Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow"

 

 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 had been contending with the scribes and Pharisees after the Pharisees claimed He cast out demons by the power of demons, and then demanded a sign as proof of His authority.  He  "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!"  In the Old Testament, my study Bible explains, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5; Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14), as this was part of daily life.  Here in this beginning of preaching in parables, Jesus reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, who is the sower in the earth, and had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

In recent readings, Jesus has castigated the religious leadership for their false hearts, saying, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.  Brood of vipers!  How can you, being evil, speak good things?  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  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."  In the phrase, "Brood of vipers!" He echoed the words of John the Baptist, who used the same agricultural metaphors, telling them to "bear fruits worthy of repentance" and that "even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  (See Matthew 3:7-10.)  In today's reading, Jesus begins to speak to the multitudes in parables, offering to the crowds an image of the kingdom of God at work in the world, and specifically of what He is doing in His ministry.  He is sowing seeds for growth, seeds that will be planted within human beings and in the world.  In the following lectionary readings, Jesus will offer explanations to the disciples regarding His reason for teaching in parables, and the meaning of this parable in detail.  So I will leave such specific teachings for the words of Jesus Himself in our readings to come.  But for now, let us consider Christ's metaphor of trees, of fruit-bearing, of planting.  As we see from the preaching of John the Baptist and Christ's earlier words to the religious leaders, they come up over and over again as images to teach about spiritual fruit, and the dynamic nature of human beings, of soul and spirit, capable of growth and interaction with God through faith.  The condition of the heart comes front and center in the spiritual language of Jesus, and it is clearly a place of choice, of potential for good or bad, a place of dynamic dialogue and interaction with forces or elements of good or evil.  It is a place for growth in either direction.  In yesterday's reading, above, Jesus spoke about His mother and brothers as those who do the will "of My Father in heaven."  This also indicates the power of growth within a person, of potential identity through faith.  Each of these teachings prepare us for an understanding of Christ as the Sower who sows the seeds of the Kingdom through His ministry.  In today's parable, the One who will become the chief cornerstone speaks of Himself as the One who sows the seeds for this foundation, looking for good ground, good conditions for growth, and those who will yield a crop in this dynamic ongoing mission of the Kingdom.  The seeds continue to be planted.  We are not simply material beings, made up of static elements which never change.  We are dynamic beings whose very cells are constantly in action and energy; even our DNA markers and physical make up is not static.  We are created as body, soul, and spirit, with hearts (that is, the very center of all that we are) capable of interacting in dynamic fashion with the seeds planted by the Sower and the energies of grace at work on receptive ground.  We are beings meant for growth in one direction or another; we make choices, we interact with one another, and also with the divine gifts of God.  Over the course of this chapter Jesus will give us varied metaphors in parables about the Kingdom and its potentials for growth in us, what it is truly like.  Let us pay attention and learn about ourselves and our capabilities in His sight.