12/31 Sermon Q&A: The Parable of the Soils
Three great questions were submitted during the sermon on the Parable of the Soils from Luke 8. My responses are below....
How does the image of not hiding a lamp relate to the parable of the treasure in the field, that a man finds, covers, and hides?
The parable being referenced here is found in Matthew 13.44. Interestingly, Matthew 13 is a chapter full of parables and images from Jesus, including Matthew's version of the parable of the soils that I just preached on from Luke 8. There does seem to be a thematic connection between the image of a field that has a hidden treasure, and the image of light hidden under a bed, although I also find it interesting that Matthew does not include the parable/image of the lamp in his long collection of parables in chapter 13. Nevertheless, I would suggest any connection between these parables is a broad one that could be applied to many (most?) of Jesus' parables: namely, that parables are an indirect way of teaching and instructing. The lessons they hold are not always obvious, and they invite imaginative engagement, questioning and wrestling. There is indeed something hidden about the Kingdom of God, that nevertheless gets revealed as the Kingdom grows.
How do we know if we're bearing good fruit? Or enough fruit?
This is a pastoral question, and I want to offer just two thoughts here while emphasizing that there is no simple rule or legalistic measurement when it comes to "bearing fruit" in one's life. If I were to give a formula: "XX means you have officially borne enough fruit. Good job!" then that would create a legalistic approach towards reaching that threshold. So first of all, I really believe that if someone is genuinely concerned about whether they are bearing fruit, then it is likely that person is an example of the "good soil" from the parable. A humble, prayerful heart and posture towards God and people is the "soil" in which God's Word takes deep root. Second, the go-to New Testament passage on this is from Galatians 5, in which Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Some good reflection questions would be: are these 'fruits' increasing or decreasing in my life? Am I increasing in patience, peace, gentleness, or do I see evidence that those things are decreasing? And if you aren't sure, then invite a close friend or family member to speak honestly to you! A spouse, roommate, sibling, triad-member would be a great person to ask, and I believe that in the process of asking, and inviting such input, you would be cultivating the very humble posture that this parable is speaking about! Fruit-bearing is a life-long journey with God, and I pray that we can go on this journey together, as a community of faith.
Does God not give us minds to understand, eyes to see, ears to hear, etc if our hearts are not truly seeking Him?
In some ways, this question pulls on the deep mystery I alluded to near the end of my sermon: what is the give-and-take between our asking for understanding versus God giving us a mind/heart to understand? Does God give us a new mind first, but if God doesn't give us this, is it possible to truly seek him? Where does that leave us, then?
This is an age-old question! On some level, I think we must embrace the fundamental mysterious interplay between God's agency in causing us to seek him as well as our agency in seeking God. The biblical canon does not seem content to reduce the mystery fully to one side or the other, and to be honest, I like that! But in light of this, I do see a consistent biblical theme of God honoring those who truly seek him. In other words, I believe a heart/mind/soul that genuinely looks for God will not be abandoned in that search! God uses all kinds of unexpected people, events, situations to prod us towards him, and I believe that even the act of asking these types of questions is evidence that God is doing something in one's life.
This all reminds me of Paul's words in Athens (Acts 17): From one man he made every nation of the human race . . . and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Great questions! Thanks for taking time to submit them!
How does the image of not hiding a lamp relate to the parable of the treasure in the field, that a man finds, covers, and hides?
The parable being referenced here is found in Matthew 13.44. Interestingly, Matthew 13 is a chapter full of parables and images from Jesus, including Matthew's version of the parable of the soils that I just preached on from Luke 8. There does seem to be a thematic connection between the image of a field that has a hidden treasure, and the image of light hidden under a bed, although I also find it interesting that Matthew does not include the parable/image of the lamp in his long collection of parables in chapter 13. Nevertheless, I would suggest any connection between these parables is a broad one that could be applied to many (most?) of Jesus' parables: namely, that parables are an indirect way of teaching and instructing. The lessons they hold are not always obvious, and they invite imaginative engagement, questioning and wrestling. There is indeed something hidden about the Kingdom of God, that nevertheless gets revealed as the Kingdom grows.
How do we know if we're bearing good fruit? Or enough fruit?
This is a pastoral question, and I want to offer just two thoughts here while emphasizing that there is no simple rule or legalistic measurement when it comes to "bearing fruit" in one's life. If I were to give a formula: "XX means you have officially borne enough fruit. Good job!" then that would create a legalistic approach towards reaching that threshold. So first of all, I really believe that if someone is genuinely concerned about whether they are bearing fruit, then it is likely that person is an example of the "good soil" from the parable. A humble, prayerful heart and posture towards God and people is the "soil" in which God's Word takes deep root. Second, the go-to New Testament passage on this is from Galatians 5, in which Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Some good reflection questions would be: are these 'fruits' increasing or decreasing in my life? Am I increasing in patience, peace, gentleness, or do I see evidence that those things are decreasing? And if you aren't sure, then invite a close friend or family member to speak honestly to you! A spouse, roommate, sibling, triad-member would be a great person to ask, and I believe that in the process of asking, and inviting such input, you would be cultivating the very humble posture that this parable is speaking about! Fruit-bearing is a life-long journey with God, and I pray that we can go on this journey together, as a community of faith.
Does God not give us minds to understand, eyes to see, ears to hear, etc if our hearts are not truly seeking Him?
In some ways, this question pulls on the deep mystery I alluded to near the end of my sermon: what is the give-and-take between our asking for understanding versus God giving us a mind/heart to understand? Does God give us a new mind first, but if God doesn't give us this, is it possible to truly seek him? Where does that leave us, then?
This is an age-old question! On some level, I think we must embrace the fundamental mysterious interplay between God's agency in causing us to seek him as well as our agency in seeking God. The biblical canon does not seem content to reduce the mystery fully to one side or the other, and to be honest, I like that! But in light of this, I do see a consistent biblical theme of God honoring those who truly seek him. In other words, I believe a heart/mind/soul that genuinely looks for God will not be abandoned in that search! God uses all kinds of unexpected people, events, situations to prod us towards him, and I believe that even the act of asking these types of questions is evidence that God is doing something in one's life.
This all reminds me of Paul's words in Athens (Acts 17): From one man he made every nation of the human race . . . and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Great questions! Thanks for taking time to submit them!
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