Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God

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 on, 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 Him to eat with Jesus.  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 that these women were faithful to Christ to the end (23:49, 55).   They were the first to receive and proclaim the news of His Resurrection (24:1-10).  In the Scriptures, my study bible adds, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness.  This indicates that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing.  In the West, she is frequently assumed to have been a prostitute, but this has never been a part of the traditional understanding for the Christian East.  Let us also note the support for Christ's ministry that has been made possible by these women.  Augustine writes that women of holy life were brought by the apostles everywhere they preached the word, also ministering for their necessities; the example for this was set by Christ Himself. 

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 on, 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!"   Luke's Gospel gives us here the beginning of Christ's teaching the public in parables.  At this point His ministry has expanded so that many are curious about Him and listening to Him; even the Pharisees are asking Him into their homes (as in yesterday's reading, above).  Just as in Matthew chapter 13, the preaching in parables begins with the parable of the Sower.  St. Basil the Great comments that this reference to hearing is to the ears of the "inner man" in each of us, noting that it is evident that some possess such ears better able to hear the words of God.

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.'"   The parable isn't simply for the crowds, but also the disciples come to Christ asking what it means.  My study bible explains that mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but rather 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.  According to the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, "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 have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."  Christ quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10.

"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 explains the parable to His disciples.  He is the sower Himself, and the seeds are His words.  My study bible says that, as such, He fulfills the prophesy in Isaiah 55:10-13.  My study bible adds that while some may teach that a person is permanently saved at the moment of the profession of faith (a view never held by the historic church), Christ's teaching here is clear that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.

St. Basil comments that Jesus addresses the ears that belong to the inner being in each of us, the ears of the heart.  That is, the depth and center of our our being.  To have a "hardened heart," in the language of the Scriptures, is to be unable and unwilling to hear such words, to come to understanding.  Jesus gives us a clue to what He asks for of our faith when He says, "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."  What He asks for is constancy, consistent effort, a work at this faith through time and with each challenge of life.  We need both a noble and good heart to hear and receive, and also the willingness to keep it and to bear fruit through the patient effort of living our lives guided by that word and putting it into action.  Look at the choices Jesus suggests we are called upon to make.  Those who give up this seed are the ones from whom the devil snatches it immediately, perhaps through various distractions that draw our attention away.  Some receive the word with joy, but when temptation comes they fall away for their faith isn't secure.  Then there are those for whom the word is choked with the "cares, riches, and pleasures of life."   Distractions, temptations, cares, riches, and pleasures will all come to us to be reckoned with one way and another.  To some extent or another also, we can perhaps see ourselves in each one of these types of "ground" that Jesus describes in the parable.  The key here, it seems to me, is patience -- persistent effort.  If we fall away, we are to be drawn back.  The word that takes root in our hearts is one at the depth that will not give up, that will always be there when we come back to it.  Such things are truly among the great mysteries of life.  Who can fathom what is in our own hearts, why some things remain and take root, and why for others they do not.  What is clear is that Christ wants of us a persistent faith, one in which we make choices for that faith when the pleasures and distractions and temptations and cares and riches of the world take our attention.  So much depends on what we put first, what we put into action by our choice, and how patience functions on the long road of life.  All our harvest depends upon it.  Which fruits do you care to produce in your life?