He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 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 was continuing a dialogue from last week's lectionary readings.  The Pharisees have begun to plot against Him, after a confrontation over healing on the Sabbath.   Thursday's reading compared Jesus to Isaiah's Suffering Servant, in light of His response to avoid the Pharisees at that time, to continue His ministry:  Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  On Friday we read that Jesus performed another spectacular healing, and when people wondered if He were the "Son of David," the Pharisees accused Him of casting out demons by the ruler of demons.  Jesus warned of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, teaching, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."  In Saturday's reading, He continued, teaching, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things."  He was then asked for a sign by some of the Pharisees and scribes.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus said,  "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "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, 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!"  My study bible tells us that in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common, part of the people's daily lives.  (See Ps. 126:5-6, Is. 55:10-13, Jer. 31:27-34, Hos. 2:21-23, and Joel 3:12-14.)  "In this parable," it notes, "Jesus is revealing Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower on earth."  In tomorrow's reading, He will reveal its meaning to His disciples.

In today's reading, we turn another corner in Jesus' ministry.  It's an important development, this power of telling in parables the truths of the Kingdom, and of His identity.  It's important that we view this story -- as so much of Scripture takes on important meanings within the context in which it's received -- in light of the recent readings and the developments in His ministry.  One thing that is new is the active hostility of the Pharisees (or at least a group of them) to Him.  They make accusations against Him, and demand a sign from Him, a proof of who He is.  But Jesus won't give proofs on demand, and through His ministry there are already many signs of the presence of God, the Spirit at work.  In a sense, Jesus takes the refusal to give proofs to those who accuse one step further by turning to preaching in parables.  The parable of the Sower, we note, is preached on the shore, indicating that there are many, many people in this crowd.  He's speaking, no doubt, to all kinds of people who've heard about Him and are there for all kinds of reasons.  And yet, He speaks even more "distantly," in some sense, to this crowd, as opposed to how He will speak directly to His disciples (in tomorrow's reading).  There's an important and essential reason for that, and it's linked to His refusal to give signs on demand to the authorities who envy Him, and the reason is simply love.  Love is the relationship between persons that is of the heart, and is entirely voluntary.  Jesus wants those "family members"  ("Who is My sister and who are My brothers?") who come on a voluntary basis, in response to the heart, to the openness to His voice.  In John's gospel, Jesus teaches, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."  In light of this saying, Jesus' frequently repeated phrase (from Isaiah), "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" takes on a powerful meaning.  And it's all about love.  Love is voluntary and is a relationship from heart to heart.  Jesus speaks what is truly His heart, and He wants those who are truly responsive.  He doesn't want to force proofs on those who may be "swept clean" only to have a seven-times-worse problem in the future (see the example in yesterday's reading).  Faith can't be forced, trust can't be forced, and love can't be forced.  Obedience may be the fruit of love, but love isn't the fruit of a forced obedience, and love comes first.  It's a battle for hearts and minds and souls that is taking place in the Gospel, and that battle can only be won if we understand the nature of love and the true power of God, and the gift of our free will which is a product of that love.  He only wants those who will come to Him through love, and compels no one to love Him.  So let's think about love.  Eyes of love see the beauty of the beloved, and the same is true for the hearer.  So -- he who has ears to hear, let him hear.