“worthless” potatoes

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 /…../ Other seeds fell on rocky ground /…../ 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.” /…./ Hear then the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the realm of the skies /…../ As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Matthew 13: 1-23

In a way it’s annoying – saddening, really - to see being dumped part of this year’s bountiful crop of Jersey Royals. How so? Well, it bothers us because good potatoes will not become food. The seed so carefully planted, in the final analysis, will not have yielded economically valuable fruit – see bold above. The yield of the Jersey Royal is, in fact, nowhere near the “*hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty”* multiplication about which Jesus spoke. A seed potato might multiply between 5 and 10 times at best – still a miracle of course. In his AD 28 (approx.) parable (or parallel – the original Greek is parabole = parallel) Jesus spoke to the crowds about seed. In his explanation to his baffled disciples he explained that the *seed* which the sower was broadcasting over the land was in fact “*the word of the realm of the skies”.* This word would multiply by up to x 100.
.	‘A fruitless person is not a failed Christian, but a false one – in other words, not a Christian at all.’ (John Blanchard, writer and speaker)
Can a person – and individual – a man – be a “*word”? Certainly, every human being is a communicator. Even when someone is silent his body language is speaking, maybe very convincingly. What (or who) then is “the word of the realm of the skies”? Who came down from heaven, was crucified, dead and buried and rose again? In Jesus’ parallel, some “seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them”. In his explanation – in fact, therefore – “this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful”. The cares of the world? The deceitfulness of riches? What are these two things which “choke” “the word of the realm of the skies”? How are our riches deceitful? How does wealth tell us lies? What is the message of the wealth which we have? Is it this: “all is well”? Is the message of wealth “all is now well with me”? Is that a deceit? What about “the cares of the world” which also “choke” “the word of the realm of the skies”? Many would, with some justification even in Jersey, claim that these are the converse of “riches”. When a person is poor – not rich – worry about being able to obtain necessities of life are paramount and all-consuming. Living in Jersey – where the potato crop multiplies wealth and where the finance industry profits meet all our needs – are any of us still subject to “the cares of the world*”?
.	‘I looked for the church and I found it in the world. I looked for the world and found it in the church.’ (Horatius Bonar, minister and poet, 1808-1889)
That’s where clubs – golf, sports and other - come in. Don’t you care that you’re not a member of the best club in Jersey? Don’t you care that your club might have unsuitable members? Do you assist in excluding others from participation – because you care (about “you”)? It’s also in the realm of “*the cares of this world” that image and appearances are primary. Do you care about your image, to ensure your primacy? Behind “the cares of this world” and “the deceitfulness of riches” is the priority which I give to “myself”. That’s what “chokes” “the word of the realm of the skies*” – the heavenly word which is Jesus himself. There is a higher throne than all this world has known. It remains in place forever.

Richard Syvret

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