There is no "I" without a team.

Scripture:

Mark 4:13-20 (See also - Matthew 13:10-17; Luke 8:9-10)

13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.[b] 18 And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. 20 And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

Observation:

In North America we tend to interpret scripture in a way that prioritizes the experience, plight and salvation of individuals.  This is a not surprising result of the social, political and economic cultures that we live and participate in; but, we will always miss some of the rich invitation <--> challenge on offer from the Lord if we pretend that our experience is no different in this regard from the first hearers of Jesus.  

Simply put, although people in that ancient time and place acknowledged some individuality existed, they understood that communities and nations make individuals - not the other way round.  As a result, their thinking about salvation wasn't merely personal, but always included a large emphasis on the wider community of faith.

How might this simple, yet profound point enrich our interpretation of the passage at hand?

Well, one interesting thing that happens when we "zoom out" from the "individual' seeds, and their various points of landing, is that we are free to see some of the other actors in the story that otherwise remain out of sight and out of mind.  Of course that includes the sower, but we need not stop there.  We might begin to look for the one who made the path and the one who tills and tends the good soil.  We might also ask, "who failed to pick the rocks from the rocky ground, or to chase away those thieving birds, or to pull up those pesky weeds?"  And then, there are the harvesters implied at the end.

Can you think of any that I missed?

Application:

I have been blessed in the past through teachings that have focussed on the individual soil types and their seed-outcomes.  I am not saying that there is nothing to be gained from interpreting the bible first and foremost through our own experiences and perspectives.  What I am saying is this: the more angles we can address and interpret God's word from, the richer in wisdom we will become.

So, keep trying to discipline your life so that you might become good soil, by all means!  I will do the same, but today I will be paying special attention to the other forces, individuals, organizations and networks that aid and undercut my efforts.  I will also be thinking about the various soil types not as individuals whom the Word of God touches, but as communities of faith where the Word of God is trying to set up shop and put down roots.  

Is your faith community like a bird-frequented footpath?

A rock garden?  

A bramble with indefatigable wheat pushing up and through?  

A lush, high-yielding field?  

Whatever it looks like: 

who's out front and who is hiding behind the scenes?

Prayer:

Lord, let my heart be good soil.  Good soil is not disassociated from others.  Good soil is a tangled web of relationships that enrich and enliven one another.  Thank you for reaching into my experience today and everyday and pulling my gaze up and out so that I can see the marvellous work of your hands in plants and animals, people and weather patterns.  You stick together individuals to make communities of mutual care and protection even as you protect and guide communities from which to raise up healthy and integrated individuals.  You are the man! ... Um, well, I guess I mean, You are the God!  amen.