He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

'Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.'

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience."

- Luke 8:1-15

In yesterday's reading, we read the story of the sinful woman who comes to the Pharisee's house, where Jesus is an invited and honored guest. The Pharisee calls Jesus, "Teacher," but he doubts Jesus can be a prophet. This is because the sinful woman takes an expensive and luxurious alabaster jar of scented oil, and bathes Jesus' feet with it, wiping them with her hair. The Pharisee believes Jesus cannot be a prophet because he must not know the woman is a sinner - but Jesus teaches that, "Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." See For she loved much.

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities -- Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance. My study bible notes: "The group that accompanied Jesus as He went about teaching and healing was not limited to the twelve. A number of women (v. 2) were part of that band as well, and they provided for (v. 3) Jesus from their possessions (Matt. 27:55)." Immediately after the incident in yesterday's reading - of the sinful woman who bathed Jesus' feet with fragrance oil - we are treated by Luke to an understanding of the important role that women played in Jesus' ministry. Indeed, their role is an important example of forgiveness, love and salvation - as we are told explicitly about Mary Magdalene, that she had seven demons cast out of her. The message here is one of love and forgiveness, that the two go hand in hand, and both are linked in salvation and healing. Those who are healed by Christ are not merely free to continue their old lives - no, instead they become someone different: a part of this ministry and discipleship. This fact is repeated over and over again throughout the Gospels in numerous examples.

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Luke introduces us to the parable of the Sower, and the central importance of parables in Jesus' ministry. This is an important part of every Gospel, because it is linked to mystery - which is an essential part of our faith. Jesus' ministry is not only about hard certainties and facts. Faith calls us to something deeper, that keeps on giving and will take us as deeply as we can go. A spiritual faith is not limited to facts and stories and evidence, but our faith links us in Spirit to something much more dimensional and potent. "He who has ears to hear" is a spiritual metaphor for the heart that is receptive to spiritual teaching, an expression known and understood from Old Testament prophecy and Psalms.

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'" My study bible notes, "The mysteries of the kingdom are revealed to the faithful, but hidden from those with unresponsive hearts." A connection of faith and love is more than healing as we commonly understand it, it is more than forgiveness as exemplified in yesterday's reading. A real connection of faith involves something much deeper, the sharing of Persona -- that is, the reality of the spiritual life, the kingdom of God. These are the mysteries, into which we are more deeply drawn as we continue in our faith and discipleship. The quotation refers back to Isaiah 6:9. "Mysteries" here may also be translated as "secret or hidden truths."

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." My study bible notes here: "The explanation of the parable is easily grasped. But only with the eyes of faith does one see and know that Jesus Himself is truly the Savior." So, in this parable, we are given an example of four different types of response to this word, Jesus' teaching. For those who are my readers, I suppose, the last group is the most relevant, "those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." I think the word "patience" is a great key to this discipleship, and what follows into a life of faith.

"Parable" in the Hebrew or Aramaic can mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb." We understand parables as used by Christ as something that leads the faithful into the mysteries, or hidden or secret truths of the kingdom. And you and I have perhaps had the parables we know in the Gospels explained to us numerous times. If you are like me, this was so before I grasped much of faith, as a child. But for us, for now, I think it's important that we take this notion of parables introduced for us at this time in Luke's Gospel, in the context of the stories and the truths we've been given. Jesus has just received a sinful woman, and forgiven her, in a Pharisee's house, "for she loved much." The centrality of love to this ministry remains a kind of mystery for us, if you ask me. This is not just a ministry of rules and obedience; it is much more and takes us further. It is a ministry of relationship - more specifically, of love. It includes healing, salvation, redemption, discipleship, forgiveness - and more. It takes us, the very beings who are healed, restored, forgiven all manner of problems and weaknesses and sins, deep into the kingdom and the spiritual mysteries in that reality. This kingdom of love is something that is shared with us, broken as we are, imperfect as we are, as long as we share in that love - and it will share with us its mysteries. Jesus has with Him the women disciples of His ministry, including one healed even of seven demons in the example of Mary Magdalene, who will be called "Apostle to the Apostles." But the great key to all of this is in that last sentence of that last category of hearer in the parable: "those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." Discipleship is a long road. It will still involve uncovering our weaknesses and places that need healing, our imperfections which seem to be endless (if you are like me, at any rate), and challenges that go ever deeper within us. But it is that long road of hidden truths which will bear fruit within us and through us when we keep that word with patience. The secret or hidden mysteries await our journey and our patience, and the loving act that keeps that word in our hearts through a long life of choice, and of love and discipleship. Are you ready for that journey? With patience, it starts today.