “good soil”. We know from Jesus’ explanation later in chapter 4, what the problems were with the first three “soils”.

The first “soil” was actually described as a “path” – this being too hard to receive the seeds. The seeds just lie on the surface barely noticed then get blown away or taken away by passing birds. Jesus says later in verse 15, that “Satan ... comes and takes away [what] is sown”. We might see this in terms of the prevalent attitudes and behaviours that are often preferred in our society – apathetic and ordinary at their most common, evil and destructive at their worst. Some people seem content just the way they are, and can be hard-hearted regarding change. Such attitudes tend to block an understanding of one’s need. We could perhaps be critical of a “soil” like this, but we might wonder what it was that lead to such a piece of ground becoming so unreceptive?!? Might it have been tragic abuse leading to a level of hurt that could never seemingly trust again!?!

The second version of “soil” is called “rocky ground” – where there was no opportunity of a plant taking root. Thus under the first sign of pressure, like the sun coming out, the new plant was scorched ... then it withered and died. There were some early good signs, yet without proper roots, there was a lack of maturity to cope with the troubles that followed. There was nothing wrong with the seed being planted, just the inability to fully receive it and properly nurture it. Here again we see the possibility of bad experiences that have deafened the ear and deadened the spirit. Yet at the same time, we might also detect a cry for help and healing.

The third “soil” was full of thorns – choking the life out of any budding plant. There was a decent level of receptivity to the seed being planted, but there were so many other distractions and alternative interests that were allowed to take over. Again the benevolent sower spread the good seed, but there was something lacking in the soil. [We ourselves usually know what we are giving undue importance to, but others haven’t come to see things in that way yet.] Perhaps this particular ‘thorny soil’ hasn’t yet seen a credible or exciting or enlightening enough vision of the gospel in action, to be able to see it as a more attractive dynamic than anything and everything else.

What do we do about such “soils”? Do we ignore them?? But, as we said earlier, how would we really know for sure which is which! In being choosy, we may actually miss the “good soil”. So it is that the Sower continues to spread the seed broadly!

Now, happily for the Sower, there is “good soil”. We may not be able to clearly discern it from the rest, but we know it is there! When we spread seed generously and widely enough we find it; and we know it is “good soil” because of the great produce and growth that it brings.

Where there is nothing wrong with the seed, what is left for us gardeners to do is to work the soil, to water, and to fertilise as needed. Where there is resistant hardness, or lots of rocks and builder’s rubble, or many noxious and thorny weeds, we take out our gardening fork and work the soil. There is preparation work to be done to maximise the effort of sowing seed! What this means in our particular local situation is what we have to prayerfully and experimentally work out.

In some suburbs or in some particular residential properties, when we start to do some landscaping and garden preparation, we may see only what could be termed “bad soil”. Yet not many would totally give up at this point and cover it all over with concrete. If we ever think that there are only the first three difficult “soils” and no “good soil” to be seen, then we need to work out what we can do about this in terms of creative cultivation.

To ‘cultivate’ the soil would mean ... paying attention to it, preparing the ground, improving and developing the soil, and cherishing its existence (Oxford Dictionary). Church planter Neil Cole says: “Cultivation has to do with the preparation and improvement of the soil for raising healthy crops ... cultivation [in Gospel terms] is doing what the Lord leads us to do relationally and prayerfully in order to prepare people and communities for the reception of the gospel”.

We need to look at anything we might normally consider “bad soil” in a new way – through God’s eyes of love, care and compassion. At Tarneit Skies Village last Thursday, we heard from prison chaplain Rev Bill Beagley about how, rather than worrying about what a prisoner may have done in the past, he sought to have a conversation around how this person felt about his life now.

It could be that the person who appears right at the bottom (and is completely broken) is actually the best of ‘soils’ in which the seed can be planted. We exist within community to bring forth God’s voice of re-creation and reconciliation. And the Bible brings so many wonderful invitations for people to reconnect with God and each other.

There is the story of the two guys who invited a homeless man out to lunch – so impressed was the restaurant owner that he wouldn’t bill any of them. This is cultivating the soil. But how do we cultivate the soil in Wyndham where police have referred more than 780 domestic violence victims to support services during the past (financial) year? And then there is the chronic lack of public housing referred to in this week’s local paper! Such realities as these cause many to be fearful, tense and worried.

This all takes us to Proverbs 24:27, and what it might mean to “prepare your work outside”. Gospel planting begins in the fields, not in the barns. Gospel planting is not about getting people to agree with us, but rather about presenting the good news of previously undiscovered life options and directions.

Gospel planting happens as we walk ‘the land’ with care and wisdom, giving prayerful consideration to people’s needs and aspirations. Indeed, gospel planting involves cultivating (the soil of) our local area in preparation for this good news of Jesus taking root, and the health (both spiritual and otherwise) of this community being maximised.

We keep sowing the seed of the gospel in partnership with God, at the same time as seeking to work the soil toward being in a more receptive mode. If we do our “outside” work well, the rest will take care of itself.