Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field

 

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."

 

Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." 

 

- Matthew 13:44-52 

 

On Saturday, in the midst of Jesus' beginning to preach in parables, He sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."  The parable of the treasure hidden in a field, my study Bible notes, is an illustration of those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, yet receive Him with great eagerness.  The parable of the pearl of great price illustrates those who have been searching in their hearts for Him and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls, it says, represent all the various teachings and philosophies of the world.  These treasures are hidden in that they are neither recognized nor valued by those immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, receiving the treasure requires that everything else must be sold; that is, my study Bible says, a person must surrender all things in order to receive Christ.  

 

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  According to my study Bible, the image of the fishing net gathering the good and wicked together is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares (see Saturday's reading, above).  In this parable, Jesus further emphasizes that even those gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.  

 

 Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."   My study Bible tells us that St. John Chrysostom notes on this passage that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament.  Instead He praises it as a treasure.  Those who truly write or speak of the kingdom of heaven will draw from the unity of the new and old Testaments, as both are holy, with the New being the fulfillment of the Old.  This is truly how St. Matthew composed his gospel, in which he repeatedly uses the formula, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken," referring to passages from the Old Testament (see Matthew 1:22; 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17, 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).

 

 Jesus submits yet more parables to us illustrating the working and characteristics of this kingdom, what it "is like."  (For the earlier parables of the kingdom of heaven, see Matthew 13:1-43.)   The first two parables in today's reading speak of the precious quality of the kingdom of heaven, and how it exceeds the worth of all else we might have in our lives.   Jesus says that "the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."  Note how this hidden treasure and pearl of great price are not simply worth every effort, but they so supersede the preciousness of everything else that all else is subordinate to it.  That is, whatever must be done to keep this treasure and this pearl, or whatever must be sacrificed, is worth the cost and the effort.  Jesus teaches, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  This parable points to the continuity of spiritual revelation and wisdom; as St. Chrysostom teaches, the New is the fulfillment of the Old.  It teaches us of the great value of all of this treasure.  But also, like the parable of the tares of the field, He is teaching about judgment, and also about discernment.  Notably it is also a warning to us about the importance of where we place our treasure, what we value and seek in life, that which we cling to.  Additionally, we're given an important teaching about angels; that is, the angels of the kingdom, and the important and active role they play in our world, carrying out the wishes of Christ the judge.  Let us pay careful and even joyful attention to all of the things that Jesus teaches us the kingdom of heaven is "like," for in them we find the greatest treasure, the pearl worth any price, the great sea of the just.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An enemy has done this

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"

 

- Matthew 13:24–30 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued in His dialogue with the Pharisees, who had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan (see readings from Monday and Tuesday),  He said, "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."

 

  Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "  In today's reading the lectionary jumps forward, as we've recently read the beginning of chapter 13, when Jesus begins to teach for the crowds in parables.  See this reading, and this one.  So, His first parable was the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), and here He begins a second.  My study Bible claims that this parable in today's reading builds on the previous parable of the Sower.  Here Jesus gives attention to the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.  It explains that, as falsehood came after truth, and false prophets came after the true prophets, so the Antichrist will come after Christ.  Just as the weeds (the tares, a plant which resembles wheat but is indigestible for human beings) first appear similar to wheat, so the devil fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  That the devil sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  Additionally, my study Bible remarks that this parable also explains why the Church neither condemns nominal members, nor judges those outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  Just as wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, many people who might ultimately find salvation would otherwise be lost if condemned before Christ's judgment. 

 

In yesterday's reading and commentary we discussed the spiritual battleground that is the world in the context of Christ's teaching about the demonic and the Holy Spirit.  He spoke in that reading (see above) about a house that is swept clean and put in order -- using this as an illustration of exorcism.  But if that house is not dedicated and filled with the Holy Spirit, that demons comes back, finds it empty and clean, and brings back seven more spirits, so the resulting condition of that person is worse than the first.   Here Jesus uses the illustration of seed to teach us about the influence of that which is planted by Christ, and that which is not.  As my study Bible points out, heresies are often couched in half-truths rather than obvious lies; this is in keeping with the deceptive nature of fallacy.  What sounds good is often "too good to be true," as the old saying goes.  Without learning how to recognize spiritual falsehood, we are open to the possibility of deception.  However, when it comes to the judgment at the end of the age, Christ allows all to grow together.  In the first place, as my study Bible notes, judgment of humankind only belongs to Christ, and that is possible only through the depth and breadth and width of the knowledge of Christ.  In our lives, every moment is a kind of slice of reality and the choices we make, but nothing stands still.  We make choices and continue to grow toward Christ, or away, and we always have new opportunities for choice and repentance, return.  If the seed sown by Christ is His word and teaching, then we have to understand that those spiritual forces that oppose Christ will also be sowing their own seed.  While the good wheat is a blessing, healthy for humans (and that which forms the Eucharist for us), the deceptive tares don't give us what we need.  They don't feed us true spiritual food good for our souls or our well-being.  But they "look like" the wheat.  We might learn through experience, and the bad results from consuming the tares, but we'd do better to pay close attention to the wheat, so that we know it and recognize it.  The Church also explains and names heresies so that we recognize the tares and how they deceive us when they're not really good for us to consume.  Again, a colloquial expression also helps in this case, "What will you swallow?"  Again, in yesterday's commentary we discussed good and evil, the influence of angels and demons, as energies.  We can participate in these energies (or they participate in us) and they become a part of who we are.  We can cling to grace, the work of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to know Christ, to find His good seed, to grow as good wheat (John 14:26).  But we need that help and it's found, importantly, in the collective wisdom of the Church and her Tradition, which includes the Scriptures.  That living Tradition is formed and shaped by and through the Holy Spirit, and to the Spirit we always pray in all things, and at the beginning of every service (see the Orthodox Prayer to the Holy Spirit here).  But while we live in this world, we have wheat and tares growing side by side.  This is an illustration that applies to truth and falsehood, what's good for us or deceptive, and yet it also applies to human beings and the judgment at the end of the age.  Let us at least understand where we are, how this world is working in this stage, and the role of Christ and the Church within it, especially the good seed of the Sower.  What do you want to grow?  What do you want to consume?  How will you find the truth of the one from the other for your life?  Where and how do we find and dwell in that kingdom while we yet live in this world?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do You speak to them in parables?

 

 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.  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!"

 

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 

 

"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed, 

 Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.'

"But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

 

- Matthew 13:1–16 

 

We have presently been reading in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7).  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know the by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?  Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Therefore by their fruits you will know them.  Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."  

 

 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.  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.    Today's lectionary reading jumps from chapter 7, in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount, to chapter 13, in which Jesus is now surrounded by great multitudes who come to hear Him.  Over the course of the next few days, the lectionary readings prepare us for Ascension Day, which is Thursday in the West and the Armenian Apostolic Church, and a week later for the Eastern Orthodox.  On Friday, the day following the celebration of Christ's Ascension, we will resume the lectionary sequence in chapter 7 once again.  Here we are to note by this stage of Christ's ministry, His fame has reached a point that He must preach from a boat while great multitudes are gathered on the shore.  These are not just disciples, as in the Sermon on the Mount, but likely also the curious and those who come because of His reputation for healing as well.  

 

 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!"  My study Bible comments that, in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5, Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14).  These were a part of daily life, experienced by all people.  Here, Christ reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower in the earth, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.  

 

 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  My study Bible teaches that the mysteries of the kingdom are not simply obscure concepts or religious truths only for the elite, and  at the same time, neither is the understanding of Christ's parables merely an intellectual process.  Even the disciples find the message hard to understand.  While Jesus taught the same message to all, it notes, it is the simple and innocent who are open to its message.  

 

 "Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  Here Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10.  According to St. John Chrysostom, my study Bible notes, this prophecy of Isaiah doesn't mean that God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful.  This is a figure of speech which is common to Scripture, and reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24-26).  What is meant by He has blinded, my study Bible explains, is that God has permitted their self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  They didn't become blind because God spoke through Isaiah, but rather Isaiah spoke because he foresaw their blindness.  

 

At this point in His ministry, Jesus begins speaking in parables.  His reasoning is clear:  He wants to reach those who truly desire to hear and to see the things of which He speaks, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and not merely astonishing "earthly" miracles and healings or things which might fall into the category of magic (in people's perception) or unusual power.   He's here to bring His gospel into the world, not simply to practice astonishing feats to gather the curious or those who will follow Him in fear or other motivations which distract from real discipleship and faith.  So the parables form a kind of opening to those who are drawn to Him from the heart.  That is, from hearts that have not grown dull.  When Jesus quotes Isaiah, and speaks about ears that are hard of hearing, and eyes they have closed, He's speaking of spiritual eyes and ears, the attention of the soul and the heart -- that is the real depth of a person. To understand with their hearts and turn, is to repent.  That is, to turn toward Christ, "so that I should heal them."  If we understand these words in the context in which Christ has spoken them, we understand that this is the way He chooses to frame salvation, and the whole of the institution of the Church, as a kind of hospital in which we receive real healing, with Christ as Physician.  In Matthew 9:11-13, Jesus directly refers to Himself as divine Physician.  He says to the complaining Pharisees, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."  This call Jesus speaks of is the call to turn toward Him, to practice repentance in the sense that all repentance is a turning toward Christ, to God.  In this understanding, the whole of the Incarnation and its purpose is for healing, to help us to turn toward God, to become more like God, in whose image and likeness we are created, our true nature.  St. Athanasius of Alexandria writes, "God became man so that man might become god" (On the Incarnation, 54:3).  This was written just prior to the Council of Nicea which formed our earliest Christian Creed, and in which St. Athanasius played such a decisive part.  Because of Christ's Incarnation, we may become more like God, growing in our true nature even toward an eternal union with God, and in this sense, everlasting life (John 3:16).  And with St. Athanasius and his guiding light, we come toward Christ's Ascension, which will be celebrated on Thursday in Western Church (and the Armenian Apostolic Church) and the Eastern Churches the following Thursday.  For in Christ's Ascension, He takes His humanity into heaven, showing us that our own human nature is capable through grace of doing the same.  This process of grace in us is called theosis, or divinization, and it is what our true salvation is all about, how Christ our Physician heals us through a lifetime process in which we constantly turn to Him throughout our lives.  He is the Sower who sows the seeds of salvation for us in His gospel, and as He teaches in this chapter of parables, these grow and shape and produce fruit, and  transform everything, so that even the angels can dwell with us and we are prepared to dwell with Him.  For without these mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, such healing doesn't exist.

 

 

 

 

To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed

 

 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  for there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  

 

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  

 

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."  And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable he did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. 

 

- Mark 4:21–34 

 

Yesterday we read that again Jesus began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up and it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.   And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that  'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'" And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;  and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

 

  Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Jesus says something similar in the Sermon on the Mount, in the context of reflecting Christ's light in the world as disciples, bearing His word and living it openly.  See Matthew 5:14-16.  Here the context is also "the word," but the word as seed from the Sower to be borne into the world through our discipleship.  See also Luke 8:16; 11:33.

 

  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."   Again the emphasis is on productivity, fruitfulness (see the end of the parable in yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible says it is a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  We must not only hear, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts; they will grow in understanding.  My study Bible quotes St. Mark the Ascetic:  "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."  By coincidence, today, March 5th, is the feast day of St. Mark the Ascetic; read more about him here.  Again, Christ's words here are also found elsewhere in the Gospels; see Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38.  Each time they are used in a different context; my study Bible comments that Jesus no doubt repeated this message many times. 

 

 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."    This parable is only found here, in St. Mark's Gospel.  My study Bible explains that the kingdom is a reference to the whole span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, and the seed is the gospel (see Mark 4:13-20, found in yesterday's reading, above).  The man's sleep indicates Christ's death, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows shows that Christ does not manipulate our response to the gospel, but rather each person has the freedom to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest indicates the Second Coming, when all will be judged on their reception of the gospel.  

 

 Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."  My study Bible cites Theophylact, who likens this parable to the disciples, who began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  It can also stand for faith which enters a person's soul and causes an inward growth of virtue.  Such a soul will become godlike, and can receive even angels (the birds of the air may nest under its shade).  

 

 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable he did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.  My study Bible comments that to unbelievers, the parables remain bewildering.  To those who have simple faith, these stories use common images to reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able.

 

I must admit that the parable of the mustard seed is quite one of my favorites.  For in life, we will find the truth of this parable, that when we simply start something (such as a project for Church, or in some other way follow God's calling), we have no idea where it will lead.  We simply cannot calculate or anticipate God's work with us as Christ's mustard seed blooms and grows as it will.  Of course, that particular parable gives us a mustard seed as being like the kingdom of God.   This we simply cannot anticipate, for the kingdom of God is wherever the Holy Spirit goes, and this is a great mystery to us.  As Jesus taught to Nicodemus, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  The birth through the Holy Spirit is not something we can know in its beginning nor its end.  We simply feel its effects.  A mustard seed is something that reminds us of genetics, in the sense that each seed contains within it its own "programming" for how it will grow, what it will be, how it will bloom, what fruit it will produce. These are things none of us can tell simply by looking at the seed (unless of course, know already know to what plant or fruit it belongs).  But, of course, we're not the programmers or the ones who design genetics.  Even something that is genetically engineered must begin with the material of this world as created by God.  The only thing we can say for certain is that seeds are preprogrammed for growth, and this parable is about the powerful growth of the kingdom of God.  Note also there are what we might call "secondary growths" which come to be because of the primary growth of the mustard seed.  The birds of the air nest under its shade, within its surprisingly large branches.  As my study Bible notes, a person in whom faith is at work, like the way a planted mustard seed may grow, may have all kinds of surprising things which can be produced through that faith.  With God's help, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, there is no telling what might be produced through faith.  We're reminded that Jesus used the mustard seed as an analogy for the power of faith when He told the disciples, "For assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).  If we take Christ's uses of this example of a mustard seed, we can put them together and perhaps surmise that where faith is, there also is the kingdom of God.  At the Last Supper, Jesus gives a name to the Holy Spirit.  In Greek it is Παράκλητος/Parakletos, sometimes used in English as Paraclete.  This word is often translated as Comforter, or Helper.  But in the Greek it literally means "one who comes [by one's side] when called."  It is equivalent to a Counselor or Advocate.  But in the literal meaning of the name Jesus uses, we find one who comes to help when summoned, and an assurance that our prayers are heard by God.  In this sense, the presence of the Spirit is granted by our faith in prayer, and thus the presence of the Kingdom thereby.  If all of this seems rather complicated, simplify it all in the image of the mustard seed; for we need this tiny seed for the explosive and unforeseen growth of the Kingdom and all that may mean in us and in our lives.  A prayer, and a tiny bit of faith like a mustard seed, is enough for the call to our Helper, Comforter, Counselor, and where One of the Trinity is, so is the whole.  Let us start any project, any effort, any day, with even that tiny bit of faith, and we will see what the growth of the kingdom of God can do.

 

 

 

Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow

 

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up and it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.   And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 

'Seeing they may see and not perceive,

And hearing they may hear and not understand;

Lest they should turn,

And their sins be forgiven them.'"

 

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;  and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

 

- Mark 4:1–20 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus and the disciples went into a house, the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house. Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up and it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Today's reading marks another turning point in Christ's public ministry.  On Monday, we read that Jesus appointed twelve of His disciples to be with Him and also to be sent out on apostolic missions.  This marked a turning point in the sense that Christ's ministry has expanded so that people come from the Jewish populations all around the different nearby regions to hear Him, including the Gentile region of Tyre and Sidon.  Here the multitudes have grown so that now Jesus begins teaching in parables.  His words, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" echoes Old Testament Scripture, particularly the prophets (see, for example, Isaiah 6:9-10, Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2; Deuteronomy 29:4).  These words, and the nature of the parables, let us know that Christ is looking for those who will come to Him by faith, and not simply by the impression of His miraculous signs and healings.  Jesus' question suggests we need spiritual eyes and ears to sense the truth in His parables.

 

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.   And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that  'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"  My study Bible comments that parables are stories in word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  The Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb."  The images in the parables are drawn from daily life common to people at that time (and still today) in order to represent and communicate the deep things of God.  My study Bible adds that parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  So, Christ's statement here, that "to those who are outside, all things come in parables" might also be translated as saying ". . . all things come in riddles." Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10.  According to St. John Chrysostom, this quotation does not mean that God has blinded people or made them deaf to spiritual perception, but that God permits people their self-chosen blindness, and gives people up to their own devices (Romans 1:24, 26).  

 

 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  when they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness;  and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  My study Bible comments that in this parable, the Lord reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower, who was foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.  

 

If we look at the details of this simple parable, as explained by Jesus, we find touching and gentle language that is nevertheless right on target in terms of the images Jesus gives us.  He gives us images of the word as seed, snatched by the wayside from the hearts of those who can't retain it, as if Satan is a great black bird that takes up the seeds of help from hapless human beings.   These are those off the path needed for Christ.  Then there is the image of stony ground, which immediately gives us a sense of the difficulties of planting, tilling the soil and working it, finding good ground.  It gives us a sense of that which is hard, and resists the word taking root.  It echoes Christ's repeated words teaching us about "hard heartedness" -- a failure to repent or to open one's heart to truth, a stubborn desire to remain untouched by Christ's words.  Tribulation or persecution will deter any such root from taking place, for then love and commitment are asked for, a sacrifice is asked for, and hard-heartedness does not practice love and often remains simply self-interested.  Then there are the seeds sown among thorns.  How menacing is the idea of thorns and their painful effects; indeed it echoes the crown of thorns placed upon Jesus' head at His Crucifixion.  Jesus speaks of things we are all-too-familiar with in the modern world, the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things.  These simple words speak of the temptations that are all around us, the need to keep up with "the neighbors" or our social status we seek, the things everybody else seems to be chasing or already have gotten for themselves, and the riches that don't fulfill us but which we find ourselves chasing anyway -- deceiving us into thinking they can fix all problems.  The constant desire for things we don't have is continually stoked through social media and advertising of many kinds; human beings seem to have a constant eye upon what they don't have, or what others have and we decide that we perhaps should want.  There is a social effect termed "mimetic rivalry" that is based on the desire to attain what others seem to have, which may develop from an inspiration to become like them (to mimic them in this sense), but culminate simply in a desire to replace and topple them in one form or another.  This type of social competition can indeed act like thorns that choke out every other priority, subsuming love and loyalty, and most certainly the desire to please God by loving neighbor as oneself.  Indeed, in Jesus' parable, they choke out the very word of God itself.  These vivid images tell us about life.  They may be simple, but they are touching, and deeply meaningful and "on point" for anyone who has experienced all of these things in their own lives.  There is a reason why Christ's words come back and hit so deeply upon anyone who has tried and failed to find satisfaction in a world where "deceit of riches" can let us down, or we can lose ourselves in chasing goals and dreams that really aren't what we truly, deeply need.  Jesus' words remain vivid in impact and meaning.  They hit home, so to speak, and find us where we truly live when we get serious about finding a better path in life.  Repentance becomes a powerful experience perhaps because there are times when we most bitterly feel and come to know the aptness of Christ's descriptions of the things that inhibit the productivity of the word within us.  When we truly seek to cultivate His path, we may come to realize the joy of the productivity He names, perhaps thirtyfold, sixty, or a hundred.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old

 

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.  

 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered  the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

 

- Matthew 13:44-52 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has begun preaching to the crowds in parables, a new innovation in His ministry.   (See the reading from Tuesday of last week, in which we began reading chapter 13 of St. Matthew's Gospel, and the subsequent readings.)  Yesterday we read that Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.   The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."  My study Bible notes that the parable of the treasure hidden in a field illustrates those who unintentionally stumble onto Christ and His Church, yet receive Him with great eagerness.  It calls the parable of the pearl of great price an illustration of people who've been searching in their hearts for Christ, and finally find Him and His Church.  The other pearls, in this metaphor, represent all the various teachings and philosophies of the world.  Such treasures are hidden, in that they are not recognized nor valued by people immersed in worldliness.  In both parables, in order to receive the treasure it's required that all else must be sold.  That is, a person must surrender all things in order to receive Christ.

 

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered  the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."   This image of the fishing net which gathers the good and wicked altogether is similar to the parable of the wheat and the tares (see this reading for the parable, and also yesterday's reading, above, for Christ's explanation of it).  My study Bible comments that this parable of the dragnet further emphasizes that even those who are gathered into the Church are subject to judgment.  

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you understood all these things?"  They said to Him, "Yes, Lord."  Then He said to them, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  My study Bible cites St. John Chrysostom, who importantly notes that Jesus does not exclude the Old Testament, but rather praises it as a treasure.  Those who truly write or speak of the kingdom of heaven will draw from the unity of both new and old Testaments, for both of them are holy, with the New as the fulfillment of the Old.  This is truly the way that St. Matthew composed his gospel, my study Bible adds.  As evidence of this, it notes that St. Matthew repeatedly uses the formula "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken" (see Matthew 2:15, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:35).  My study Bible says that this underscores the intervention of God throughout history, demonstrates the continuity between the Old and New Covenants, and indicates the beginning of the new creation. 

 

Today's reading focuses on treasure.  It invites us to think about what we treasure, what's truly worth treasuring.  Jesus says, "Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old."  He's speaking, of course, of spiritual treasure, and we began this chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel with the parable of the Sower, which Jesus gave us regarding His word as the seed which is sown.  If we look at the whole of the Bible, we know already that Jesus is Lord, and so we can "hear" the same Sower and His valuable seed throughout the Bible.  Thus, the entirety of this spiritual treasure is both old and new, and we must cherish all of it together, for it exists for us as we need it, and will profit by it.   In today's reading, Jesus first gives us two illustrations of the kingdom of heaven.  First, He says, "the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."   So this immensely valuable treasure is characterized by Christ as worthy of all else that we have, that we know, or that we base our lives upon.  It is that precious that it's worth the sacrifice of anything else in order to have it.   Next Jesus gives another illustration to ponder:  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered  the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.  So it will be at the end of the age.  The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."  As my study Bible says, this illustration augments the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, the understanding of all things being gathered up for sorting at the end of the age. We go back to Christ's illustration of good trees and bad trees, good seed and bad seed, to understand that this dragnet is, in a sense, the Holy Spirit at work in the world.  The angels will come to separate and to gather up, and to cast out the evil and save the righteous.  This dragnet relates also to Christ's word, and to those whom He called to be "fishers of men."  That is, the apostles who would spread Christ's word, His gospel, the seed of the Sower, to all the world.  One thing we can be sure of, that such a net is wide and sweeping, and catching all things that may come into it, extending from the sea floor to its surface.  If this is the picture that Christ has given us of the working of the Kingdom, it is also an affirmation of His teaching that nothing is left out, even every idle word we utter, even the awareness of every hair on our heads (Matthew 10:30).  It's interesting that Jesus' beautiful parables of the Kingdom are punctuated with references to judgment, reminding us that it is what we do with this treasure, and how we will make use of it in our lives, that really counts, that matters in the long scheme of things and the arc of our lives.  Let us then trust to Christ for His good seed, the word He gives us, treasuring it as we should in our hearts, and belonging to His kingdom and the good and precious things He says are worth every price.  For we are each a householder in His kingdom, and we each must value the treasure He gives.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  

"I will open My mouth in parables;

I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world." 

 

- Matthew 13:31-35 

 

Yesterday we read that, continuing His preaching to the crowds in parables, Jesus put forth to them another, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' " 

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches."  Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."   My study Bible comments that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples, according to Theophylact.  He said that they began as just a few men but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  They also stand for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul, my study Bible says, will become godlike and can receive even angels.  

 

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world."  St. Matthew quotes from Psalm 78:2.  In this context, the fulfillment of the words of the psalm teach us about the tremendous truths revealed in Christ's parables.  In this sense, just like Christ Himself, these truths are hidden in plain sight, so to speak.  They are revealed to those who will find faith, and come to understand; that is, to those with ears to hear.

 

 In today's reading, Jesus tells two parables:  the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of the leaven.  The parables are similar in that they both tell of the growth of the Kingdom, although in each one the growth works in a different way.  That Jesus speaks of leaven as an illustration of the work of the word and the Holy Spirit is unusual.  Leaven is found frequently in the Bible, but most often it's used as an example of a bad influence; it's used negatively.  But here, this unusual reference is positive.  Leaven is a natural yeast.  It's enzymatic action works from within to transform the "whole lump" of dough.  St. Paul uses this illustration negatively in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, comparing bread leavened with the old leaven of malice and wickedness, to unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.  Jesus uses leaven negatively when He teaches the disciples, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matthew 16:6), indicating their doctrine (Matthew 16:12) and their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).  Whatever way, positive or negative, that Jesus is using the term in this instance, leaven indicates a kind of surreptitious, hidden, quiet way of working from within, and we can certainly put the word of Christ the Sower into this category, and also the working of the Holy Spirit within us.  Faith works from within, in the changes we can see in people that take place mysteriously through God's working in their lives, in the seed that takes root in the heart to transform people.  There is a kind of quiet choice going on in the inner workings of the soul, in the depths of the heart that only God can reach, only Christ the Judge can know.  This is why we pay attention to the heart, to the inner life:  that is, to the thoughts we nurture, to the ways we spend our time, to our prayers.  We need to nurture and grow that inner life, the seed that may sprout a crop of a hundredfold, sixty, maybe thirty (see again the parable of the Sower).   St. Matthew gives us a quotation from the psalms indicating that Jesus is speaking of "things kept secret from the foundation of the world."   Like the work of the leaven, these hidden, secret things may not be visible nor are they obvious to the world, but they nonetheless work in us, even as we listen to Him.  This is the work of the Logos, the Word, the One who spoke into existence the foundation of the world, who opens His mouth even now for us all, if we can hear.

 

 

 

 

For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him

 

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.' 

 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

 

- Matthew 13:10–17 

 

 In yesterday's reading, we were given a new turn in Christ's ministry.  We read that on the same day following a dispute with the Pharisees and scribes (and their demand for a sign from Him), 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 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, let him hear!" 

 

 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  My study Bible comments that the mysteries of the kingdom are not simply obscure concepts, or some religious truths meant only for the elite.  Neither is the understanding of the parables a purely intellectual process.  Even the disciples find the message hard to understand.  While Jesus taught the same message to all, my study Bible comments, it is the simple and innocent who are open to its message.  

 

"Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.' "  Jesus quotes from the prophesy of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10).  My study Bible comments that this prophesy of Isaiah, according to St. John Chrysostom, does not mean that God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful.  It's a figure of speech common to Scripture which reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24-26).   It's understood from this passage that God permits their self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  Spiritual blindness is not the result of God speaking through Isaiah, but rather Isaiah spoke because he foresaw their blindness. 

 

  "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  Here He is speaking directly to His disciples, those who have chosen to follow Him, responding to the truths they perceive in His ministry, and His presence of holiness that is undeniable to them (John 6:68).

 

 Jesus has suddenly begun an unusual practice (for Him) which the disciples have never seen Him do before:  He begins to speak to the crowds ("great multitudes") in parables (see yesterday's reading, above).  His disciples are puzzled, and they come to ask Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  Jesus answered, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given." This is an intriguing answer.  Somehow Jesus seems to be saying to them that somehow it has been given to them by God that they should have the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven revealed to them, but not to the crowds in front of whom Christ now speaks in parables.  Parables sound like simple stories, and indeed they are, but to understand and to have insights about the spiritual journey and the reality of the kingdom of heaven, one would have to have some sort of experience of this to relate to the parable.  One would have to know something about the journey of spiritual truth, of growing closer to God and growing in participation in those mysteries in one's life.  But what is the point of speaking to the great crowds in parables?  Jesus tells the disciples, "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."   We take this together with the words from Isaiah Jesus goes on to quote, and we discover a fact about the spiritual life, which Jesus states here unequivocally.  We're either going to grow in this life, or we won't.  This is a reflection of the common theme, sometimes called "the two ways" in Scripture.  It's also referred to as the "way of life and the way of death" (Jeremiah 21:8).  These "two ways" were also described in the earliest teaching document known to the Church, considered to be the teachings of the apostles, called the Didache ("The Teaching").  Jesus Himself described these two ways when He taught (in the Sermon on the Mount), "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it" (Matthew 7:13-14).  But here in today's reading, He seems to teach us that there are some for whom these mysteries of the kingdom of God are accessible; perhaps they have a function in their inner life of being perceptive to them, and they will find them in Christ's parables, and be drawn to Him.  But, He also states, there are those who simply don't, and will not seek to have this abundance, as He puts it.  One presumes that this capacity is linked also to the capacity for repentance, for access to this Kingdom and its mysteries surely confers ways in which we change and adapt as we participate in this understanding, and grow more deeply into it.  Let us consider the reality of the presence of this Kingdom among us, and in our world, brought to us by Christ -- and how we will pursue it.  Our prayers are those that seek this participation and growth in the life of the Kingdom, for without it, what else is the point of His preaching to us in His parables of the kingdom of God?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He who has ears, let him hear!

 

 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 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, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued speaking with the scribes and Pharisees who demanded a sign from Him.  He said,  "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 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, let him hear!"  My study Bible comments here that, in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5; Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14), because this was part of daily life.  These are things with which all people were familiar.  Here, Jesus is revealing Himself as the promised Messiah, who is the sower in the earth, the One foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

 

Here is a turning point in Christ's ministry, and we can see that it comes as He now speaks to great multitudes.   What is the direction of this "turning point?"  It's quite interesting that He begins speaking in parables.  That is, He's telling a story about His story, about His ministry, but it's up to those who hear to understand and receive what they can from this story, this parable.  Jesus says, "He who has ears, let him hear!" echoing warnings known to the people from the Old Testament prophets (Isaiah 6:9-10; Ezekiel 3:27; Jeremiah 5:21; Deuteronomy 29:4).  If we follow closely the events of Christ's ministry, Jesus has just been responding to a demand from the scribes and Pharisees that He produce a miracle on demand, in order to prove His identity.  They have demanded a "sign" from Him (see Saturday's reading).  Before that, they accused Him of casting out demons (performing exorcism) by the power of the ruler of the demons (see Friday's reading).  So, after Jesus condemned this request, saying, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks  after a sign and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah," and claiming that others who come from outside Israel will rise in judgment against them, Jesus has responded not with trying to appease these religious rulers who now seek to destroy Him, but by doing the opposite.  He now expands His ministry to the great multitudes who come to listen, and He does so not through explicit signs or even teachings, but through the introduction of preaching in parables.  It is perhaps hint, in hindsight, that Christ already senses that His message, His gospel of the Kingdom, will be taken to peoples far and wide, and not simply to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Parables are described as "word-pictures" by my study Bible, stories which reveal spiritual truth.  But they do this in a way that is hidden, not obvious.  The Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb," my study Bible says.  So, in listening to parables, people must be receptive to the hidden truths or mysteries that are revealed in them, in order to perceive what Christ is offering.  Hence, His command, "He who has ears, let him hear!"  Christ's seemingly paradoxical response to the demand for a sign by the scribes and Pharisees comes to us as an affirmation of our own need to truly desire what He offers, for He is not simply in the world to compel anyone to love Him, but to put out a call of love and faith, seeking those who can hear and respond.  We are used to being spoon-fed truths, so to speak, through platforms and international media.  But in a world of constantly competing information vying for our attention, Jesus still calls.  He remains the Sower, sowing the seeds of His gospel, and longs for those who will respond, and produce the fruits of the good harvest He desires.