Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand

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 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 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 that Jesus had been invited to dine in the home of Simon, a Pharisee.  A woman known in the city as a sinner came to the house when she heard that Jesus was dining there.  She brought with her an alabaster flask of fragrant oil.  Luke tells us she stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Simon, the Pharisee in whose house Jesus was guest, wondered to himself:  "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." So he said, "Teacher, say it." Jesus told a parable:  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he free forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more." Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more." And He said to him, "You have rightly judged." Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see the woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but the woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. 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." Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

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 says, "The group that accompanied Jesus as He went about teaching and healing was not limited to the twelve.  A number of women were part of that band as well, and they provided for Jesus from their possessions."  It's important that we know the fullness of this story, because it gives us an idea of the early "Body of Christ" already present:  there are all kinds of ways in which people can contribute, in their uniqueness, to this ministry.  All are essential.  It's interesting that in this assembly reported here, there are people from all walks of life and strata of the society, from Mary Magdalene out of whom had come seven demons, to the wife of Herod's steward, a very high social position indeed which administered and supervised great wealth.

And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke 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 crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"   Jesus' ministry has reached a milestone, a special sort of turning point.  Jesus begins to use parables.  He's reached a stage where great multitudes have gathered, and they're coming from every city.  Some will understand, and some won't.  It's the first hint that what He has to offer isn't necessarily going to be responded to the same way by everyone.  The key is, who has ears to hear?  As in Matthew's gospel, first we receive the parable of the Sower.

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.' "  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9.  This ministry is not simply about handing out rules to follow, but something quite different.  It's an initiation into mysteries, mysteries that can only be known through relationship, a certain kind of reception in the heart.  There is a discernment at work here:  both in the receiver and in the Giver.  My study bible says, "The mysteries of the kingdom [which it translates as "secret or hidden truths"] are revealed to the faithful, but hidden from those with unresponsive hearts."

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."  Here is the explanation of the parable, offered to His disciples.  Jesus Himself is the Sower.  It's a kind of parable about parables, and it's a parable about the ministry itself.  My study bible has an interesting note 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)."  It's also a parable about faith and what we do with faith.

Let's take a look at, and think about, this parable as faithful.  What does it represent to us?  What does it say?  I can think of times in my life when I might have seemed to fit each one of these stages.  There were times in my life when I heard the word, but for various reasons it didn't seem well-planted in my heart, at least not so that I understood it very well in a conscious way.  The devil, we may say, can come in many forms.  I believe that deep down in my heart, beyond my conscious grasp, the word was always planted -- there's just no other explanation for my faith.  But there have certainly been many temptations.  To my mind, these stages bring to memory immaturity, especially of childhood and teenage years.  When Jesus speaks of those who are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, it reminds me of all the greater temptations of adulthood, abounding in our lives today, where all thought is of material survival or success, image, and a million and one different temptations to think that something is more urgent or important or socially relevant than our one basic faith and relationship to God.  And I am surrounded by others, who in one way and another, fall into these traps of temptation, or manage to somehow surmount them.  And all of these stages can seemingly come intertwined with life at many ages.  But the one thing we hold dear is Jesus' final stage:  that of those  who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.  It is this which is the real fruit of faith, our patience through all things, our learning to endure in this faith.  Not everyone is going to follow the same journey, but in some way we all face temptations, whatever they may be for us.  The endurance and forbearance in the world, the "good and noble heart,"  and the patience required for this true bearing of fruit -- those are the things which we truly hold dear.  They are the true marks of an experienced faith, and I daresay in some way those too can come at any age.  What we want to understand is the essence of relationship, that it moves deeply into our hearts and grows in us, so that we become more like the One in whom we truly trust, with whom we seek union, an internal marriage, an adoption.  How does that trust lead you through all things?  How does it give you ears to hear and to truly perceive?  How does the love of God, above all else, teach you endurance, patience, forbearance?