He who has ears to hear, let him hear! The Parable of the Sower

And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that

'Seeing they may see and not perceive,

And hearing they may hear and not understand;

Lest they should turn,

And their sins be forgiven them.' "

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

- Mark 4:1-20

In yesterday's reading, we learned that Jesus now has so many people following Him that neither He nor His disciples could even eat a meal in a house, because it was so packed with people who wanted to hear Him and receive His healing. At this point, Jesus' family is so concerned that they are worried for His sanity! But the scribes from Jerusalem have even a stronger accusation: they say that Jesus casts out demons "by the ruler of demons." But Jesus replies that Satan cannot cast out Satan - that if Jesus' kingdom is to stand in the world then He must first "bind" the strong man (Beelzebub, or the ruler of demons), and then He can take his home and his goods. Neither a house nor a kingdom can stand against itself. He teaches that those who blaspheme against the Spirit - calling the Spirit's work evil - will not be forgiven. Later on, Jesus is preaching and His mother and brothers seek Him. But He tells His followers, "Who is My mother, or My brothers? . . . Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother." See By the ruler of demons, He casts out demons.

And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. Then He taught them many things by parables . . . We have already read of Jesus' habit of teaching by the sea. By now He has so many who hear His preaching that He had to have a boat ready, in case He is in danger of being crushed by the crowd. At this point, there are so many who listen (a "multitude") that He must stand in the boat to teach. We are told, "Then He taught them many things by parables." So we are to understand that He uses many parables to teach, but the first one we are given is the parable of the Sower.

"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." In the Greek, the word for "sower" and its verb form, "to sow" is very poetic. Scholars generally agree that the verb comes from a word that means to draw forth or extend a sword. This is an image of casting forth but it is also a metaphor for what happens in the scattering of this seed. So there is a hidden secret here in this language, as Jesus has taught elsewhere that He comes not to bring peace, but a sword that will separate everyone by their response to it -- and this is the sword of truth. So it is with this seed sown by the sower. Each has his or her own response. Jesus has just chosen the Twelve, to help Him in this work of sowing seed everywhere. So the parable has a lot to do with the disciples themselves, and teaching them what they are to be about in the world, and what will come as the result of their "sowing."

And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" This important saying will be repeated many times, and its significance for our faith - and even for the whole idea of faith and trust - cannot be diminished. Jesus wishes to touch those who have a receptivity for His words in their hearts. He wishes to make a connection of faith and trust, a relationship that takes root. For this we need spiritual ears to hear, an openness of heart to His words.

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.' " Well here is something quite interesting: the Twelve themselves are unaware of the meanings in the parable, and wonder why He teaches so. My study bible says that "Mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined." If we understand this correctly, we see that those whose hearts desire to know, to understand, are those for whom the kingdom opens, and the seed begins to take root. "Those who are outside" reflects the understanding in yesterday's reading about the blasphemy of the Spirit: those whose hearts are not open to this will not receive it, and the parable teaches us that the word will not take root. In this way, they remain "outside." But the parable also teaches us that there are those who will receive - and yet go on to reject. The quotation is an adaptation of Isaiah 6:9-10.

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred." Jesus explains the parable - and it is, fittingly, a parable that reflects the work His Apostles will do in the world. How do people respond to the word? Let us see: There are those "by the wayside" - the seed sown by the hard ground of the well-worn and trampled soil of the road. So, His adversary (the "strong man" of yesterday's reading) is able to scoop up the seed. This may be seen as the soil of a "hardened heart." Then there are the ones sown in stony soil - a lesser hardening, combined with some soil. These individuals receive the word with joy, but it can't last; it can't take root. When conflict arises, a dilemma or stumbling block presents itself over this word, they fall by the wayside also. The ones sown among thorns are those for whom the heart is also a place of avarice or temptation; the stumbling blocks become whatever ambitions or idols we hold so dear that they choke the word within us. To not love this word, and to place it above other desires, is to become unfruitful. Jesus speaks of "the deceitfulness of riches" - false gods that betray us, and don't hold the value we place on them compared to the riches of the heart, this word. "But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

What is it to bear fruit? To have a heart that is good and fertile ground for this word? We understand once again the root of the word to sow - it's like extending a sword into the world, a perfect metaphor for Jesus' sword of truth. As He has just chosen His apostles, who will live with Him and learn from Him, who will go forth to preach themselves, and have the power to heal and cast out demons, so He teaches them what He is about and what they are to be about in the world -- and what the world's response to them will be. No doubt they would understand this parable as an image of prophecy in Isaiah 55:10-11: "For as rain comes down, or snow from heaven, and does not return until it saturates the earth, and it brings forth and produces, and give seed to the sower and bread for food, so shall my word be, whatever proceeds from my mouth. It shall not return until it accomplishes whatever I willed, and I shall prosper your ways and My commandments." We have observed already the tumult and confusion that surrounds Jesus amidst His great fame and popularity: there are those who seek to destroy Him, and there is One whom He has chosen Himself who will betray Him. Now, we are given a keener glimpse into the workings of the heart: there are all sorts of ways in which the word may be received, or not. It may be received for a time, and yet rejected when there is conflict, or choked by worldly ambition of one sort or another, loves that takes its place. He is looking for the good ground, the fertile heart, the soil that takes in it in and gives His word roots so that it produces good yields. So we are all asked and called. This is a process. It takes time, it grows within us. There's a quotation from St. Mark the Ascetic in one of my study books: "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you." What we learn today, we take with us tomorrow, where it may blossom and grow. It is a day to day process, this work of salvation, redemption, reclaiming the world from the "strong man" who would choke the word with false and deceitful loves, or snatch it up through conflict and division, whose real ground is a hard heart. We go forward understanding ourselves - with the disciples - to be bearers of that word, and draw it forth as we can, so that we too may bear fruit and plant seeds in others.