What chokes us

Sometimes we fail to read Scripture with fresh eyes. I like to question things, shake things up a bit. Consider the story Jesus told about the farmer who scattered seed. He was teaching about how people respond to the Kingdom--some don't quite get it, some are enthusiastic but then fall away. Some grasp the good news and produce a harvest, multiplying what they received in the world.

Jesus also said that some people would "get" the gospel, but not do anything with it. This is the group I've been thinking about. I've tried to communicate what I'm thinking in several different areas, with minimum success. I guess I'll try again here.

If you were teaching about what keeps people from being productive in their knowledge of the Kingdom, wouldn't you assume that the answer is sin? We're busy doing wrong things, so we fail to do right things. Wouldn't you think in this parable that Jesus would warn about wrong behavior creeping up on us? But He doesn't preach against sin...not exactly.

The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. - Matthew 13:22

Jesus says that people who fail to see fruit in their Christian lives are distracted by worldly concerns and a lust for wealth. Christians will not fail from chasing the opposite sex and hopping around bars. Christians will not fail because they are addicted to porn and gossip maliciously. Christians won't produce fruit in the Kingdom because they are very concerned about their children's grades and extracurricular activities. Jesus said that Christians fail to produce fruit befitting the Kingdom because they buy a house and the how to pay for the mortgage consumes them. We will be too busy being ordinary, and not make room for the supernatural in our lives. We have the key to all adventure, and we instead let the fun be choked out by...the ordinary.

This part of the story sticks with me because I am so consumed with my children right now. Homeschooling through high school, getting into college, getting a job, driving a car...my oldest is on the verge of breaking from the nest, and there seems to be so much to be concerned with.

Every day, I need to ask my Jesus for ears to hear. When he was telling the story to the crowd, Jesus said, "Anyone who has ears to hear, let him hear." I need to hear Jesus' voice telling me what is important in each day, and to trust Him that the "important" things (like my kids' character and education and social lives) will be taken care of. I need to trust Him as easily as I breathe with the ordinary, so that I can participate in the extraordinary: the Kingdom He is establishing on the earth.

I started off by saying that Jesus did not preach against sin as being the thing that distracts us. However, the Greek word for "sin" means to miss the mark. In our culture, sin is equated with the VERY BAD, but in Greek, it meant failing to do the exact thing. When Jesus said that the worries of the world and lure of wealth would choke our the good news, deaden our ears to His call, He was indeed talking about sin.