Jesus Is a Bad Farmer
This week we have the chance to explore the Parable of the Sower, which honestly might better be described as the Parable of the Bad Farmer.
Remember that Jesus taught in an agrarian society, and what might not jump out at us at first was immediately obvious to his original listeners.
Seeds were, and are today, very valuable.
Jesus tells us that the sower sows his seeds on the path, on the rocky ground, on the thorny ground, and finally on the good soil.
You honestly would have to be a pretty stupid farmer to cast 75% of your seed in places where you knew it wouldn’t grow.
And it was incredibly wasteful.
You know the term “seed money”? It’s exactly what it sounds like.
Purchasing seeds is the most important investment a farmer makes outside of buying the land in the first place.
Sowing seeds on the path, the rocky ground and the thorny ground would be like investing money 25% in rotary telephone manufacture, 25% in blacksmithing, 25% in time travel, and 25% in a respected investment fund.
It’s essentially throwing 75% of your money in places you know will never grow, and hoping for the best.
Once it becomes clear that Jesus’ Parable of the Sower is really Jesus’ Parable of the Sower Who Is Really Bad At His Job, we have to ask ourselves why he told it that way.
Is Jesus the bad farmer? Continue reading