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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

- Mark 4:21–34 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it?

 

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

 

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

 

 Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade." 

 

And with may such parable He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.   

 

- Mark 4:21-34 

 

Yesterday we read that again Jesus began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on 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."

 

  Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be reveled, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  Again, as in yesterday's reading (see above), Jesus emphasizes our own capacity to hear spiritually.  My study Bible says that Christ's words here are a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  We must not only hear, it says, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, and they will grow in understanding.  My study Bible moreover has a very helpful quote from St. Mark the Ascetic, who says, "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."  

 

 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he  himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."   This particular parable is found only here, in the Gospel of St. Mark.  The kingdom here is a reference to the whole span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, my study Bible explains, and the seed is the gospel (as in the parable of the Sower in yesterday's reading, above).  The man's sleep is an indication of Christ's death, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows teaches us that Christ does not coerce nor manipulate people's response to the gospel.  Each person is to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest is the Second Coming, when all will be judged on their reception of the gospel.  

 

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

 

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

 

The parable of the mustard seed is always one that is inspiring.  Why is that?  Because the picture of the mustard seed growing into a sturdy bush, large enough and strong enough to put branches that even the birds can find rest in shade within, is something that is beautiful.  In fact this topic of what we think of as beauty can be understood as part and parcel of where we find our faith.  The quiet, sweet picture Jesus presents of a bush where even the birds can find rest in its shade is one that reflects peace and goodness.  If the birds of the air can easily be thought of as angels -- the messengers of God whom we depict with wings accordingly -- then what messages and wisdom we receive indeed may be thought of as a part of that which is built and housed in this tree, or sturdy bush.  The mustard, we already know, additionally produces a spice used to flavor food, it enhances life in this sense, makes the common things of life more rich and pleasurable -- another very simple kind of beauty for all to enjoy.  The yellow flowers of mustard are bright like gold or the sun; they bring us a kind of light and they beautify fields as they spread.  The golden color reminds us of associations with heaven; the shade of the sturdy branches offering a home for what is good and true and beautiful:  the words and presence of angels.   There is poetic beauty even in this tiny two-verse parable, in itself expressing the concept of the explosive and surprising growth of the kingdom from such a tiny source as a mustard seed.  For in this one-sentence parable given us by Christ is so much that we can reflect on in terms of illuminating aspects of the kingdom of God.  Most of all, we should consider what the parable tells us about growth within ourselves, what God's kingdom does within us, for us, and to us.  My study Bible gives the interpretation of the soul that can experience expansive growth, virtue, and the reception even of angels -- an expression of beauty surpassing and transcendent beyond ordinary earthly things, transfigured and transfiguring what is around oneself.  In this parable of dynamic growth is contained the reality of creation and God's creativity, so that we can understand how the expression of God's kingdom is an extension of all that has come before, the creativity and work of God expanding in the world.  In this we see both the activity of the disciples (and that ongoing!), as well as the soul's inward growth of virtue and wisdom and grace.  Moreover, when coupled with the parable  that comes before it, we're taught that we might not be aware of all of this happening and how exactly it happens, but nevertheless we awaken to find that it is suddenly so.  We look back to find change in ourselves and we can marvel at the spiritual life that gives us grace that we didn't think we had.  This, too, is an expression and experience of beauty.  Let us turn toward the simple truth of all that Christ gives us, for this is the reality of life, of God's creation and beauty calling us to experience and to participate in it -- and extending within our lives, our souls, our world.  Even in the simple dignity and beauty of creation, Jesus gives us the ways God speaks to us through all things. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given

 

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

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

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade." 

 

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples. 

 

- Mark 4:21–34 

 

Yesterday we read that again Jesus began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught the 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."

 

  Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Continuing from yesterday's reading (above), we see that Jesus has given a parable which is about endurance in our faith, and the fruitfulness thereof (our capacity to "bear fruit" in faithfulness).  So this lamp that must be set on a lampstand, and remain unhidden, is the light of the truth of Christ, how we are illumined, and what we do to produce that fruitfulness He spoke of.  This is connected to our capacity to hear the word -- the seed of the Sower.

 

Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  My study Bible comments that this is a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  It says that we must not only hear, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts -- these will grow in understanding.  My study Bible quotes from St. Mark the Ascetic:  "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."  Note also that Jesus repeated this message many times.  It is found also Matthew 7:2 and Luke 6:38, each time in a different context. 

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

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

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

If we can expand from the final note here in my study Bible, we learn from St. Mark's words that Christ spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  This gives us a very strong idea that our faith is meant to be an expanding, growing, and learning journey.  It is not something which simply grasps us at one point, but rather something that keeps offering us more, and keeps opening us up to more, as we are capable to hear it.  And there we come to Christ's repeated emphasis, in using the words of the Prophet Isaiah, on how we hear ("Take heed what you hear"; see also Isaiah 6:9-10).  These lead to the teaching He uses in a number of different contexts:  "With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."  In Matthew 7:2, Jesus applies these words to how we practice judgment, whether we leave judgment to God.  In Luke 6:38, Jesus is applying these words to the practice of forgiveness, that we are forgiven as we forgive.  Here in today's reading, Jesus applies this same principle to how we hear, how we receive the word of God; that is, the word of the Sower, Jesus.  What this seems to imply is that Christ's teaching can be universally applied on many levels, that this is the way that our Divine/human cooperation works.  It seems to be similar to the understanding of repentance, that although God extends forgiveness to all (for this is how we receive Christ's words from the Cross, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do"; see Luke 23:32-34), we must also repent in order to realize that forgiveness.  It tells us about this Divine/human synergy, what is understand as our need to cooperate with and to live the word of God in the practice of our faithfulness.  God does not want us as pawns, but rather as those to whom God has given free will, in a freely loving and obedient relationship, within which we are disciples (or "learners") who grow in likeness to the image our Creator has given us (Genesis 1:26).  When we are offered a choice in life -- of whether we forgive, or practice mercy or a kindness, or obey in prayerful participation with God -- we should always keep this cooperative, seemingly reciprocal principle in mind, which Christ asserts to us so often.  It is an important reminder that God asks us for our participation, for this is what love is made of.

 

 

 

The servants said to him, "Do you want us then to go and gather them up?" But he said, "No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them"

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:24-30 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus explained the parable of the Sower (see earlier readings from Tuesday and Wednesday):   "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."

 

  Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"  My study Bible comments that this parable builds on the previous parable of the sower.  Here, it says, Christ gives attention to the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.   As falsehood came after truth and false prophets came after the true prophets, so also the Antichrist will come after Christ.  The weeds first appear similar to wheat in this parable -- and so the devil crafts lies to resemble the truth.   That the devil sows while men slept indicates that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic, my study Bible adds.  This parable also explains why the Church neither condemns nominal members, nor judges those outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  As wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, there are those who might ultimately find salvation but would be otherwise lost if condemned before the judgment of Christ. 

 

 Today's parable given by Christ seems to round out some of the recent teachings we've read in the Gospel of Matthew lately.  There has been a lot of emphasis by Christ on where our hearts are, on the importance of loving God past the minimum, so to speak, and past the kind of legalism of the Pharisees that couldn't see the spirit of the law for the letter.  Most recently, we've been introduced to parables through the parable of the Sower, speaking about Christ's word that He sows among us and what we do with it, what kind of ground it falls upon in us, how it's nurtured, or not.  We've focused on faith and our endurance in faith.  But here there's another fullness offered that takes us into a new dimension about faith, and that is how important it is that it not be "rooted out" by putting too fine a point on perfection.  Every care must be taken so that those who do have faith are nurtured as much as possible, even to the point of tolerating the seeds of the enemy if that is necessary in order to prove the faithful.  It's a reminder of the story in Genesis about Abraham's dialogue with God in Genesis 18:16-33.  This is the story in which God reveals a plan to bring justice to Sodom and Gomorrah.  But Abraham starts questioning God first:  "Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it?"  When God indicates that would work to spare the city, Abraham begins to bargain:  "Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?"  When the answer comes that God would spare the city, Abraham bargains God all the way down to but ten righteous people, and for those ten God would also spare the city.  So in this story about refraining from uprooting the unrighteous for the sake of the faithful, we also get a similar answer that teaches us about the preciousness of faith -- or perhaps we should say, the preciousness of faithful people.  Clearly, to God, these precious faithful are worthy of sparing all for their sake.  When we get impatient with the world for the things we see that we feel are wrong, we should take heart and ponder this story.  What, really, would our lives be like if we all got instant justice?  Have there been times when you have made a mistake, or lapsed in your faith?   At the present stage of my life, my mistakes are uncountable, and the things I once believed that I now think were wrong are also uncountable and past my memory capacities!  In short, we should be thankful for God patience, and the mercy that gives us more time and a space to reconsider.  Life may seem at times very difficult because of all the wrong things we see in the world, the things that make people's lives difficult and harsh, the wicked and evil things people can do to one another.  But God has a wisdom and a foresight beyond our own, and we should be thankful for that mercy, and the breathing space to grow and come to maturity.  Above all, we should understand this as a way to nurture the faithful, for real justice might also shock us for the things we don't know and are hidden from our understanding.  Let us be grateful for the wisdom of God, and the judgment that comes in the fullness of time, and not before it.

For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light

 

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

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

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

 

- Mark 4:21-34 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus again 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 one 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, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some  a hundred." 

 

 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."   Jesus' analogy about the lamp and its light is also used in the Sermon on the Mount, at Matthew 5:15, but in a different context.  Here these words are part of Christ's call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  My study Bible comments that we must not only hear, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, and they will therefore grow in understanding.  My study Bible quotes St. Mark the Ascetic:  "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."  Again, we find another saying here as part of the Sermon on the Mount ("With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you"), as well as in Luke's Gospel (see Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38), each in a different context.  No doubt, my study Bible remarks, Jesus repeated this particular message many times.  

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

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

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.  Again the Gospel emphasizes that Jesus speaks to the large crowds who now gather to Him in parables.  He wishes to engage those who will truly desire what He offers, past the fascination or draw of the miracles and signs He does.

There is a very interesting writer, lecturer, and artist named Jonathan Pageau, who specializes in symbolism and how it is at work in our lives.  His fascinating website includes many video and other presentations; it's called The Symbolic World.  One can also find many of his video presentations on YouTube, which often feature other well-known figures.  Pageau is one of the many contemporary figures who evoke an understanding of what we might call the things that are hidden in plain sight.  That is, the symbolism inherent in stories, Scripture, and what we observe in the world, and the echoes of meanings behind them.  There are many contemporary artists, thinkers, and those concerned with a renewal of faith who focus on these subjects.  Some call this idea "re-enchantment," indicating that in our contemporary culture, our societies have lost a great deal of our historical understanding of beauty and truth, and the meanings that filled daily life for our ancestors.  The reason I bring up this topic is not simply due to its contemporary appeal for many, but rather to speak further about Jesus' love of teaching in parables, and His obviously powerful use of them.  If we look carefully at Scripture, what we find is not so much teaching material, nor even direct and obvious commandments, but stories.  We are taught through stories.  In fact, some say that we cannot live without stories, and after blogging on Scripture for such a time I would say that I must agree with that.  For the story of Christ's ministry isn't only about "teachable moments," as a particular popular expression puts it.  The story of Christ is meaningful to us simply because it is a story.  When we read the stories of what Jesus did, of how He spoke to people, of how He responded to people, of all the things He did in His ministry, then we grasp on to meanings that affect us and help us.  We learn in a way that one can't get simply from hearing a lecture.  When we have stories to tell one another, stories that are told to ourselves, stories about Christ that we can repeat to ourselves, elements of which we remind ourselves in times when they come back to us to illuminate something going on in our own lives -- in all of these ways, the stories (or perhaps we could say Story of Christ's life) give us echoes and meanings that continue throughout our lives, and new illuminations when we need them when we go through our own story to tell of our lives.  We live by stories, and this has been called "The Greatest Story Ever Told."  So the Son has come into the world in order to give us His story, the story of His life, but more importantly, of His ministry, so that we can tell it to one another and benefit from it immeasurably ourselves.  Reflective of that wisdom that sent Christ into this world is the wisdom of Jesus in giving to us parables, stories that can reach down into us in ways that lectures and teachings and commands cannot.  For these stories, drawn from every day life, illustrate the mysterious ways of the Kingdom in ways that we can grasp, and learn to understand -- and in ways that ask us for growth in continual renewal of how we come to know more deeply the truths of those simple stories.  The poignant aspect of the mustard seed, growing into a sturdy bush with branches that even give shelter to the birds of the air -- angels, perhaps, in disguise -- continues to echo its meaning to us in just these few beautiful but simple words of Christ.  When we run out of witty remarks, or pithy statements, or deep treatises of fact or theories, what we need are stories.  Let us grasp those stories and hold fast to them that they may continue for those who come later.  Let us consider how powerful stories are, and how much we all need them, for they teach us so much -- and no one has told them better than Christ.  We simply need the ears to hear.

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loaves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

 

- John 12:20-26 

 

 Yesterday we read that a great many of the prominent people from Jerusalem knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.   The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:"Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion;  Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt." His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.  The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

 

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  My study Bible says that these Greeks are Gentiles who believed in the God of Abraham, and they have come to participate in the Passover feast.  That they are still called "Greeks" shows that they were not yet full proselytes (converts).  Since Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5, 15:24), the disciples approach Christ before bringing these inquirers to Him.  Glorified, my study Bible says, refers to Christ's death on the Cross.  His obscure response indicates the following:  first, the answer these Greeks seek will not be found in words, but in the Cross; and second, the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles.

 

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loaves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  My study Bible comments that this image of the grain of wheat dying in order to be fruit gives a significance to Christ's death:  His death will give life to the world.  At memorial services in many Orthodox churches, it is customary to serve whole grains of wheat, boiled, sweetened, and spiced, for the departed faithful.  This gives the image of the grain of wheat Christ uses to convey the promise that those who have died in Christ will rise again to life.  This may seem like an unusual response to the information that there were Greeks who wanted to speak with Christ.  But it is a significant new juncture in His ministry:  now the word and knowledge of Christ will go out to the wider, Greek-speaking world, thus producing much grain.  And this will happen through the Cross, and Christ's sacrifice.

 

 Jesus gives us the image of the Cross, a type of exchange, of one life for another, of one way of life for the promise of one of abundance, when He says, that "unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."   He makes this clear to us when He gets deeper into its significance:  "He who loaves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."  In following Christ, we find a different way of life, a different energy, a different outlook than the type of life "the world" promises us.  In Christ we have an exchange, and we also have the action of the heroic, of letting go of one thing for another -- the sacrifice of what is lesser in order to gain something greater, to be a part of a bigger picture which we can't always grasp and the world so often fails to acknowledge.  He vindicates the Cross by saying, "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  This is the promise He made when He taught us to take up our cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27).   We exchange our way of life for His; in following Him, in taking up our own cross, we may be also with Him and honored by the Father.  This is what is understood as a heroic way of life.  It has the underpinnings of sacrifice for something greater, even for a whole community united in Christ, for one contribution contributes to the whole.  It is for this reason that we honor saints and martyrs.  This sense of a heroic life, one couched in the proper understanding of sacrifice, of greater goals and better life, is one that can't be seen from a purely materialistic worldly perspective.  It does not fit a commitment merely to consumption or constant gratification.  It does not appeal to our immediate grasping for what we see in front of us, but instead asks us to go to the heart of faith to find meaning, value, sustenance, and a transfiguration of our lives, suffusing whatever we do with meaning.  A priest whose blog I often read comments today that in the Christian life, nothing is wasted.  This means that even in the worst of time -- and maybe especially then -- we take up our cross and follow Him, and we simply don't know in the very short run, in the immediate awareness, what good will come of that or us, what future outcome that will bring.  But we know for certain that Christ makes something great of our sacrifices done in faith, and there is nothing left out of life in this transfiguring, redemptive power of God which turns the instrument of Roman punishment into the instrument of salvation for all, the symbol of Resurrection.  It is in this sense that we lose our lives in order to save them.  Today, appropriately, marks the Feast of the Cross (also called the Elevation or Exaltation of the Holy Cross) across many denominations.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, we now enter the season of the Cross.   Looking around at our world, it seems that it is an appropriate time to take in what we see around us:  the violence, injustice, corruption, and coercion of every kind, and see it all in the light of the Cross.  We know what injustice, manipulation, violence, envy, and selfish blindness constitutes the motivation to put Jesus to death on the Cross, and yet we are also told nonetheless that His Passion is His glorification, and that He goes willingly -- as it will also become, in God's hands and with God's transforming power, the instrument of our salvation.  And this will mean salvation not just for this world, but for a universe, an entire created order.  We should give pause to consider what must have been devastating for Christ's disciples, His mother, and His friends, and think about what the life of the cross means for each of us.  For we have no idea how God might use anything in our lives, every sad or painful act, every hard truth.  And this is the real message of the Cross:  the Cross is something we could call the tree of prayer.  It saves and redeems if it is beheld with the eyes of faith in Christ, who will be lifted up just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness so that those who beheld with the eyes of faith would be saved (Numbers 21:5-9, John 3:14-16).   Let us begin this season by seeking that glorification, the vision of the Cross in faith -- the Cross as tree whose leaves can grow for us with our prayer and transfigure all of our own painful experiences.  

 

 

 

 

Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given

 

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

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

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."  

And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it.  But without a parable He did not speak to them.  And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

 

- Mark 4:21–34 

 

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

 Also He said to them, "Is a lamp brought to be put under a basket or under a bed?  Is it not to be set on a lampstand?  For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."  Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear.  With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."   This saying about the lamp and lampstand is found elsewhere in the Gospels in different contexts:  in the Sermon on the Mount following the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:14-16), and in Luke again after the same parable (Luke 8:16-18) and also in speaking of faith as the eye which illumines the whole of the body, the mind (Luke 11:33-36).  Clearly it is a metaphor used often by Jesus.  Here it is a reference to how we perceive, how we hear.  My study bible calls Jesus' warnings about how we hear a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  It says that we must not only hear, but hear properly.  More will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, it says, and they will grow in understanding.   There is a quotation of St. Mark the Ascetic:  "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you."  As St. Mark the Ascetic understands, this is a call to a future of discerning "hearing" and Christ is the door by which we enter for more, or refuse and lose what we have (John 10:7-9).

And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.  For the earth yields crops by itself:  first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.  But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."  This parable occurs only in the Gospel of Mark.  In keeping with the forward projection in the promise of the earlier verse, the kingdom here refers to the entire span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation, my study bible explains.   The man is Christ, and the seed, as in the parable of the Sower in yesterday's reading (see above) is the gospel.  His sleep, my study bible says, indicates Christ's death, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows shows that Christ doesn't manipulate the response of human beings to the gospel.  Each person is free to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest is the Second Coming, when all will be judged on their reception of the gospel.   If we look at the parable, it also indicates a growth of the seed, and the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit deep in us which accompanies our acceptance of the gospel.

Then He said, "To what shall we liken the kingdom of God?  Or with what parable shall we picture it?  It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade."   Here is another parable describing the mysterious growth of the seed once it has been sown on the ground of our hearts.  The tremendous growth which is possible we understand to be the work of the Spirit.  This is true on many levels and in many circumstances/settings.  Theophylact comments that the disciples began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  The mustard seed can also stand for the faith that enters a person's soul, and causes an inward growth of virtue.  The birds of the air may nest under the shade of those large branches, an allegory for the soul which becomes "godlike" and can receive even angels.

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

 What does it mean to grow?  These parables, so central to our understanding of Christ's teaching that is given to us, reflect the deepest aspects of promise, of hope, of expectation.  And, possibly ironically or even seemingly strange, they are the promise and hope and expectation of Christ Himself regarding the seeds He plants on earth, among us.  Of course, the promise and hope and expectation are also dear to us and meaningful for us.  But that all depends, really, on whether or not we recognize what great things the Lord has done for us (as did the demoniac who was named Legion; see Mark 5:19).  Growth, in Jesus' terms, indicates spiritual growth.  In the letters of St. Paul, we are given an explicit naming of the fruits of the Spirit, the very literal image of what it is to bear good fruits:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).  It may seem odd to us, in our present state of so much emphasis on activism and even image in that context, that St. Paul and Jesus of the Gospels place such focus on the soul.  That is, on cultivating the virtues of the soul and personal character.  To be godlike (or should we say, "like God") is not to be all-powerful, almighty, dictating policies to others who should follow, to rule over others in a position of authority, or even to follow and implement rules for conduct that require an outward signal to be regulated and communicated in society.  No, the revolutionary nature of Christ and His revelation of grace takes us entirely to another place:  to our own reception of the seed that grows in us via grace and produces the fruits of the Spirit, expanding our soul and how we interact with others in the world.  Do we show compassion?  Can we get beyond appearances?  Are we capable of forbearance, long-suffering, patience -- or do we need to go out and fix what's wrong with everybody else today, or even better yet, tomorrow and yesterday?  Are we going to decide that fixing the plank in our own eye today is the only way we can even be capable of discerning with any authority just what the speck is in the eye of another? (Matthew 7:3-5).  Unfortunately in an increasingly appearance-related world, we seem to be traveling further and further away from this understanding of the benefit of humility as a virtue.  If our true virtue is simply a kind of activism or even an appearance of belief in what others approve of, then we are far away from a culture which can accept the virtues based on humility that St. Paul names, which very seldom result in public applause.  These are inward virtues, in the same way that Christ's compassion is expressed in the Gospels as a truly inward virtue.  The Greek word telling us that Jesus "had compassion" on someone or was "moved with compassion" literally is rooted in the word for "spleen," or we might say, in modern American parlance, His "guts."  It is truly an inward dynamic, a virtue of character and the soul.  We are socially long on do's and don'ts in our highly social media-saturated world, and far away from kindness and compassion.  Bullying is okay for what is perceived as unpopular or outside of a code of conduct.  Stereotyping has become good under some guises and circumstances.  Hatred of all "X" (whatever one wants to label "X" as a universally condemned element) is acceptable.  Without the truth of the emphasis on personal internal character, we may see a world that is increasingly resembling societies of the past in which a public ducking stool or stocks might be appropriate, and even good.  Let us consider our own need for our faith and its internal emphasis on personal character and our relationship to Christ that makes it possible for us to measure ourselves by something other than our own good feelings about who we are.  Without that true measuring stick, we enter into a recipe for hate.  Let us consider the internal practices of prayer, our openness to the places these seeds wish to root in us, and especially to the fruits they draw out of us, the path Christ sets from there.  It is all about our "yes" to something that makes us grow, takes us far beyond our comfort zone, and the ego that tells us that to please the world is to be "good."  Let us take heed what we hear, for with the same measure we use, it will be measured to us.  As Jesus says in yet another context in conjunction with this phrase, the same applies to how we judge (Luke 6:37-38).  Let us listen generously to what He says.

 

Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain

 Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified.  Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."

- John 12:20-26

Yesterday we read that a great many of the Jews knew that Jesus was at the home of Lazarus in Bethany; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.  But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out:  "Hosanna!  'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'  The King of Israel!"  Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written:  "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt." His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him.  Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness.  For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.    The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, "You see that you are accomplishing nothing.  Look, the world has gone after Him!"

Now there were certain Greeks among those who came up to worship at the feast.  Then they came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."  Philip came and told Andrew, and in turn Andrew and Philip told Jesus.   But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified."  These Greeks are Gentiles from abroad, Greek-speakers (for Greek was the "international language" of this time), who believe in the God of Abraham.  They have come to participate in the Passover feast.  My study bible says that as they are still called Greeks it shows that they were not yet full proselytes, or converts.  Jesus had taught His disciples not to go to the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5; 15:24), and so Philip and Andrew approach Him before bringing them to Him.  When Jesus speaks of the hour in which He should be glorified, He's speaking of His death on the Cross.   My study bible says that this obscure response indicates two things:  First, that the answer these Greeks are seeking will not be found in words, but rather on the Cross; and secondly, that the Cross will be the event that opens all manner of grace to the Gentiles.

"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.  If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also.  If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."  My study bible tells us that the image of a grain of wheat dying in order to bear fruit signifies that Christ's death will give life to the world.  In the Armenian Apostolic Church, this passage is read at every memorial service for the departed.  In many Orthodox churches, whole grains of wheat are sweetened and spiced and given out at memorial services, to affirm God's promise that those who died in Christ will rise again to life.

Somehow the Greek speakers, Gentiles coming and wishing to see Jesus, have triggered this important revelation of Christ, that it is His hour to be glorified -- to go to the Cross.  We are reminded of His revelation of Himself to a foreigner, the Samaritan woman, in chapter 4.  Greek is the international language of the world at this time, and the Gospels will be written in Greek as their original language, so that all the world will be able to know about Jesus.  It is the language of commerce in the wider world, and also in Bethsaida of Galilee, where Philip is from, as text mentions.  There is a poetic kind of paradox here that exemplifies so much about Christ's ministry and teachings, in that this is the language of the outsider.  For the Jews, it means the language of those at the edges, the margins, the foreigners, the pagans, and the frowned-upon minorities who are seen as inferior.  But this Gospel that will go to the whole world will gather many followers.  It "will produce much grain," as Jesus puts it.  And so, in the effects of this ministry, the outsiders become the insiders, the marginalized will be the many, while the insiders who don't believe will eventually be scattered.  This is something that reflects a spiritual pattern we can read of God's action throughout the Bible.  We can see this reflected, even culminated, in the song of Mary, from Luke chapter 1 (Luke 1:46-55).  Mary's song is also reflective of themes found earlier in the songs of women and in the Psalms.  Mary sings of herself as one in a lowly state, who will be called blessed henceforth by all generations.  God her Savior is One who has "scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts," "put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly."  It is Christ who, throughout His ministry, has ministered to the marginalized, the destitute, those who are blighted in some way such as paralysis or blindness or leprosy -- all individuals in some way on the periphery and frequently separated from community.  Now in today's reading He speaks of His death as planting a seed of grain, which can only give much more grain if it falls to the ground and dies.  And so it will spread to all the Greek-speaking world, the world that had been conquered by Alexander, which at that time meant the world spanning from the shores of the Mediterranean to India, across the Middle East.  Furthermore, trade and commerce assured that the Greek language was spoken across the known world at the time.  In the form of the Septuagint (the 3rd-2nd century BC Greek translation of the Old Testament, the version quoted by Christ in the Greek New Testament), the entire Hebrew bible will therefore also be spread to the known world.  In all of these ways, we can consider the Greeks who come to find Christ at the Passover a sign that the hour of His glorification is near, and His prophecy of the grain of wheat will be fulfilled.  Jesus' ministry is one of taking up outsiders so that they are included in community.  The disciples themselves do not come from illustrious or noble backgrounds.  Most are uneducated.  But with the coming of the Holy Spirit, they will be shown to be "wisest of all" as eventually the Hellenistic world will come to see them.  What we should consider is this action of God in the world, the One who lifts up the lowly and casts down the proud.   The Cross, instrument of dread and fear and crushing symbol of absolute worldly power, will become the greatest symbol of transformation and rebirth, salvation and liberation for all.  We are always reminded of the surprising power of Christ, and the resurrection power in the image of the grain that dies in order to give birth to many.   It is He who creates community.  Let us consider this action in our own lives, then, when we find ourselves in need of community, or even of a reminder to our need for humility.  What does His resurrectional power mean to you?  What needs to be fallen to the ground in preparation for that harvest in your life? 

First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn

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

- Matthew 13:24-30

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught His disciples about the Parable of the Sower, after explaining to them why He was speaking in parables to the crowds.  Jesus said, "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."

Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn." ' "  Here Jesus builds on the previous parable of the Sower.  The good seeds are sown, but "while men slept," the enemy comes and sows seeds of his own.  Tares are weeds that closely resemble wheat; it takes effort and knowledge to tell the difference between them.  My study bible likens this to falsehood that comes after truth, and false prophets that come after true ones:  even so, the Antichrist will come after Christ.  The devil, it says, fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  We must take note that this happens while men are sleeping:  heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  My study bible tells us that this parable also explains why the Church does not condemn nominal members, nor judges those outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  It says, "Just as wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, many people who might ultimately find salvation would otherwise be lost if condemned before Christ's judgment."

There are times when everyone wonders why God allows evil people to do evil things.  Considering all the splits in the Church (if we consider Christ's Church a universal whole), we may wonder why there isn't some great revelation from above or why Judgment doesn't happen sooner to clear it all up!  How many people would wish for Christ's return into the world to deal with the messy problems of filtering out heresy from truth, true teachings from false, and to put an end to our questions?  Jesus answers an important anxiety here by telling this parable, about allowing the tares to grow side by side with the wheat.  Nothing happens until the final harvest, which is the Judgment.  Until that time, we "grow side by side," so to speak, with things that may be evil, that mislead, that aren't really good for the world.  And this is the state of things right now in the time we're in.  We await the harvest when everything will be "sorted."  It's important that we remember Christ has given us this parable.  I hear all too often questions about why God would allow one thing and another to happen, but here, right from the beginning and during Jesus' ministry, we are given a parable that explains and gives to us this picture of the authentic and true growing side by side with the false.  As such, it seems to me, our focus must be on our own growth, taking care to nurture those who also seek what is true.  The Judgment isn't up to us.   But we are given this parable in order to be aware, and in order to know the importance of discernment.  Not practicing judgment doesn't mean we don't evaluate the true from the false teachings.  It doesn't mean we're not on the watch for "false prophets" whom Jesus has likened to wolves in sheep's clothing.  Here in the parable, Jesus teaches that the enemy sowed the bad seed "while men slept."  And in His preaching, as in the Sermon on the Mount, He's taught us to be alert, awake, always watchful.  He taught, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:15-20).  We are encouraged to discernment, to watch the "fruits" so that we can understand the false from the true.  In these metaphors of growth in examples from nature -- plants and trees -- we're given a strong reason for patience, forbearance, and awareness.  The false and the true will grow side by side, and it's up to us to learn to tell the difference even as we are in the current time, the current circumstance.  Sophistry will give us many examples of words that sound good, but are misleading or falsely reasoned.  Whatever complaints we may have about the world in the times we live in, or even the difficulty of our faith, one thing we know is true:  this is the picture Christ has given us of His will for this time, and as such, it's up to us to do the discerning in our own lives and in our own choices.  We focus on the good growth, the true word, and we do our best to help nurture and grow others.  We work at discerning the true from the false.  We stay alert.  Christ tells us that the "bad" are not uprooted before their time is so that the good grain also takes hold and grows to harvest.  Jesus' teaching here fits with the instructions He's given His disciples to be "wise as serpents and gentle as doves."  So it is in our world, in this time as we await His Return, His harvest.