Sow

 . . . an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat . . . 

 - From Matthew 13

Time to eat all your words
Swallow your pride
Open your eyes

The familiar lines from the 1990 anthem by Tears for Fears, "Sowing the Seeds of Love" was a call to bring everything all together, to complete the forward social movement that had begun in the 1960s. With an upbeat tempo and smile-inducing feel, it was the perfect launch-pad to the 1990s. The decade almost closed the deal. But by the time 2000 came around, we had lost our focus and the descent into division and despair (still underway) began.

It had the wonderful imagery of "sowing seeds." I've done my share of gardening, and my favorite way to plant seed, is to sow it. In this way, you scatter it about. It requires very good, loose, healthy soil, as everything gets cast to the surface, and you need it to take root soon, without a lot of help. When you sow, it's like "casting your fate to the wind." It's a great act of faith. Your two tasks are to start a thing, and then wait.

There are two sayings: "You reap what you sow," and "He that sows to the wind will reap a whirlwind." They both are referring to The Law of Unintended Consequences. It is good to sow something like seed, which will grow into something good, like food. Sowing implies a multiplier effect. When you sow gossip, you are starting a process that will grow exponentially, as each succeeding wave of repeating the gossip gets exaggerated. If word gets around that you started the gossip, you could have very serious troubles, indeed! In fact, perhaps the most pernicious aspect of evil, is it's highly viral propensity to spread, and grow. The 2020 riots may be said to have been started by a couple people in Minneapolis, wearing goofy costumes, going around with hammers, breaking windows of retailers. Of course there were other seeds that were starting points: The George Floyd murder. The arson of a police precinct. Single, separate acts grew to a maelstrom that engulfed the continent.

But unintended consequences have come into play. Thousands of people hopped on board this movement typified by reckless, random violence. Destruction is fun, if you can get away with it. But it yields the ruining of lives of innocent people. We are, most of all, charged with making a safe world for our children and elders. But in our pursuit of social justice, we've introduced fear and dread into the lives of people that deserve to feel safe and secure. We let things get out of control. We have reaped the whirlwind.

In the parable, a reference is made to private property. Gardeners have great faith. Not only do they trust that their seed will take root, but they leave their work right out there in the open. Any passerby can step off the road, and commit damage to a field of grain, or a garden, quite easily. And the damage affects the well-being of people for months. One crop is good for one year. But a year is a long time. We plant so that we can get through the winter. Gardens are precious.

The evil person in the parable was bad enough. He just sowed some weed into the good crops. That's all. He left the good stuff alone. The rioters of 2020 did far more than that. They destroyed the good, and left bad in their wake. There's a thread in today's lesson, about leaving alone what doesn't belong to you.

There's a rippling effect. You reap what you sow. Harm someone else - count on harm coming back to you.