Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 13That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Verse 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. Verse 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. Verse 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Verse 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. Verse 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Verse 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Verse 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Verse 9Let anyone with ears listen!" Verse 18"Hear then the parable of the sower. Verse 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. Verse 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; Verse 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. Verse 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. Verse 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
Devotion
My first attempt at a garden was a complete disaster. I was eager and ambitious. I probably planted every kind of pepper I could get my hands on, a variety of tomatoes and everything from lettuce to eggplants. It was a huge garden and I had not thought about how much weeding would need to be done. Soon I was busy with other things and weeding was forgotten until it was too late; the weeds were out of control. That fall I spent time digging through the weeds to find the produce. I was surprised to find tomatoes where I thought peppers should be and lettuce where eggplants should have been. Despite my ineptitude, the vegetables grew. We may be called to help plant a few seeds, but we are not the master gardener. We are only one of the implements that God uses to plant the seed.
Prayer
Master Gardener, thank you for letting us be a part of the planting of seeds. May we know that success does not depend on us, and may we be a willing tool in helping produce an abundant harvest. Amen.