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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,"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."
And hearing they may not understand.'
- Luke 8:1-15
Yesterday, we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. And He went to
the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat. And behold, a woman in the
city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the
Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and 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. Now when the Pharisee who had
invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "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." "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 freely 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
this 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 this 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 tells us these women were faithful to Christ until the end (23:49, 55), and that they were the first to receive and proclaim the news of the Resurrection (24:1-10). "In the Scriptures, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness, indicating that Mary called Magdalene has been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing." It's fitting that Luke gives us this information just after the story of the woman who wiped Jesus' feet with her hair, and bathed them with her tears. It gives us an idea both of His attitude toward women, and the essential role they played in His ministry.
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!" My study bible points out that in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalms 125:5; Jeremiah 38:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14), as this was a part of daily life for people. "Here, Jesus reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower in the earth, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13."
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.'" A note says that "mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined. A person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom." It quotes St. John Chrysostom's commentary: "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will." Doing so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation." It also says, "The mysteries of the kingdom aren't merely obscure concepts or some religious truths only for the elite, nor is the understanding of the parables simply an intellectual process. Even the disciples find the message hard to understand. While Jesus taught the same message to all, it is the simple and innocent who are open to the message." The quotation Jesus cites is from Isaiah 6:9.
"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." The explanation of Jesus doesn't completely clarify everything either; as disciples, we're left thinking about what it is to be true to this word through thick and thin. We are left to think about our temptations, our triumphs, our stresses and difficulties that get in the way of the word of God in our own lives.
When Jesus ends the explanation of the parable with the words, "having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience," He's telling us something important and essential about those whom He is looking for to bear His word into the world. We're to be in this for the long haul. It's not just about rejoicing for awhile because we feel "saved." This is an utterly different mission in the world that He's talking about. His long and rather detailed explanation to the disciples makes that clear. He's not just looking for nominal members of the Church. He's looking for those who are willing to make a kind of commitment that lasts through thick and thin. That is, He's looking for those who will keep this word through all forms of difficulties in life, through every test that will come, every stress. Our joy must rest in that word, and not merely in the surface of life, when "everything goes our way." Instead, it's up to us to make what we will of this spiritual word even through difficult and taxing circumstances. We must be the ones to bear spiritual fruit "with patience." Jesus calls this bond with His followers a "New Covenant," not a new promise, not just a gift, but a covenant. That means a pact where there are at least two sides, not just one. Having a "noble and good heart, keeping the word, and bearing fruit with patience" is our part of the bargain that we try to hold up in this Covenant. That's a tall order, and it takes at least two parties to make a Covenant. Are we holding up our side? Do we let our cares choke out the word? Do we take on too much baggage of "keeping up with the Joneses" to do so? Let us think hard about the things that get in the way of the word, even after we've accepted it with joy, and remember that we're to bear fruit "with patience." That means all of this is going to demand our time; it's going to ask us to keep on trying. So, each time that we're in a situation that demands a decision, let us hold the word in our hearts and see where it asks us to go. Let us keep Him in our hearts, and meditate with prayer. Life is an ongoing sequence of moments in which we are asked to choose, even against all kinds of forces we'll find in our lives. Can we stick with Him in our hearts? Do we maintain that bond "with patience?" When others whom we may know are too spiritually blind and too deaf to hear His word, how do we keep it nevertheless? Do we let go of this Covenant? Do we let "our" side down?
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 tells us these women were faithful to Christ until the end (23:49, 55), and that they were the first to receive and proclaim the news of the Resurrection (24:1-10). "In the Scriptures, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness, indicating that Mary called Magdalene has been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing." It's fitting that Luke gives us this information just after the story of the woman who wiped Jesus' feet with her hair, and bathed them with her tears. It gives us an idea both of His attitude toward women, and the essential role they played in His ministry.
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!" My study bible points out that in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalms 125:5; Jeremiah 38:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14), as this was a part of daily life for people. "Here, Jesus reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower in the earth, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13."
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.'" A note says that "mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined. A person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom." It quotes St. John Chrysostom's commentary: "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will." Doing so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation." It also says, "The mysteries of the kingdom aren't merely obscure concepts or some religious truths only for the elite, nor is the understanding of the parables simply an intellectual process. Even the disciples find the message hard to understand. While Jesus taught the same message to all, it is the simple and innocent who are open to the message." The quotation Jesus cites is from Isaiah 6:9.
"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." The explanation of Jesus doesn't completely clarify everything either; as disciples, we're left thinking about what it is to be true to this word through thick and thin. We are left to think about our temptations, our triumphs, our stresses and difficulties that get in the way of the word of God in our own lives.
When Jesus ends the explanation of the parable with the words, "having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience," He's telling us something important and essential about those whom He is looking for to bear His word into the world. We're to be in this for the long haul. It's not just about rejoicing for awhile because we feel "saved." This is an utterly different mission in the world that He's talking about. His long and rather detailed explanation to the disciples makes that clear. He's not just looking for nominal members of the Church. He's looking for those who are willing to make a kind of commitment that lasts through thick and thin. That is, He's looking for those who will keep this word through all forms of difficulties in life, through every test that will come, every stress. Our joy must rest in that word, and not merely in the surface of life, when "everything goes our way." Instead, it's up to us to make what we will of this spiritual word even through difficult and taxing circumstances. We must be the ones to bear spiritual fruit "with patience." Jesus calls this bond with His followers a "New Covenant," not a new promise, not just a gift, but a covenant. That means a pact where there are at least two sides, not just one. Having a "noble and good heart, keeping the word, and bearing fruit with patience" is our part of the bargain that we try to hold up in this Covenant. That's a tall order, and it takes at least two parties to make a Covenant. Are we holding up our side? Do we let our cares choke out the word? Do we take on too much baggage of "keeping up with the Joneses" to do so? Let us think hard about the things that get in the way of the word, even after we've accepted it with joy, and remember that we're to bear fruit "with patience." That means all of this is going to demand our time; it's going to ask us to keep on trying. So, each time that we're in a situation that demands a decision, let us hold the word in our hearts and see where it asks us to go. Let us keep Him in our hearts, and meditate with prayer. Life is an ongoing sequence of moments in which we are asked to choose, even against all kinds of forces we'll find in our lives. Can we stick with Him in our hearts? Do we maintain that bond "with patience?" When others whom we may know are too spiritually blind and too deaf to hear His word, how do we keep it nevertheless? Do we let go of this Covenant? Do we let "our" side down?
