Very familiar parable, this one — one of Jesus’ first. It’s easy to look at the types of soil and shake our head, uh-huh. We know the types, don’t we?
- the path
- rocky soil
- thorns
- good soil
I think it’s easy for us to look at those types of soil — rather, the people represented by the soil — and see a passive role. After all, the path didn’t have any choice in being a path, did it? Perhaps not, but the type of people the path represents certainly have a choice, and so do the other 3 types.
“Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown” along the path (Mark 4:14-15). “But,” you say, “the one with the active role here is satan.” I would agree except for the article “the”. There are more than one with an active role here — the “path people” are those who have closed their hearts ahead of time, and have chosen not to believe. Active role.
Same with those who “have no root” and “last only a short time” (Mark 4:16-17). They choose not to be more actively involved in the work of the Church and in learning the Word. Active role. Others are worried and carried away by the desires of the world (Mark 4:18-19). Active role. Those in the last group are fruitful — again, an active role (Mark 4:20).
There’s one more active role that isn’t depicted in the parable, and which the seed and soil in this parable cannot describe. That other active role is the additional role of the last group — the fruitful soil. What about those in the second group — those Christians who “have no root” — or those Christians who are beset by worry or greed? What if the “fruitful” group took a more active role in helping the second group take root? Or if they were able to mentor those with worry or greed? Seems to me we might have some seeds moving from thorns and rocks into fertile soil.
Something to think about. Maybe I am my brother’s keeper after all.
