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 the 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 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.  These women noted by Luke were faithful to Christ to the end (23:49, 55).  They were the first to proclaim the news of His Resurrection (24:1-10).  My study bible also reminds us that in the Scriptures, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness, indicating here that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing by Christ.  These women did not only support Christ alone, but His entire 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!"   Jesus introduces teaching in parables here at this point in Luke's Gospel.  The parable of the Sower is also the first parable introduced in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20).  The teaching in parables indicates a kind of turning point in Jesus' ministry.  It tells us now that great multitudes are following Him, and that includes those who are not disciples and also who will reject Him.  We have just read about a woman, a notorious sinner, who was forgiven and is clearly devoted to Him (see yesterday's reading, above).  But this level of discipleship also demands a level of faith, or perhaps we should say spiritual hearing, that others will not find.   Parable ask of us to be capable of truly hearing, and reach us on whatever level we can (or cannot) understand.  And they serve to draw us into the Kingdom, to find more, to open up mystery.  The parable of the Sower is, of course, the parable that teaches us about Christ Himself, and His work of the Kingdom in the world, and the seeds He is planting.  he fulfills the prophecy 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.'  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 the 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."   Mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, says my study bible, but rather they are the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined.  A person's unwillingness to understand or receive Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom comments, "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 not only have been to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."   My study bible notes also that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment of the profession of faith -- a view not held by the historical the Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.

"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."  My study bible emphasizes the teaching in the words here, especially "with patience."  This is no one-time "hallelujah, I'm saved" kind of commitment.  This is something that endures within us, that is not battered away by time or the other concerns of the world.  It dwells within us like a seed planted deep.  We may see its fruit at times, we may not see what seems like anything of progress at all at times.  We may forget it's even within us at other times.  But to hear the word with a noble and good heart, to keep it and bear fruit with patience is to live a life of true faith.  That is a faith that we turn to when we need to make choices and decisions, when we need help, when we need something to rely on.  It is a faith we turn to when we look for direction, and when we look for love.  It is a faith that calls us in the heart.  In it there is a depth of longing.  We note that in Christ's explanation to His disciples there is a list of things about the world that can take away the seed and uproot the word in the heart.  There's the devil that takes away the word before it can take root.  There are temptations.  There are the cares, riches, and pleasures of life.  All of these things are present with us all the time.  The road of faith isn't meant to be one of pure ease.  It is, rather, one in which we face all kinds of obstacles to that faith and in which we may struggle with those obstacles.  Thus, the need for patience.  Toward the end of His ministry, Jesus will speak more to His disciples of the simple need for endurance and watchfulness.  Faith isn't a one-time goal we take care of and then we're done with it.  It is, rather, something that comes to us repeatedly throughout life, asking us to question what we're hearing or thinking or receiving.  It reminds us that there's a way to live in God's love, a way to find what it is we're looking for at the root of identity.  Every moment, we're a new person, and time does not stand still for us in the sense that life goes on to ask of us new things, new questions, present us with changed situations and circumstances.  But that which takes root and grows asks of us to turn back to it through all these things, to do the work of struggle and discernment and bearing fruit with patience, to be that good soil that allows the Kingdom to be harbored and nurtured within us and in our lives, so that we will always be those who have ears to hear.  At each new turn in our lives we may find that the same word gives us new insights, and new fruit, and new choices.  Thus, the mysteries of the Kingdom unfold, expand, invite us further.  This is the work of patience and endurance for all of us.