To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables

 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,
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

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 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 notes that the women mentioned here will remain faithful to Christ until the end (23:49, 55).  They will be the first to receive and proclaim the news of His Resurrection (24:1-10).  The number seven in the Scriptures often symbolizes totality and completeness.  What it indicates here is that Mary called Magdalene had been completely given over to darkness before her healing by Christ.

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!"    Here is the core parable given in the Gospels that in some sense introduces us to Jesus' use of parables.  Using common images from daily life, Jesus illustrates the Kingdom and teaches truths about the nature of what He is offering.  The parable of the Sower draws on the images of agriculture and growth for harvest, planting and growing, with which all would be familiar.

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.'"  At this point, parables become a core of His preaching.  In private, they are explained to His disciples.  But to the public who listens (a great multitude) the parables draw those in who want to hear, who have ears to hear, as Jesus quotes from Isaiah at the end of the parable, above.  My study bible tells us 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 a reflection of the rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom writes, "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."  To do so would be not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."  The quotation here 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."  Jesus Himself is the sower in the parable.  As such, He fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 55:10-13.  My study bible notes the progress of faith as taught in this parable.  Salvation is not a one-time acceptance or profession of faith (a view never held by the historic Church).  Christ teaches that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away (verse 13), as those with no root.   The key here is in the words Jesus choosing to describe the seeds that fell on good ground:  those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

What does it mean to hear the word with a noble and good heart?  What exactly does such a life look like, of keeping the word in one's heart and bearing fruit with patience?  There are many clues here to the qualities that make for true and good discipleship.  First of all, Jesus reveals the mysteries hidden in the parable to those who are His disciples.  This is the first promise of persistent faith, of the work of discipleship.    Such mysteries are the notable difference between His disciples and the crowds who come to hear Him preach.  But His parable illustrates so much more of what it is to be a good disciple.  He speaks of the work of the devil snatching the word away from the hearts of people.  He speaks also of temptation as another way in which people fall away from the joy of the word.  And finally there are the things of everyday life with which all of us may struggle: cares, riches, and pleasures of life, all the things that may overwhelm our thoughts and concerns and exclude or crowd out others.  So much depends on what our focus is.  In the end these qualities Jesus names are what make for good discipleship and the fruit He looks for:  a noble and good heart, a character that works to guard the word inside the heart and keep it there, and the patience it takes to bear fruit.  All of this speaks of consistent effort through time and through struggles, ups and downs of life.   The parable doesn't exclude the faithful from any of it.  What we can be certain of is that the women disciples named at the beginning of the reading surely followed their faith in all of these things, right through to the end.   Some are known as the Myrrhbearing Women, as they brought myrrh to the tomb of Christ in order to anoint His body.   These are also known (and particularly Mary Magdalene) as Apostles to the Apostles, and even Equal to the Apostles.  An apostle is one who is sent out with a message:  it is these women, the first to hear the news of Resurrection, who bear that message to the Apostles.  We can look to them as images of those who struggled against temptations, cares, and all the things of the world in order to be the ministers they were to Christ's ministry.  We're told about the earlier life of Mary Magdalene; we know these women looked on at the Crucifixion.  Their struggles become the stuff of courage for us, too.  We can call upon them as saints to pray for us, to assist us spiritually in our prayer as part of the great communion of the Body of Christ.  They remain strong and gracious images for us to help us in our struggle for faith and discipleship as well.  Christ's parable of the Sower continues to give us a sense of where we are and who we are, what we nurture, and how that nurturing will endure struggles, and bear fruit with patience.  Let us not forget patience as we remember those who've come before, endured, struggled, and lived nurturing the Word Himself, and the word in their hearts as well.