Sermon Isaiah 55.10-13 July 12, 2020 Psalm 65.1-13 Proper 10A Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23 The Rev. Gary R. Brower, PhD Towards the end of the fourth century of our era, the prodigious biblical scholar St. Jerome wrote a letter (Letter 22) to a young woman named Eustochium. She was a member of a Roman senatorial family, and the youngest daughter of a close woman friend of Jerome’s, named Paula. Eustochium was a teenager and was still unmarried. Her sister, Blesilla, was a little older than Eustochium, but had already been married. Unfortunately for Blesilla, the marriage ended tragically, and she became a widow after only several months. The letter Eustochium received was vintage Jerome. As I mentioned, he was probably the most capable Biblical scholar of his time. It was he who produced the first complete Latin translation of the Bible, the Vulgate—so called because it was in the common language, that is, the vulgar tongue of the people. But Jerome is also remembered as one of the early great champions of virginity and chastity. His fervor in this regard was probably due, in part, to regret for his “mis-spent youth”, as well as his living in the midst of the debauchery that was late-4th century Rome. Many of his writings were on these subjects (virginity and chastity), including an entire treatise on the perpetual virginity of Mary, one that would become foundational in the Catholic Church’s theology concerning Mary. It was this Jerome—biblical scholar and champion of chastity—who wrote to young Eustochium. Eustochium had decided, as an adolescent, to embrace a life of celibacy herself. That is, if such orders had existed at her time, she would have become a nun. As it was, those kinds of communities had not yet developed. Women, and men, who decided to maintain a chaste, or virginal life, did so individually, although not without the support of others. Jerome’s letter was meant to be such a support, and in it he commending Eustochium for her choice and encouraged her perseverance. For Jerome, a chaste, virginal, life was the pinnacle of Christian virtue. Once, when asked what would happen if all the world were to choose virginity, and thus, cease to procreate, he reputedly replied, “Good! Then Christ will come and establish his kingdom.” It may come, then, as no surprise, that Jerome, making use of the “Parable of the Sower”, would tell Eustochium that her choice of virginity would yield her a hundred-fold reward in heaven. Clearly the word preached to her had found fertile soil. She had understood it, taken it to heart, and it would, according to Jerome, produce a plentiful, heavenly harvest. A sixty-fold harvest might be the reward of Blesilla. She did have a weaker will than Eustochium, Jerome wrote—that is, she got married. But, after the death of her husband, she could choose not to remarry and remain chaste. If she succeeded, the sixty-fold reward would be hers. Poor Paula, the mother of these two girls and Jerome’s good friend and benefactress, was left with the thirty-fold reward. Marriage, wrote Jerome, was not to be disparaged, but it was certainly a much lesser good—even if “being fruitful and multiplying” was commanded by God. Paula’s fidelity to her husband, and her raising up of dutiful, faithful, children—especially if they embraced a chaste life—was worth some reward, even if only a thirty-fold one. I am going to suspect that few of you have heard this interpretation of the parable of the sower. I don’t relate it to promote Jerome’s idea of virginity, nor to champion Jerome (he was quite obnoxious!). I do, however, offer it to you as an example. An example of an alternate to the dominant interpretation of a parable. It is also an example of the extremely fruitful minds of the early theologians, who saw many different ways of interpreting scriptural passages. No one way— whether literal or metaphorical—exhausted the richness of God’s Word. This “parable of the sower” from Matthew's gospel (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) is preceded by a phrase that I've often overlooked. After Jesus got into the boat and sat down, the people stood around waiting for something. But what? Prior to this Jesus had taught (the Sermon on the Mount came earlier), and he had done miracles. So, maybe the throng was expecting a wonder, or a pithy, direct, teaching. What happened instead was recorded in verse three of Matthew 13: "he told them many things in parables." Matthew signals a shift in the way Jesus proclaimed his message—he turns to parables, to stories. And, indeed, this chapter alone contains seven parables. At the end of this series, he asked his disciples if they understood. When they told him "Yes," he replied, "A disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of the storeroom new things as well as old" (13:52). That seems to be one of the beauties of parables—they are storerooms of new and old. As Frederick Buechner writes, a parable is a small story with a large point. And, like a joke, if you have to explain it, don't bother (Wishful Thinking, [HarperSanFrancisco, 1993], 80-81). In other words, parables work on multiple levels; they are invitations to muse, to wonder, to imagine, to be shocked. And so, I would suggest that parables work differently for different people. Clearly Jerome would not have missed the explanation of the parable of the sower found in the Gospel text. But just as clearly, Jerome did not allow that explanation to be the only possible way of hearing the parable. For all of his shortcomings, he does instruct us to hear the parables in our own situations. While we may like simple, direct, consistent interpretations of Scripture, parables defy that kind of easy answer. We are often lulled into easy analogies or allegories, but parables—like the seed sown on good soil—produce 30, 60, or 100-fold harvests. Plentiful harvests are also emphasized in our lessons from Isaiah and the Psalms. Isaiah tells of the word that goes forth from God’s mouth; it will not return without accomplishing its purpose— which is to make the “earth” “bring forth and sprout”. That is, if we listen and take heed, we will live. “Listen carefully, listen closely,” Isaiah invites us. No easy answers here. But the harvest is plentiful for those who have ears to hear. Psalm 65 is even more straightforward. God’s blessings are overabundant; God’s generosity is remarkable, much like, I suppose, the extravagant casting of seed by the Sower, if we’re willing to allow the seed to grow deep roots. When it comes, then, to reading or hearing Scripture, we are invited to go beyond simple answers or interpretations. Jesus, God’s Word in the flesh, was no simple man. While there was a great consistency in his life and teachings, the fact that so many commentaries, sermons, and books have been devoted to him testifies to the complexity behind that consistency. In the Church, and in our country, different voices are claiming the privileged position of “accurate interpreter” of the Word. Jesus ’promise of a 100-fold harvest, and Jerome’s intriguing interpretation of that harvest, both argue against any such simple, single, interpretations. As Jesus spoke to an agrarian society, and Jerome to a wealthy urban society, so we must hear God’s word anew in our complex world—made even more difficult to negotiate by the crises of COVID and issues of racial reconciliation. Our questions are different. Our needs are different. Indeed, they change from day to day. Our reading and hearing of God’s Word must, likewise, reflect those changes. This is not to argue for complete relativism, but to give the Holy Spirit room to work in the Church and world. And, so, in a complete departure from my “normal” homiletic practice, I’m going to invite you into this parable anew. I’m going to read (and display) the parable—but not the explanation—in a different translation. And I’d like you to imagine, to muse, to be surprised, to dream with that story—given our (or your personal) context. How does it speak to your experience, or your spiritual life? What does it say to our church? Our world? COVID-land? If you feel so moved, provide your interpretation in the Chat feature. [Jesus] said many things to them in parables: “A farmer went out to scatter seed. 4 As he was scattering seed, some fell on the path, and birds came and ate it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it scorched the plants, and they dried up because they had no roots. 7 Other seed fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked them. 8 Other seed fell on good soil and bore fruit, in one case a yield of one hundred to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of thirty to one. 9 Everyone who has ears should pay attention.” (CEB) Take a minute or so to enter the parable. [Pause] One of the themes underlying all of our lessons, as well as the Collect of the Day, this morning is God's generosity and mercy.