Behold, a sower went out to sow

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 13:1-9

In yesterday's reading, Jesus spoke about an unclean spirit -- being cleansed from a person, it wanders and finds no rest. It thinks about the place it left -- which is now "swept clean" and in order. So taking seven other even more wicked spirits with him, they make their abode, and, He said, "the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation." He was making an analogy to the Pharisees, and the history of rejection of the prophets of Israel, the calling back of God to God's people. Then Jesus was speaking when others told Him that His mother and brothers awaited outside. He replied "Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables . . . The first thing we notice is that at this point in Jesus' ministry, He has a tremendous following. That is, He is very famous, so that many come to listen to Him -- so many that He can't stand at the shore but must get into a boat. This is the first time we are formally told in the Gospel that Jesus speaks in parables. Also, at this point in His ministry, John the Baptist is in prison, and Jesus has open conflicts with the Pharisees -- who now seek to find ways to destroy Him. So, it's really a momentous time in His ministry, and at this point He introduces parables.

"Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" So important is the notion of parables that Matthew's Gospel will break up this story into several parts. In the readings for tomorrow and the next day, Matthew will give us first Jesus' emphasis on parables in speaking to His disciples, and then the explanation for this particular parable. So, for now, let us consider our own interpretations of this parable in a context by itself. My study bible notes: "In the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Ps. 126:5-6; Is. 55:10-13; Jer. 31:27-34; Hos. 2:21-23; and Joel 3:12-14), part of the daily lives of the people. In this parable Jesus is revealing Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower on earth." So, into this context of the Scriptures, Jesus inserts a new parable, a new teaching, and it is about Himself. Will they understand?

In tomorrow's reading, Jesus will explain His use of parables to His disciples. He will give us insight on the phrase He uses here, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" But for today let us consider this parable in light of the previous reading, and Jesus' teaching about the unclean spirit that comes back with more. John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus in John's ministry for baptism and repentance. Repentance is like sweeping something clear, preparing good ground, if you will. But repentance happens in order to receive something. We prepare to "change our minds" in a particular direction, so that the "stronger man" can come to replace what was there. So, in our own attention to this parable as we hear it in today's reading, let us consider. What seed do we want planted in our hearts? How is it best cared for? How will it produce good fruit? What things can we do to safeguard that? What things will choke it, or how can we give it good depth of ground? How do we prepare good ground, and water, and the abundance of things we need to produce good fruit? These are the questions we ask today, as we ponder this parable. How do we have ears to hear?