Therefore hear the parable of the sower

 

"Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18-23 

 

As we began chapter 13 of St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus began a new kind of preaching.  He gave the parable of the Sower to the crowds.  (See Tuesday's reading.)  Yesterday, we read that following His giving of this parable, 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."

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  In today's reading, Jesus explains in detail to the disciples the meaning of the parable of the Sower.  

 

Jesus explains: "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside."  In yesterday's commentary, we discussed the "two ways" found in the teachings of both Judaism and Christianity, and how Christ's words exemplified aspects of this understanding.  Here, He seems to give us hints regarding His words (in yesterday's reading) teaching about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, and those who have been given to understand, contrasted with those who haven't.  He said, "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."  Here He gives us an insight into how such wisdom works:  when people are exposed to the teachings of Christ regarding the kingdom, and they do not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away the word that was sown in the heart.  Without our capacity for spiritual sight and hearing, the "wicked one," the devil, is able to leave us empty, to take away the good word we've been given.  Our lack of understanding, in this picture that Jesus gives us, leaves us vulnerable to the effects of evil and its active presence in our world.  Thus, we lose "even what we have" when we fail to grasp Christ's words.  We might presume, or so it seems, regarding Christ's statement to the disciples in yesterday's reading, that God is at work in this process.  He said to the disciples that "it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."  Who is the Giver?  Why is something given to one, and not to another?  We must presume, therefore, that this giving and understanding (or receiving) is a kind of two-way street or effect, a synergistic reality that involves both God and the reception of the human being.  We don't know why something is given to one and not the other.  Equally mysterious, do we know why one understands and another does not?  We should recall that the words of Isaiah quoted by Jesus indicate a hardness of heart, a dullness created by habits of not caring, not paying attention, not seeking to understand.    Repentance, also, plays a strong hand in such matters of understanding, because repentance indicates a turning toward God, not simply regret or recognition of past mistakes. In repentance, we seek to place ourselves on the road toward Christ.  And so, we go into the parable of the Sower, and the word sown by Him.  How does that word take root within us?  What kind of soil do we need to provide for it?  And how do we get that, prepare it, fertilize it, make good things grow?  How do we take that word to heart, consider it precious, nurture it?  Do we treasure the word He offers, and what it means for us to be capable of living it?  We have to truly desire it.  This is the spiritual life the Word offers to us, as He sows His gospel of the kingdom of heaven.  Let us seek to produce the good crops He asks of us, a hundredfold, maybe sixty, even thirty.

 

 

 

Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand

 

 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 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 tings 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, having appointed the Twelve to become His apostles, Jesus and the disciples 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 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!"  As in the other Synoptic Gospels, Jesus begin preaching in parables with the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-3; Luke 8:4-5).  Let us note that He began to teach by the sea because by now there is a great multitude gathered to Him.  It's important to understand this beginning of teaching in parables comes when His ministry draws great crowds to Him.  Jesus' saying, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" is an echo of the Old Testament prophets; see Isaiah 6:9-10; Ezekiel 3:27; Jeremiah 5:21; Deuteronomy 29:4.

 

 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.' "  The disciples' question is answered first by Jesus not as to explain its meaning, but to give the reason for His preaching in parables.  He responds by a reference to the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10).  My study Bible comments 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.  This is a figure of speech which is common in Scripture and reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24-26).  God has permitted their self-chosen blindness and deafness.  People did not become blind and deaf to the message of Christ because it God spoke through Isaiah, but the prophet spoke because he foresaw their blindness.

 

 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."  In this parable, my study Bible comments, our Lord reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.  My study Bible asks us to note that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment one professes faith (a view which was never held by the historic Church), the teaching of Jesus here is quite clear that it is possible for some to receive the word with gladness, but endure only for a time.

 

 In today's reading we first of all observe that Jesus begins speaking in parables only when His ministry has grown so that by now there is a great multitude which follows Him -- so many people that He must sit in a boat facing the shore to preach.  In the beginning of His ministry, the disciples whom He told to "Follow Me" were those who had already been disciples of St. John the Baptist, and were led by the Baptist to Christ (Mark 1:17; John 1:29).  Here He is before the crowds who have heard of Christ's fame -- and especially of His healing and casting out of demons.  They are drawn to Him not necessarily because they seek discipleship.  What we may conclude from Christ's choice to preach in parables before this multitude then, is that He desires a faith that is not based on coercion or manipulation or the appeal of miraculous occurrences.  Indeed, the faith that He is seeking is one that can perceive with a different set of eyes and ears, one not drawn simply by appearance or public acclaim.  And this dynamic surely plays out in our own lives, and even in every generation.  Moreover, the kind of faith He's looking for is one that will grow in us, and become through this process strong enough to endure through tribulation or persecution.  The sense of rootedness that He speaks of ("they have no root in themselves") is something that is deep within us, not merely on the surface through some sort of material attraction or promise.  Parables work, in some sense, as icons.  They are images drawn from daily life in the world to represent and communicate the deep things of God, as my study Bible puts it.  But, as the quotation from Isaiah indicates, these deep things are not evident to everybody.  What Christ is looking for are those with spiritual ears to hear -- and even then, not all people have the same degree of understanding.  These various possible outcomes conveyed by the parable, which Jesus explains in private to His disciples, are all things, in fact, that we may occasionally experience even as faithful.  We all may be tempted to stumble (for example as did St. Peter; see this reading).  But the rootedness of the faith Christ seeks is that which has endurance, forbearance, patience, and a deep love for the things of God:  those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.  Note that the qualities Christ seeks in the parable all indicate a faithfulness through time.  For how else can we bear fruit, except through the times of our lives and the living out of our faith through all things?  This is an ever-deepening process, one with difficulties, and hard choices, and one subject to temptation.  The material-oriented life we lead in modern times, all the desires which are fed through coercion or persuasion, our impulses to rage, to take what we think we deserve from others, to shortcut or ignore the realities and values of the spiritual life:  these are all with us, and in some ways are perhaps stronger than ever.  But, yet, faith endures, and is the antidote to the easy things we think we can grab -- popular images we consume on social media, the temptation to addictions of all kinds, the lack of vision to persist through hardship and discomfort.  But our lives are made of more than this, and Christ asks for those who can seek it and live that fullness, for those with eyes to see and ears to hear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18–23 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus taught the crowds the parable of the Sower, the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to the, "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 prophesy 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."  

 

  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  Today's passage is self-explanatory.  In some sense it is one of those rare occasions in which Jesus Himself teaches us the meaning of His own words.  This is very important, because it is consistent in the reporting this first parable all the Synoptic Gospels (see also Mark and Luke). 

One thing seems to be certain regarding the importance of this parable, and also the reporting of Jesus' explanation for it:  He is encouraging us to be persistent in our faith.  This parable, and Jesus' explanation, seems to be telling us that we may very well be in for a bumpy ride on our road of faith.  There will be things that can easily get in the way of the Christ's word and its work in us.  Looking at this parable in the past, and especially Christ's explanation, it has seemed that each one of these stages Christ describes of the word being sown could be a part of one's own individual journey of faith at any time.  Sometimes our own lack of understanding brings frustration, and so we might be tempted to dismiss altogether the faith, as we're called to persist in something we might find hard to understand.  There may be other times when a particularly difficult time shows up in our lives, or possibly we find hostility in others to us because of our faith.  That's a great temptation to follow the crowd, and not that word that got planted in our heart.  And then there is the seed that falls among the thorns.  How many of us have been, at times, so consumed with the cares of our lives that we don't find time for our spiritual practice or for prayer?  All kinds of issues can crop up that take our time, our concern, our anxieties and stresses -- and wind up crowding out and choking the word within us.  Those times when we worry about paying bills, caring for children or spouse or another loved one, or maybe even just keeping up with the Joneses and all the demands the world might seem to make upon us.  It gets hard, at times, to remember the one thing that is needed (Luke 10:38-42).  But it seems to me that when I do take the trouble to make that time -- which I don't think I have -- a space seems to open up for prayer and make room for itself.  Prayer and calling upon God, reading the Scriptures, attending or reading a service, or otherwise taking time to pursue my faith seems to actually fulfill Christ's promise in that it makes the rest of the things that stress seem to go easier.  Taking time for the word strengthens me to cope with stresses, putting things in order, and giving me a fresh wind -- often supplying a new angle, a different and needed perspective on a problem.  So let us think today about all of these aspects that Christ says may crowd out the word within us, tempt us to leave it by the wayside or forego its call to us, and find the way to produce the spiritual fruits He asks for.  For it is this word, growing in us, that produces the fruits that are needful, that make our lives renewed with a quality which we can't find otherwise:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

 

 

 

 

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 become 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 appointed twelve to be with Him as disciples and to be sent out on apostolic missions, 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 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 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!"   At this point in Mark's Gospel, Christ's ministry has progressed to the point where He has just appointed the Twelve who will be His disciples and apostles.  The crowds follow Him so that there is no room in the house where He goes, and He preaches by the sea with a small boat to be kept ready in case the crowds threaten to crush Him.  Here is a new turning point, marked by Christ's beginning to preach in parables, a very notable and significant highlight of Christ's preaching.  Apparently our Lord, being Logos (or the Word) in His divine identity, loved the use of language and words to convey meanings and substance about the kingdom of God.  We can say with great certainty that His vivid way of speaking and turns of phrase remain sayings in all languages to which the Gospel has gone and been proclaimed.  My study Bible focuses on parables in a lengthy comment, calling them stories in word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  In Hebrew and Aramaic the words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb."  All the Scriptures -- and particularly the Gospels -- are filled with parables.  They are images drawn from daily life in the world in order to represent and communicate the deep things of God, giving us glimpses of the One whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).   Here, Jesus begins (as He does in the other Synoptic Gospels) with the parable of the Sower, a great clue as to the identity of Christ Himself, and the work He does for the kingdom of God.

 

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.'"  We note that the truth of Christ's parables is not obvious to all who hear; neither is the degree of understanding the same even for those who hear.  Therefore, my study Bible says, Jesus' statement that "to those who are outside, all things come in parables" may be translated as ". . . all things come in riddles."  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10 here.  This quotation does not mean that parables are used to blind people, or to lead them to punishment.  It shows, on the contrary, that people are responsible for their own lack of receptivity.  Those who have grown dull and insensitive are unwilling to accept the message of the parables.  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.  

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 become 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."  Jesus explains the parable of the Sower.  In this parable, He reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.  My study Bible also asks us to note that while some might teach a person is permanently saved at the moment one professes faith -- a view which wasn't held by the historic Church -- the teaching of Jesus is clear here that it is possible to receive the word and endure only for a time, and then when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  In Luke we read that they "fall away" (Luke 8:5).

It's interesting that what we read here today affirms that faith is a kind of continuum, a progression, a "road," as Jesus tells us that He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (way in Greek also meaning "road").   It is possible we will hear the word and keep it for a while, and then over a challenge of some sort of tribulation or testing, we stumble.  Note that Jesus does not mince words when it comes to difficulties. He more or less promises the certainty of difficulties, just as He here tells the disciples that there will be times "when persecution arises for the word's sake."  There are other enemies to the word sown here as well.  He says that for some, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  So there is no guarantee here of an easy road, or of immediate or guaranteed success in this journey of faith, our struggle to abide in His word.  We will face challenges.  But, if we're going to face challenges to something in life, the best way to meet challenges is with preparation -- and here Jesus, in the details of the parable, is preparing us for what it means to struggle with our faith for a lifetime's endurance.  Moreover, the parable tells us that endurance in the word is not simply for the sake of endurance alone, but that to live our faith means producing spiritual fruit.  That is, there are good changes, good effects, that accompany this endurance in the word and in faith.  But there are also important challenges, that remain always all-too-present to us, and perhaps especially at this time, with so many modern products of technology and economic prosperity.  Jesus distinctly notes that the "cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word."  It's not simply that these things are still with us 2,000 years after Christ preached these words.  But we have had 2,000 years in the mean time of accumulating "cares of this world."  While economic prosperity rises, goods are produced and traded worldwide to a degree simply unimaginable to human beings of the first century (perhaps even of the twentieth century), and riches continue to expand beyond previous measure (in our lifetimes alone, a "millionaire" is simply incomparable to today's "billionaires").  So we must assume that the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things has expanded right along with that prosperity and what we call material progress.  In accordance with this parable, it really doesn't seem to matter what our level of economic prosperity or poverty is, we're still going to face these obstacles to one degree or another -- and, like the poor whom Jesus loved, it seems that these things will always be with us (Matthew 26:11).  Neither does Christ say that the answer to these problems or stumbling blocks is abolishing either wealth or poverty altogether (there will always be those with "less"), but rather to cultivate our own strength of faith and awareness and to endure in His word.  We should expect challenges and difficulties, being ready for them through our awareness and our spiritual preparedness, including the tools of our faith:  worship services, our fellow faithful and the great cloud of witnesses mentioned by St. Paul in his own exhortation to preparedness for spiritual struggle in Hebrews 12:1-3, and of course our prayer lives and pastors.  This is the way, the truth, and the life of Christ:  He prepares us for challenges, not for a perfect world that He fixes for us.  He invites us into His own work of faith, and sets the example first and most powerfully of all.  If we're prepared for the difficulties and pitfalls (and here we are clearly forewarned by Christ), if we are enlightened as to the sense of ourselves on a journey in the experience of this Kingdom, then we are given a clear awareness of what our lives are all about as we seek to follow Him and His word and produce the fruits He asks.  In John's Gospel, Jesus preaches to the people, telling them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going" (John 12:38).  He gives us a clear picture of this walk in the light, so that we know where we are going.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

 

Therefore hear the parable of the sower

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18-23 

 

Yesterday we read that 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!"  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 . . . " 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulnes of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  In today's reading, Jesus gives the explanation (to His disciples) of the parable of the Sower (see yesterday's reading, above).  We should keep in mind that this explanation comes in the context of the question of why He has begun to teach in parables, and that by now there are great multitudes who come to see and hear Him.  He's renowned because of the healings He has done, but He is looking for faith, for the ones who receive seed on the good ground, who hear the word and understand it, who bear fruit and produce.

What does it mean to bear fruit, to bear spiritual fruit?  Clearly, Jesus implies here that to bear fruit, on His terms, is to produce a kind of harvest from His word, from His teachings.  If they fall on good ground, we "take it to heart," and it bears fruit in us:  changes in attitude and behavior, new thoughts that are produced through Christ's teachings about the Kingdom, new ways to see things, and a transformation in our sense of ourselves that can result.  This is an ongoing process, and happens similarly to the way that things grow in the world, especially like the plants which so often form metaphor in Christ's parables:  the growth can be mysterious, unseen, not necessarily closely observed, much of it taking place underground, so to speak.  But nevertheless fruitfulness does result, changes in us, new ways of thinking about what we work for, what it's worth putting our effort into, what makes for good results in our lives, things we can take heart in and that have real value for us and make our lives of genuine value and worthiness.  In his first example of the seed that falls by the wayside, Jesus says that this is the one who does not understand, and that then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  What is the wicked one?  Who is the wicked one?  This is a word often used interchangeably and translated as "the devil."  But if we look closely at this word, its various senses are quite important to understand.  It is πονηρός/poneros.  This word is derived from the word that means "pain."  It has several senses, but it's important to understand that it can indicate laborious trouble; that is, great effort that is fruitless, toil -- something that suggests even slave labor.  It emphasizes that evil is characterized by that which is painfully futile, onerous, a kind of torture of agony and misery.  We can see its connection to the rest of the parable by its stark contrast with those who are fruitful.  From this evil results only fruitless toil, misdirected energy that leads to misery, a kind of enslavement connected to painful futility.  All of these things are characteristic of evil in the Scriptures.  We can take a look at the effects on those who are possessed by demons whom Jesus heals:  the effects of the demons echo these meanings of this word for "evil" or the "evil one," such as pain, a wasted life, one separated from community, suffering.   So what we can understand from His explanation is that Jesus is connecting a lack of understanding with such onerous toil and futility, a painful condition of emptiness.  And He offers His word and our taking it to heart and allowing its effects to blossom within us as the alternative way of life to this futility and pain.  We think of His word because it leads to a better way of life, to one in which we find that what we do has value and substance to it.  Through Christ we seek that which is truly rewarding, which offers us good, what St. Paul calls "the good struggle" or the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).  That word for "fight" used by St. Paul is ἀγῶνα/agona.  We can see its relation to the English word  that comes to us as "agony," but its meaning is struggle, as in an athletic contest for a prize, as in an Olympic arena, something that is worth the struggle and the effort and the discipline for the honor and glory that comes with its achievement.  Hence it is a "good fight."  Notice that in the rest of the explanation of this parable, Jesus uses words that imply a kind of struggle or effort:  when His good word takes root in us, it helps us to endure, even through tribulation and persecution.  To keep His word in a good way also means that we, with perhaps the focus we can attribute to a good athlete, are not defeated by the distraction of the cares of this world nor by the deceitfulness of riches which can choke the word in us and crash our efforts and discipline for what is of real value and a worthy struggle and goal.  Note that there is a quality implied by the "cares of this world" that is also toilsome and onerous, a quality that Jesus imputes to riches which is deceitful, false, entrapping, which does not live up to its attractive appearance.  These are all characteristics of what is evil, what tricks us with false promises that in the end harm us instead; they are even characteristic of addictions such as the lure of gambling, the promise of escape from pain with drugs, and all the things the world seems to clamor for us to scramble after to keep up with everyone else in all those images we consume.  Those narcissistic personalities who defraud others also share similar traits of false lures of a good life, but are instead merely predators who rob others not only of worldly goods, but even of purpose, often supplanting themselves as the purpose of another's life.  But to hold fast to Christ's word is a different sort of a struggle, a good fight for something that feels worthy in a place that is within us, where God touches us, a sense of what is good and at the same time truly free, because it helps us to discover ourselves and who we truly are, what we're made out of.  Most of all Christ's word is born of love for us, and it tells us the truth about ourselves and about life.   Note that Jesus doesn't make us false promises that there is no struggle, or that His life is simple and without effort.  But He does offer us fruitfulness, the kinds of spiritual fruit from which a good life is made, and good life for those around us as well.  His word offers us the values of compassion, the richness of true beauty, the worthiness of sacrifice for what is better -- an organizing principle of love for what is true and good and beautiful, a struggle for that which is truly worthy.

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18-23 

 

 In our recent readings, Jesus has begun preaching to the multitudes using parables.  The first parable He taught is the parable of the Sower (see Tuesday's reading).  In yesterday's reading, 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." 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  Here in today's reading, we are given Christ's explanation to the disciples about the parable.  We see that the parable reflects the difficulties and struggles of the life of the Kingdom as it grows inside those who hear.  Each one of these scenaria, I find, can also reflect our own personal struggles at different times in our lives.  There are forces that are active against the word and its work of taking root and producing fruit in us.  A lack of comprehension can give way to the wicked one, so that what might have taken root is snatched away.  We need endurance, to cling to the word in times of adversity; Jesus cites tribulation or persecution as such times.  Clearly Jesus also speaks of the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches which can choke the word, stopping spiritual progress and fruitfulness.   Our obsessive dwelling on various sources of anxiety, or the delusions that wealth can produce in terms of the fulfillment of the soul are themes Jesus has preached on numerous times in the Gospels.  But the good ground is that which we may cultivate within ourselves as we learn endurance, to cling to the word through times of adversity and temptation both to lust for things we think we want or delude us with false promises, and to the anxieties produced by what we fear.  To bear fruit is the process of bearing our cross and enduring, to nurture and till the ground within through prayer and study, to give ourselves the peace of Christ with which we can fill our hearts even in fleeting moments so that the word may take root and grow unhindered.  These things take discipline and are open to all of us, for life is a process of growth and learning (the meaning of the Greek for disciple is "learner"), an opportunity not for luck but for the practice and cultivation of endurance and sticking to what is good, to the Good Shepherd who remains here for all of us who need His guidance.  As the One who teaches and leads, He is the Sower who plants the seeds He wants us to grow and nurture in ourselves so that we bear fruits into the world.  When we stumble in any of these scenaria Jesus lays out, we can always begin again, for this is also part of endurance and taking root, the road to the fruit He desires.  The Source of the seed is love, and it always calls us back.  If we are sincere, God's love never turns away.

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:   When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

- Matthew 13:18-23

Yesterday we read that 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!" 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 that 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."

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:   When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  In today's reading, Jesus explains the parable of the Sower to the disciples.  He gives us a picture of the world as a place full of pitfalls for the word that He sows.  Note the synthesis between the inner conditions in us and the obstacles to the word in the world.   We do not understand, and the wicked one comes and is active in the world to snatch away what is sown in the heart.   We may take in the word with joy, but have no root in ourselves -- and tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, and we stumble.  We may hear the word but are surrounded with thorns, which are the cares of this word, and the deceitfulness of riches.  These work to choke the word and make us unfruitful.  But if we receive Christ's word on good ground, we are able to bear fruit and produce, even through the struggles in the world.

I don't think that Jesus means to imply by His parable of the Sower that there are only some people who face tribulation or persecution, or the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches.   The wicked one doesn't want to snatch away Christ's word from the heart of only a handful of people.  We are given to understand that these things will always be present and with us, that these obstacles to the good root of the word taking hold and producing fruit will always face difficulties and objects to overcome in the world.  We're not given a picture of the world as a friendly place to what Christ has to say and to teach us.  So by the very nature of what's implied in this parable, what Christ teaches us is that His word is going to face challenges within us, that we don't live in a perfect world simply awaiting the word -- the seed of the Sower -- in order to spring up its fruits.  What Christ teaches us is that so much depends upon us tending and tilling our good ground, protecting ourselves against the threats to these seeds of His word taking root within us, and our own steadfastness in guarding ourselves against threats like the cares of this world or the deceitfulness of riches.  He does not come into the world to take these things away.  Rather He comes into our world asking us to join the struggle for the word, to become the good ground, to work at this, and to be smart and aware of what's around and what threats there are to it.  This good and fertile ground is that which is within us, but there are threats to it.  There are struggles involved.  We need to be diligent and smart about it -- not complacent, or sleepy, or lazy.  We have forces that seek to mislead us, dissuade us, trip us up, and choke us with diversions or struggles or a multitude of cares.   In discipleship, then, He calls us to a struggle for something -- and what He really teaches is that despite the trouble and the things that will seek to throw us off, this word is worthy of every effort we make to fight the challenges.  This word, this seed He offers, is above all else prize-worthy to cherish in this contest of life in the world.  We hold fast to it, and our goal is to produce fruits which multiply -- perhaps a hundredfold, or sixty, or thirty.  Everything else, He implies, is worth struggling against or discarding for this prized seed He offers us.  His image gives us a sense of the difficulties of such struggle:  what is a little seed compared to the thorns of the world, or the work of the evil one, or the stony ground that does little to defy tribulation and persecutions?  And yet, it is the treasure of this seed that is worth fighting off, enduring, struggling through all the rest, holding fast to the goal of producing fruit.  Let us consider that Jesus does not minimize the difficulties.  Neither does He make them simply disappear from this world.  He invites us into a contest.  He asks us to weigh what is most important to us.  He asks us to forgo temptations to give in to care and struggle, or to be deceived by riches that seem like better treasure.  He offers us His hand in a journey to follow Him.  He invites us in to face life and take heart, to prize and to cherish what is so much better, to see what we're worthy and capable of in His sight.  Are we ready for that challenge? 

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 become 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 Jesus and the disciples went into a house, likely the family home of Peter and Andrew in Capernaum.  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:  "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!"  In our readings in Mark's Gospel, Jesus has just recently appointed the twelve who will be sent out as apostles.  His fame has reached all around the territories of Israel and including the Jewish diaspora in nearby Gentile territories.  And most recently, He has begun to face open hostility from the authorities, who now seek to destroy Him (see Saturday's reading, above).  His own family tries to distance themselves from Him, most likely they are fearful at the danger He's courting in open opposition to the religious authorities, who now plot with Herod's supporters against Him.   But the multitudes, who've heard all about Him and what He has done, flock to Him.  It is at this point that Jesus begins preaching in parables.  Parables are word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  But now that it is these great crowds He preaches to, and not merely those who have committed to being His disciples, and that even among His hearers are no doubt those who are hostile to Him, He preaches in a way that is not overt, but has hidden meanings for those with "ears to hear."  Jesus' parables illustrate the things of God, aspects of the Kingdom and of our faith, for those who desire to hear and to learn.  My study bible points out that even among those who have spiritual ears to hear, not all have the same degree of understanding.  This first parable introduces us to parables, and to the Sower, the One who sows the seeds.  It is the first parable told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

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 to explain to the disciples His preaching in parables.  (See Isaiah 6:9-10.)  My study bible explains 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 to lead them to produce the fruit of righteousness.  But the preaching of parables demonstrates that people are responsible for their own insensitivity to the things of God, and their own lack of receptivity; those with hardened hearts are unable to accept the message of the parables.  Nothing is held back from those who desire to learn; faith is open to all.  But, as my study bible says, God permits our self-chosen blindness.

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 become 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."   In this parable Christ reveals Himself as the promised Messiah.  He is the sower foretold by Isaiah (Isaiah 55:10-13). 

How do we bear fruit in God's word?  How do we understand the parables?  One thing is certain, that on the journey of faith, Jesus' teachings will give us messages that depend upon right where "we are at" at the moment.  In the parable of the Sower, Jesus gives the pitfalls and dangers to our faith.  There is the work of Satan that comes and snatches away the word from the heart.  There is the heart of "stony ground" which receives His word with gladness, but the shallowness of their receptivity means it endures only for a short time, but perishes under any challenge and difficulty because of the faith.  Then there are the other things Jesus warns us about our lives:  the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things -- which choke out our faith.  It's as if He's warning us that we always need to make time and space for our faith and especially for His word, the things of God we're taught.  The rest of our lives, and all the other things that we may chase after in life, are liable to crowd out the things of true worth, distract us from where we need to be and what we need to focus on.  It seems to me that these are the pitfalls of the journey of faith, that all of us may be, at one time or another (or even many times in our lives) susceptible to the problems that Jesus notes can come in our receptivity to the word in our hearts.  But there is always repentance, or change of mind.  We may recognize our mistakes and turn back on the road toward Him.  It is Christ's word, if we think about it, that makes all the difference in our lives.  The things that choke out the word will always be there, will always be a part of the world, will always be waiting to take our attention away, to lead us down an empty path, to make us stumble.  But it is Christ's word that stands in the center of life, in the place in our hearts that we really and truly need to pay attention to if our lives are going to be in the right place.  It is in that place that we find a kind of peace and reconciliation that really doesn't exist anywhere else, certainly not while we're chasing all the rest of it.  Isaiah came to call people's attention to the acts of God in their midst, and the word of the Sower still lives in our midst, if we just pay it the proper attention.  Let us give it the place it needs in us, so that our soul may take its rest and refreshment therein, so that we may return and be healed of the brokenness the world will offer.  At some point we must choose, and come to the understanding that it is up to us to care, and to place our right priorities first.  Christ's decision to speak in parables tells us that this is, indeed, up to us.

Hear the parable of the sower

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for awhile.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

- Matthew 13:18-23

Yesterday we read about the beginning of Jesus' preaching in parables:   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 then.  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."

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower: . . . "  In yesterday's reading, Jesus gave us the parable of the Sower, and in private His disciples asked Him about the parable.   This is our introduction to parables.  It is the first time that He begins preaching using them.  Parables were already widely known in Jewish culture and tradition, and around the Middle East.  But Jesus' use of parables are an extraordinary example of His word.  They are designed to use the greatest simplicity, with stories drawn from everyday life (especially in an agrarian society for this one) which are meant to draw in those who may see and hear with faith.  And we note that in private He explains to His disciples as they ask Him questions.  Today He explains the parable of the Sower, which we can read above, from yesterday's reading.

"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside."    Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  We remember that Jesus has chosen to begin using parables to preach to the large crowds who now gather to Him.  In a way, the parables mirror what we are told in this parable:  they sort of out those who receive His word in faith from those who do not.  Jesus explains that as the Sower, He comes spreading His word in a world that is not going to be perfectly receptive.  There is an enemy here, waiting to snatch away this word.

"But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for awhile.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles."  Here is the next thing we understand about the world and the word.  There are those who will receive His word with joy.  But like a planted crop, it must take root, and fails to do so again because of the conditions of the world and the lack of depth of rootedness faith in the person.  In the world, He will teach, as His followers we will have tribulation (John 16:33)  and we will have persecution (Mark 10:30).  Jesus does not offer us a life in which we do not face the realities of the world, but a life in which we nevertheless experience the blessedness and joy of the life of the Kingdom.

"Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful."  Here is more about the conditions of the world in which we are to live our lives in faith.  We're told that the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches are present to us.  From this understanding, it's clear that the faith of the Kingdom does not offer us a utopian dream, but rather a way of life through a difficult world.   We're also given to understand that Jesus seeks for us to be fruitful.  But His fruitfulness is not the same as the production of riches, which He describes as deceitful.

"But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  Each who hears the word and understands it bears fruit and produces."  We note that each produces according to potential; we are not meant to be the same people with the same output.  But that we do bear spiritual fruit is the desire of the Sower, the favored outcome of faith and good ground.

All of the conditions that Jesus names in which the word struggles for rootedness and fruitfulness are things that remain present to each one of us.  They are things with which we will contend in our lives.  We fail to understand, or we feel a fleeting joy that passes quickly.  Tribulation and persecution are temptations to give it all up, and all too often that is the result of seed "on stony places."  In Scripture, a "stony" or "hard" heart is frequently an expression denoting a lack of understanding or receptivity.   We live with the thorns or cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches -- things that look good to chase after but which really don't give back all the effort, the heart and soul, one may put into them.  We note how these things "choke" the word, they crowd it out and strangle it within us if we let them.  All of these experiences may belong to each one of us.  But the central point we can take away from this parable is one Jesus will emphasize, particularly when He begins to tell the apostles about the time when He will no longer be with them.  We learn from the parable the importance of endurance.  We live to try again, to continue, to start our devotion to His word and His faith once more.  This is the way to the spiritual productivity that He seeks.  Jesus does not offer us a perfect world, nor some utopian dream of an ideal perfect life.  He doesn't offer us wealth as the panacea we might seek for our struggles and problems, but rather warns that riches are deceitful.  The cares of this world are not to overrun and dominate our lives.  We're supposed to focus on something else, a different way of life.  Over the course of the past couple of weeks, we have been reading the Sermon on the Mount.  We have skipped over several chapters to read the parable of the Sower, in preparation for Ascension Day.  But it is in the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus teaches us about the blessed life He asks  of us, and teaches the fruitfulness meant as the response to His word.  The blessedness He offers is ours even though we face persecution or tribulation in or because of our faith.  What Jesus offers is the challenge of a life well-lived, a good life, something to have faith in and worthy of the sacrifice it takes to live it.  Its blessings are transcendent and not dependent upon external conditions.  Its fruitfulness remains within a communion in which others may share.  Its true place is within us and among us, where two or three are gathered in His name, or where we pray to our Father in secret.  It is a substance that remains with us and within us, a joy given not as the world gives, a peace that passes understanding.   This is what we seek first, all else may be added unto it.  But this illumines our view of the world and gives us our place in it, how we relate to everything and everyone else.  All from the place of the word, the seed He plants within us, and the good ground it needs to bear real fruit.

He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

- Matthew 13:18-23

 Yesterday we read that, after Jesus taught the parable of the Sower to the multitudes, 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." 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  The text here gives us Jesus' explanation to His disciples of the parable of the Sower (which we read in Tuesday's reading):  For the sake of convenience, here is Jesus' telling of the parable:  "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 and 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!"

Jesus' parable of the Sower really gives us emphasis on what happens internally with faith.  His word is the seeds that are sown; the rest of the parable is about reception, and what happens in our lives with that seed that is His word and teaching.  We note the interplay of the sower and the "wicked one."  The sower sows an idea, a teaching, a word (and He is the Word).  The parable gives us an idea of what happens to that word.  It falls upon those who don't comprehend it, and immediately the wicked one (the birds in the parable) snatches it away.  There is a force at work in the world that doesn't want this word to take root, to prevail, to be a part of our lives as we live them.  If this word doesn't find good soil, and rests in "stony places" then it is not long-lived.  To have a stony heart, in the language Jesus frequently uses, is a heart that at some level rejects this word, doesn't want to hear its teachings and have them go more deeply within.  Joy comes with first hearing, but when it means a struggle, especially (as told in Jesus' explanation) when outward forces push back against it, faith flees.  Tribulation or persecution is enough to overcome faith, and this person stumbles.  Other outward forces work upon us in our lives.  There are the thorns of the parable, which Jesus says are cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, which choke the word.   These are the conditions of the world in which we find ourselves, and these conditions have perhaps magnified for us in modern times.  They are with us throughout our lives.  An increasingly sophisticated and developed economy, combined with popular media, creates ever more demand by such thorns.  The cares of this world go hand in hand with the deceitfulness of riches, as often they are combined in our experience:  once we have what we learn to desire, the care comes when we must pay for it -- an endless cycle.  There are so many things we cannot control; one aspect of the deceit of riches is the illusion that wealth gives us full control over everything, even the state of health.  These remain huge issues for us to negotiate through our faith.  How much time do we give it?  What priority do we give it?  Where does humility come into the way in which we negotiate the cares of this world and the deceit of riches?  These are struggles that were with these disciples then, and they certainly remain in great force with us now.  Jesus presents them as thorns which choke the word.  Each of these scenaria presented in this simple parable of sowing seed and reaping harvest from growing plants gives us an idea of what our faith must overcome and struggle through, both as individuals and corporately:  as a communion, a group related by seeking to do the will of God.  (In Monday's reading, Jesus 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.")  Jesus speaks of the heart, but we need to remember that heart to heart, we do have communion.  We can affect and shore up one another's faith.  We struggle with this together.  We are able to give help to one another.  Those who've come before us, the saints of the Church, whose word we can read and know, also help us to shore up our faith and take strength in it, preparing good ground.  Prayer not only offers us help and connection with Creator, it is also ground for the communion of saints.  In our services and liturgies, we worship together with all of heaven, a great cloud of witnesses.  In Jesus' telling of this parable, we can consider all the ways these thorns have magnified, and also all the ways in which the Church has given us help for the struggle of the word and its fruitfulness within us.  We have one another, we have Scripture, we have those who've come before us and made the choices in the struggle, those who illuminate the word and share their light with us.  Let us remember the tools we're given, of humility and discipline, and the importance of our choices, surrounding ourselves and our hearts with support for the rootedness and growth of the word, and the Kingdom that it builds within us and among us.