According to the Gospel of Mark, the very first parable that Jesus ever told was about “a sower who went out to sow.” It was of those stories that everyone could easily imagine. Indeed, some commentators speculate that, since Jesus was outdoors at the time, there may have been an actual sower in a field nearby, and Jesus simply pointed to him and launched into the parable.

Mark never reports what the crowds thought of the parable, but he does tell us that the disciples did not get it. So, after everyone else went home, Jesus sits them down and interprets it for them.

The seed, he explains, stands for the word of God. At times we receive this word in stony silence and it never takes root. At other times, we receive it eagerly, but with no real depth, and so it withers the first time we run into a challenging situation. Lesser concerns can also crowd out the word, making it difficult for God’s truth to grow in us. But then — surprise! — some tiny seed of faith is planted, takes root, and produces an abundant harvest.

Frankly, I can understand why the disciples might have been a little confused by all of this because the sower that Jesus is describing in this parable is rather cavalier. He is not carefully calculating which type of soil has the best potential for growth. He is just scattering seeds — indiscriminately, and let’s admit it, somewhat inefficiently.

But that may be the point. When it comes to spreading God’s word, we are not called to be selective, saying, “Oh, I think I will put a seed here — this looks like a good person to receive it. But I won’t put a seed other there — no use wasting time on that person.”

In other words, we are not being asked to predict in advance what the results will be. Our responsibility is to keep spreading the word with wild abandon, because, ultimately, God is in charge of the harvest. So let us be prodigal in our planting. Cast the truths of God’s love anywhere and everywhere, and trust that God will take care of the rest!