2 days ago I got hit between the eyes with this one:

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” Luke 8:15

We all know where this statement comes from, we all know the rest of the story. The seeds that fall on the path, on the rocks, and among the thorns represent people that either heard and didn’t understand, heard and didn’t apply, or heard and didn’t prioritize, and the message was lost.

“Those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it…”
We would like to think this is a portrait of us. We have read the message, we have studied it since our youth. We are confident of our salvation. We are confident of our relationship with Jesus Christ. We pray every morning. We give up smoking for lent. We have memorized the entire book of Philippians.

The seed has found good soil to land on. It’s a soft landing, the view is nice. But if all we do is understand the message, take it home, put it in a box, and contemplate it daily, is the message not dead? Is the seed serving its purpose if all it does is get buried and stay that way?
I wrote an email to my aunt in Ontario. It was a glorious record of all the great plays I made in a hockey game the night before, combined with some notes on my geology career, a couple pictures of my cat, some jokes about the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a detailed description of the wildlife in the Yukon. Not having her address, of course, I sent this to my parents and asked that they forward it to the relatives. I’m sure my parents read it, and I’m sure that they enjoyed it. I also happen to know that they forgot to send it.
Now, this is a fairly trivial matter. I don’t think that it is a matter of life or death to know that I got a hat trick and saw a bear trying to get into my trailer. I don’t think that, had she received the email, my Aunt would have been running through the streets proclaiming that fact that she has a niece who collects rocks for a living, and I don’t think she would have printed off the picture of my cat and handed it out to all her friends, in order to show them that Lex is quite lovely to look at and should probably be in a cat food commercial. (Those of you who are familiar with my cat and my hockey skills are now laughing, of course). But the point still stands that the letter was designed to be forwarded.

“and by persevering produce a crop.”
Now we get to the tricky part. The seed is meant to be planted, not just enjoyed. It needs to reproduce. Not only does this message become an integral part of my life, I have to spread it and hope that it can land on another piece of fertile soil and continue to grow and spread. In case anyone is wondering, Christianity is hard work. It is a daily mission. It has a purpose. I need to persevere to produce a crop. I can’t simply sit down on a park bench and accidentally infect the guy next to me. I have to make a conscious effort to show love to this person, then I have to share the gospel in a tactful and effective way, and deal with the consequences, which could be that this guy on the park bench joins my small group then comes over to my house for dinner once a week and asks hard questions. Maybe he wants me to lend him a buck for coffee. Maybe he wants me to pray for his sister with cancer or his relationship with his boss. Maybe I have to get involved.
What happens if I don’t? What happens if I stay in my exclusive little God-Squad coffee club?

Let’s hope that the God-Squad coffee club skips Matthew 25:14-30.
At first glance, the lesson seems to be “Don’t make a mess of your finances. They aren’t yours. They’re God’s.” Similar applications include the misuse or lack of use of spiritual gifts or other tools or abilities which are, of course, created by God and intended for his use. What does this have to do with persevering and producing a crop? What does this have to do with spreading the message?

The guy with 5 talents is the gifted evangelist, the shepherd, the youth leader, the kind of person that draws others to himself. He has been given much by God, he is compassionate, kind, energetic, discerning, dedicated, and truly has a heart for others. Using the qualities that God has given him, he can take the message of salvation and the good news that he has received and gain 5 co-workers for the Lord and suitably equip them for further Christian service.
The girl with 2 talents is the thoughtful, caring type who is always behind the scenes. She is quieter than the guy with 5 talents, and maybe doesn’t know as many bible passages by heart. But she has a bit of extra time to volunteer at church in the nursery, and she is trustworthy and easy to talk to. She prays with her close friends and gains 2 people for the Lord.
I, however, am not a social person. I also don’t like to part with my money. I am arrogant, outspoken, and while I have “1 talent” ie the message that I know I must share, I am content to keep it to myself. I probably also have an extra couple dollars a month that I could give to a missionary, and I probably have at least one person in my life who I’m already close to that I could talk to, pray with, encourage…
But I choose not to. I figure that God is hard enough to please. What if I lead someone astray? What if I go out and meet people and they compromise my daily devotions. Better to hide in my room and read the bible and pray for my own salvation than to take the one talent out into the world and risk its disappearance.

Better to keep the seed in the palm of my hand than to put it in the dirt. That water might be bad for it, and it might get dirty.

We all know what happens to me in the end if this is what I choose to do.

Is it just me, or is that parable discouraging? Does anybody else read it and suddenly think “Am I doing enough with what God has given me, or will he return at an inopportune moment and take what little I have from me, because I have not been wise or effective with what little I was given?”