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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"  And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 

'Seeing they may not see,

And hearing they may not understand.'

"Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God.  Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.  But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.  Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.  But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

 

- Luke 8:1–15 

 

Yesterday we read that one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him.  And He went to the Pharisee's house, and sat down to eat.  And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.  Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, "This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."  And Jesus answered and said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you."  So he said, "Teacher, say it."  "There was a certain creditor who had two debtors.  One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.  Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?"    Simon answered and said, "I suppose the one whom he forgave more."  And He said to him, "You have rightly judged."  Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman?  I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.  You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.  You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.  Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much.  But to whom little is forgiven the same loves little."  Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."  And those who sat at 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 notes that these women were faithful to Christ to the end (Luke 23:49, 55), and were the first to receive and proclaim the news of Christ's Resurrection (Luke 24:1-10).  In the Scriptures, it continues, the number seven often symbolizes totality and completeness.  So this indicates that Mary called Magdalene had been thoroughly given over to darkness before her healing.

 

 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed.  And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.  Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.  But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold."  When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Here Jesus gives His first parable, to a great multitude which had gathered from every city.  In all the Synoptic Gospels, the parable of the Sower is the first told by Jesus (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20).  

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.  My study Bible comments that as the sower in this parable, Christ fulfills the prophecy in Isaiah 55:10-13.  It says that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment faith is professed -- a view never held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear that it is possible to believe for a while and then fall away.    Jesus tells the disciples, "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.'"  (See Isaiah 6:9.)  My study Bible explains that mysteries are not obscure intellectual concepts, but the presence of the Kingdom of God which cannot be defined.  It says that a person's unwillingness to understand Christ's parables is due to a rejection of His Kingdom.  St. John Chrysostom comments, "If the blindness were natural, it would have been proper for God to open their eyes; but because it was  a voluntary and self-chosen blindness, He does not overthrow their free will."  Doing so would have been not only to "no advantage for them, but an even greater condemnation."

 

 What stories do we know which tell us about our faith?  Jesus gives us stories in the form of parables.  These are memorable illustrations of the ways of the Kingdom, how the Kingdom works, and who Christ is.  As mentioned above, in all the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus begins His preaching in parables with the parable of the Sower, given in today's reading.  We also have Jesus' explanation for the parable.  Clearly, He is the Sower, and the seeds He sows are the gospel message.  Where will they fall?  If we think carefully about this parable (and about Jesus' words explaining it to His disciples), we'll come to see that we might fall anywhere on the spectrum of the ground He describes, at any time -- or at various periods of our lives.  Each of us knows seasons of the kinds of temptations and struggles Jesus describes.  First of all He describes the work of the adversary, the devil, reminding us that there are spiritual foes at work in the world, seeking to snatch away the word.  We all deal with temptations of various kinds; some we may harbor and nurture, others we do our best to refuse.  And then there are the times we may be choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life -- always with us and seemingly an integral part of our world.  Perhaps the demand for such is exacerbated and accelerated through modern technologies and means of communication, drowning out the word of God.  We need to seek out Christ's word, keeping it with us, energizing and enlivening it within ourselves to counter all of these effects.  But then there is the good ground, and one presumes that those who seek out that good word know that effect of the good ground within them and seek to nurture it.  Moreover we should note that, in Jesus' words, not only does this ask of us a noble and good heart, but we must also keep that word, and bear fruit with patience.  That "with patience" is important, for sometimes the fruits of our faith take time, and sometimes living the word takes patience with all the things in life that seek to get in the way.  Note that patience also implies that our effort is steady, over time.  As my study Bible noted, faith is not a one-time-only confession, but a life of lived effort.  Our path is for our lives, and for that we need the patience to understand the sustained nature of the faith Jesus speaks about.  But there is joy in the heart by living with this word, and the grace we're given helps and sustains.  My study Bible says that parables are word-pictures, given to us in images from daily life, meant to communicate the deep things of God.  It says that parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Note in today's parable how Christ the Sower sows the word of God in the earth.  We need spiritual eyes and ears to hear and understand, but His word is here and present, seemingly awaiting us.  When life seems to be filled with piled up urgencies and needs, news of the day, and all manner of distraction, let's remember that His word is always awaiting us, and the depth of our hearts.

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.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

 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 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 

 

On Saturday, we read that after Jesus had appointed His twelve disciples, who would also be apostles, they went into a house.  Then 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: . . ..  Let us note that once again, Jesus teaches by the sea, and that this is because there are so many who come to hear Him -- so much so, that now He sits in a boat off the shore to preach, while His audience is on shore facing the sea.  At this stage in Christ's expansive ministry, He has called the Twelve to Him to appoint them as those who will be disciples ("learners") and apostles ("those sent out").  There is another kind of landmark note in this passage for a new stage in Christ's ministry, and that is that He has now begun to teach in parables.

"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 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!"  The importance of the parable of the Sower is clear through its prominence as the first parable we're given in the Gospels.  It is clearly significant for Jesus' ministry, which will become more clear as He explains its meaning to His disciples (a few verses further on in today's reading).

 

 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.' "  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:10, which is more fully quoted in John 12:40.  My study Bible notes that, according to St. John Chrysostom, Isaiah's prophecy does not mean that God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise have been faithful.  It explains that 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).  In the fullness of the quotation, it is understood that God permits a self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  This is consistent with the understanding that faith precedes healing, as we can see in Christ's healing miracles.

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 central, important parable, the Lord reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, who is the sower, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.  

My study Bible has an article on parables that notes several important things we should understand about their use.  It describes parables as "word-pictures" which reveal spiritual truth.  In both Hebrew and Aramaic, the word for parable also means "allegory, "riddle," or "proverb."  All the Scriptures, but especially the Gospels, are filled with parables; that is, images which are drawn from daily life in the world in order to represent and communicate the deep things of God.  It says that parables give us glimpses of God whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  But there is something distinctive and important here, as Jesus Himself points out:  the truth in Christ's parables isn't plain to all who hear them.  It requires spiritual ears and eyes to hear and see; and even then not all will have the same degree of understanding.  In today's reading, Jesus says that "to those who are outside, all things come in parables."  We might translate that as, ". . . all things come in riddles."  The quotation from Isaiah leaves no doubt that people are responsible for their own lack of receptivity, and absolutely thereby affirms that we all are capable of understanding.  It is a matter of choice to grow dull and insensitive to God's message and understanding; at heart there's an unwillingness to accept the message of the parables.  In the language of the ancient world and the understanding of the Church, this faculty for perceiving the things of God is in each one of us and is called the "nous" in Greek.  It is associated with the heart, and the understanding capacity therein.  This form of grasping truths is very closely akin to experience, as it forms through a kind of participation.  My study Bible says that as the mission of Isaiah in the Old Testament was to open the eyes of Israel to see the acts of God, so the parables of Jesus are intended to open the eyes of His hearers to the truth and lead them to produce the fruit of righteousness.  In effect, they challenge all hearers and call for faith to perceive the mysteries of the Kingdom.  This doesn't happen only through an intellectual understanding of the parables.  My study Bible calls spiritual enlightenment essentially a communication of faith in the Person, words, and deeds of Jesus Christ.  Once again, we understand that the use of parables in Jewish culture existed long before Jesus, and we can read this in the Old Testament Scriptures (2 Samuel 12:1-4, 1 Kings 20:35-42, Isaiah 5:1-7).  But Jesus' use of parables is unsurpassed, speaking of aspects of God through vivid, memorable stories.  His purpose, my study Bible tells us, was not only to reveal truth to those with hearts prepared, but in fact to draw responsive hearts past the entrance and into the reality of God's Kingdom which He proclaimed and inaugurated.  Whatever we are to grasp about Christ's parables, let us understand how they point to mystery and the mystical, affirming an important understanding of our faith.  There is a deep connection to the things of God, and to the faith of Christ, through our own capacity for hearing and seeing spiritually -- as Jesus' quotation from Isaiah affirms.  The parables invite us into the Kingdom, as my study Bible says, they invite us in to begin to perceive the things of God, the words of Christ, all that is given to us by our Lord.  In this special kind of perception, we are taught that we are capable of understanding a communion of saints which include the ministering angels (that "great cloud of witnesses" cited by St. Paul in Hebrews 12:1), the realities which Christ has brought into our world, and the truths we are offered through this gift of faith and grace.  The parables, as my study Bible says, are meant to open a door to something, to give us a glimpse of the workings of a Kingdom that not everybody is capable of perceiving.  They are not simple moral tales or aphorisms meant to be sported by anybody for "good living."  They open a door, and the door is Christ (John 10:9-16).  They are meant to teach us about the journey beyond the door, and invite us in to a learning that does not stop but grows through experience.  On that road or way of Christ (John 14:6) we might come to find that the cares of the world that choke us like thorns, the fleeting thoughts of faith that disappear with all the myriad concerns that come to snatch them away, the faith that disappears in fear or crisis -- all of this can be part of the journey along the way. But His word, His seed, keeps giving growth where it takes deep root:  in some thirty-fold, in some sixty, in some a hundred -- or possibly, at various times of our lives, we may experience each of these levels of growth in our own spiritual understanding and capacity for faith and the fruits of that faith.  Jesus opens the door as the crowds grow large, and all kinds of people crowd in to see Him.  But He calls to those who have the ears to hear the things He really offers, which transform our lives and heal us.