“A sower went out to sow and as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up.” So begins one of Jesus’ most famous parables. He says it pictures a person who does not understand “the word of the kingdom.” This lack of understanding leads to the evil one snatching away what is sown in his heart.
Note what the seed is, “the word of the kingdom.” I was taught this is essentially the word about how to get into the kingdom–faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. But Jesus didn’t say the seed represents the means of salvation. The word is about the kingdom itself, the exotic, beautiful realm into which we enter.
And this kingdom is not a faraway place we go to after we die. Rather, we are to pray for it’s coming right now,to breathe its heavenly air right now and to act it out on a daily basis.1
For example, kingdom living means having a special care for vulnerable and hurting people. Being a kingdom inhabitant means checking the instinctive aggression that leads to “enemy mode” and the desire to crush our adversaries. Kingdom leaders don’t demand special treatment. Rather, they lead in humility, stooping to wash others’ feet as their leader did.2 The kingdom throbs with mercy and those who dwell there love to forgive. It’s a realm of grace and meekness. A realm of brother and sisterly love.
And that leads to the next part of Jesus’ interpretation. Those who receive seed on the path don’t understand the word. They can’t fathom kingdom love and gentleness. Their hearts are hard like the path where the birds feed on the seed.
It’s a sobering warning–hardness of heart allows the powers of darkness influence in our lives. A demonic umbrella prevents the gentle rain of the Spirit from softening our hearts.
The apostle Paul says the same thing. People become “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.”3 Again, a lack of understanding relating to hardness of heart. The context of these verses makes it clear that the problem is not merely a lack of knowledge. Rather, our hearts grow hard when we willfully refuse to understand the message of God’s love.
I must admit that for many years I did not particularly want to fully understand this heavenly nature of the kingdom. Meekness and mercy seemed insipid, something for tea parties and quilting bees. I had not outgrown my youthful ambition of being on top, being better than others, battling and winning.
Speaking of battling, this passage introduces a related element–we have an enemy who is intent on robbing, killing and destroying us.4 There is a war going on and we must fight. Many Christians fled into the deserts of Egypt and Syria over 1600 years ago precisely for this reason. The desert fathers, as they are known, consciously and aggressively took the battle to the powers of darkness and won.
These early “soldiers of the cross” realized the nature of the war they were fighting. They knew that other human beings were not the enemy. They understood the battle was an interior one that meant wrestling against strong spiritual powers.5 Similarly, they knew the mighty power of the weapon of goodness God calls us to wield.6
And so kingdom logic says, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink, for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.”
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.7
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