Jesus told an incredible parable about the dynamics of improvisation:
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.
And he told them many things in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
“Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
“Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
“Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
“He who has ears, let him hear.”
~Matthew 13:1–9
If you had only one parable to reflect on for the rest of your life, I don’t think this would be a bad choice.
Bruegel’s painting of this scene is worth pondering—here’s a higher resolution version. As a way in to the parable, it’s remarkable.
Jesus is out on a boat, teaching the crowds who stand on the shore. If you’ve ever taught, you know the excitement of that moment of expectation before class begins, when you dive into the unknown, not sure exactly where you’ll end up.
Jesus looks around and sees the sower at work, high up on the mountain. And this farmer, at work in his field and unaware of what’s going on below, inspires some of Jesus’s most masterful teaching.
The brilliance of Bruegel’s painting is its depiction of this improvisational moment:
taking your knowledge of your tradition (in this case, Jesus’s mastery of his Jewish religious tradition)
responding to those around you (the crowds, eager to learn)
accepting what’s given to you (a glimpse of a sower at work in his field)
Out of this trio, something new arises. Something that can transform our lives, if we’re attentive.
Bruegel’s painting isn’t brilliant on its own, though he was a truly great & inspired painter. The scene draws its brilliance from the parable itself; the improvisational scene Bruegel paints exemplifies what the parable teaches.
This is a parable about our soil. The parable practically begs us to reflect on the state of our hearts: “Have you cultivated an openness of spirit? Are you receptive, hospitable, willing to be transformed? Are you paying attention to the little corner of world around you?”
Jesus himself gives us a key to understanding this parable:
“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means:
“When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
“The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
~Matthew 13:18–23
We don’t control what’s given to us. We don’t know what will arrive, or when. We’ll always be improvising. But Jesus’s parable teaches us we can always improve our soil.
How can you be fertile ground? What can you make out of what you've been given?