In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus is teaching about reactions to his proclamation of God’s empire. God’s empire is the term biblical scholar Warren Carter uses to describe the kin-dom. I like the term because it is in direct contrast to empire—the Roman Empire in Jesus’ day and the American Empire in our day. Carter’s hermeneutics enable us to read Matthew in context and to apply the Gospel to our lives as disciples today. Continue reading →