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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand

 

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

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 . . . "

 

- Matthew 13:1-16 

 

We have been recently reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 -7).  On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught:  "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the  way that leads into destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, there are few who find it.  Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.  You will know 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.  Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven."   

 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Today the lectionary skips forward in Matthew's Gospel, from chapter 7 to chapter 13, in which Jesus will begin teaching in parables.  We note that by now there are great multitudes who are coming to see Him; this has a great deal to do with why He begins to speak in parables.  

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!"   This is Jesus' first parable that works as a kind of foundation for the rest of them.  My study Bible explains that in the Old Testament, metaphors of sowing and harvesting are common (Psalm 126:5, Jeremiah 31:27-30; Hosea 2:21-23; Joel 3:12-14), as this was a part of daily life.  In this parable, Jesus reveals Himself as the promised Messiah, the sower in the earth, who had been prophesied in Isaiah 55:10-13.

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."  Here Jesus begins to reveal to the disciples the purpose of speaking in parables.  My study Bible explains that the mysteries of the kingdom are not merely obscure concepts or some religious truths which are only for the elite, nor is the understanding of the parables just an intellectual process.  Even the disciples find this message hard to understand.  While Jesus taught the same message to all, my study Bible says that it is the simple and innocent who are open to its message.  

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, snd 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 . . . "  The quotation is from Isaiah 6:10.  This quotation also appears in John 12:37-41, in the context of those many who gathered to Christ for His signs, but had no faith.  Here, as Jesus speaks to such a great multitude that He must sit in a boat off the shore, His parables are also aimed toward those who will hear and develop faith, out of the multitudes who will not.  My study Bible notes that according to St. John Chrysostom, the prophecy of Isaiah quoted here 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 to Scripture, revealing God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).    What is meant by He has blinded, my study Bible explains, is that God has permitted people's self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  People did not become blind because God spoke through Isaiah; it is Isaiah who gave his prophesy because he foresaw their blindness. 

As we have been reading through the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7; beginning with this reading from May 9), Jesus has been speaking to His disciples.  That is, He has been addressing His sermon to those who would be His followers, speaking of the particular type of blessedness that belongs to this Kingdom, to those who have faith in Him, teaching His gospel message.  He has been teaching us what it means to be a disciple, to engage in discipleship, to follow Him.   But in today's reading, we skip to chapter 13, where the parables begin, and the lectionary will be giving us these parables in preparation for Ascension Day (which, generally speaking, for the West is Thursday this week, and for the Eastern Churches  falls on Thursday next week).  In tomorrow's reading, we'll receive Jesus' explanation of this foundational parable which He gives to His disciples.  But for today, let us consider what He teaches them here, in response to their question about why He has chosen to begin to speak in parables.  For us today, it remains an important concern to understand why it is that membership in our churches seems to fluctuate so.  Popular ideas in the West have long followed a trend toward a belief in a very materialist-oriented perspective on life.  A false understanding of science seems to imply that we must only trust in what has been proven to us scientifically, but nevertheless there are those who seem to adopt this attitude.  (All science is based on hypothesis; if scientists only accepted that existence was limited to what had already been proven, there would be no science at all; nor would there be constant new discoveries which, in fact, render mistaken what had been previously understood to have been proven.)   In some sense, this "misdirection" of perception, or failure to grasp the mysteries of which Christ speaks, remains entirely pertinent to what we're being taught in the quotation of the prophesy of Isaiah.  Jesus gives us a hint about the failure to hear and see the things He is offering, the lack of perception of the value in the things He teaches.  Although Israel, and particularly its leadership contemporaneous with Christ, is steeped in preparation for the Messiah, in scholarship on the Old Testament, together with tremendous resources from the Second Temple period which was rich in possibility to accept Christ as divine, there are those who cannot nor will not see and hear what He is offering, with faith.  Jesus has spoken of the hypocrisy which keeps us from faith during His teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, for which He will repeatedly indict the religious leadership.  There is the aspect of life lived purely for show, for the praise of other people, which He repeatedly mentions in this context -- and we can surely see at least some of this pattern reflected in a world which now bases so much of its common social exchange on consumed image through social media, or identity which seems to rest solely on how it is reflected back to us through the eyes of others.  It seems common today that there are so many who do not see and do not hear these realities of which Christ speaks, the blessedness of God and mysteries of God's kingdom.  Faith asks us for a perception that comes from a deeper place within ourselves, something subtle, but also essential to identity which is hidden from those without this capacity for perception.  From this perspective, it seems there is something missing from the development which enables us to participate in mystery and to receive what mystery offers us as part of identity and personal growth.  Just as Jesus taught us to rebuke hypocrisy by praying in secret to our Father who is in the secret place and who sees in secret (and to do likewise with practices of almsgiving and fasting), so we must come to understand that a life lived entirely with a consumerist orientation is going to miss out on what is to be grasped from within, in a secret place, even with no one else watching or seeing.  There are things which cannot be apprehended simply by consuming or absorbing what is outside of us or around ourselves.  This is what the parables point to:  images hidden within the story, which feed us something more than the easy fare of spectacle.  That is, things which engage us in a deeper way than the narcissistic drive for competing image or comparing ourselves to others, something other than the tremendous focus only on what appears to us in a material way.  There is a deeper place where life is for us, where we understand that who we are comes in relationship to God and to the righteous way of life to which God calls us in our relations to others, regardless of social demands.  If we think about it, this is part of the reason why the poor (or the poor in spirit) are always dear to God, for their perception is not based solely on what they possess materially.  We start there, in this parable of the Sower, to build an awareness of what this means and what it offers, who the Sower is, and how important it is that we find this way to perceive what is of true value and gives value to all else.  As Jesus teaches, there is a law to this type of awareness, and the kind of abundance He offers:  "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."   In Jesus' final statement in today's reading, it is as if we are given another Beatitude from the Sermon on the Mount, and another lesson about what it means to live a blessed life:  "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear . . ."

Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand

Prophet Isaiah.  Copy of 14th cent. icon, Monastery of Dionysiou,  Mt Athos.  The scroll he is holding is open to Isaiah 6:1

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

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'

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

- Matthew 13:10-17

Yesterday we read that on the same day that Jesus rebuked the Pharisees (after He was accused of casting out demons by the power of demons - see readings beginning on Friday), He 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."  My study bible explains that the mysteries of the kingdom are not merely obscure concepts or some religious truths that exist only for the elite.  Neither is the understanding of these parable a purely intellectual process.  As we can read, even the disciples find the message obscure and hard to understand.  Jesus taught the same message to all, my study bible says, but it is the simple and innocent who are open to its message.  Here, Jesus clearly indicates a kind of process ongoing, where those who are open to receive the treasures in His word are on a kind of journey where they will receive more.  But those whose hearts and minds are not open to the spiritual message of the Kingdom will be depleted of such treasure.

"And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'"   Jesus quotes from the prophecy of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:9-10).  My study bible cites the commentary of St. John Chrysostom, who reflects that Isaiah's prophecy doesn't mean that God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise be faithful.  This is a familiar type of speech in Scripture which reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).  As the heart is far from God, God permits a self-chosen deafness and blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).

"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."  Once again, Jesus emphasizes the blessedness of those for whom the realities of the spiritual life He offers are present and perceived.  He contrasts those disciples drawn to what He offers with the many prophets and righteous men who desired the same -- and neither saw nor heard what they do.

Throughout Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has couched His ministry in terms of healing.  His mighty "great works" done in various cities have been, for the most part, works of healing.  That would include physical healing as well as exorcisms, the casting out of demons causing affliction of various sorts.  He explicitly called Himself a Physician when referring to the spiritual ailments of sin, when He was criticized by the Pharisees for associating with tax collectors, notorious and scandalous for the Jews.  At that time Jesus said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance" (Matthew 9:12-13; see this reading).   Jesus quoted from Hosea 6:6, also a passage related to the themes in today's readings, as the full passage reads: "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."  In today's reading from Matthew, Jesus connects this mysterious knowledge of God with healing, through the words of the Prophet Isaiah.   Jesus explains to His disciples His reason for speaking in parables, through the prophecy of Isaiah.  As the hearts of many are far away from God, so they will be left to their spiritual blindness and deafness, and therefore they will not be healed.  What He offers -- these mysteries and blessings of which Jesus speaks in today's reading -- is a healing balm of grace for all.  Spiritual suffering, this deafness and blindness, is something very real, something acute.  It is a spiritual ailment and depletion of what the soul needs.  Jesus speaks the words of the prophecy of Isaiah, which only serve to emphasize and frame His ministry within this paradigm or image of healing, with Christ as Physician.  Hosea's "knowledge of God" becomes Christ's words to His disciples regarding the mysteries and blessings of the kingdom of heaven, which are also couched in the Beatitudes of Matthew's Sermon on the Mount.  These mysteries and blessings are the very things for an ailing humanity.  They are the medicine that we need, and the Church herself must serve as hospital.  But there is a very important lesson here that must not be lost on any of us.  Those who truly don't desire this healing, whose spiritual eyes and ears are closed off through a "hardness of heart" which does not want to hear and see, are left to such a choice.   Christ speaks in parables in a sense similar to the understanding that God "makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (5:45).  While the explanation in private to His disciples is for those who have a true desire to understand, the parables nevertheless are given to all, so that this ministry is open to anyone who truly desires what God -- through Christ the Son Incarnate -- has to offer to a world deeply in need of healing on all levels.  So how about your spiritual eyes and ears?   What healing do you need today?  Is there a mystery, a blessing of God that you need to heal you spiritually, that your soul needs to know?  Seek it in prayer, read the Scripture, find those who offer sustenance and who also seek what you know is treasure.  Let us be truly grateful, even if the whole world does not care for what there is on offer.  The one who needs healing remains blessed simply to be aware of their true need.

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

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 once 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."   My study bible calls these remarks by Christ a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  It notes that we must not only hear, but also hear properly.  Additionally, it says, more will be given to those who respond with open hearts; they will grow in understanding.  Quoting from Mark the Ascetic, we're told, "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 parable is found only in Mark's Gospel.  My study bible explains that the kingdom refers here to the entire span of God's dispensation or plan of salvation.  The man is Christ, and the seed  he scatters is the gospel.  In this interpretation, my study bible adds that the man's sleep indicate's Christ's death, from which He will rise.  Furthermore, that the man does not know how the seed grows indicates that Christ doesn't manipulate our response to the gospel.  Rather each person is free to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  A harvest is a frequent allusion to the Second Coming, when each will be judged on one's own 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 the commentary of Theophylact here, who says that the mustard seed  represents the disciples.  They began as a small number, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  Also, the image of growth stands for faith which enters a person's soul and causes an inward growth of virtue:  this soul can become godlike, and 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 points out that to unbelievers, the parables remain inscrutable.  But to those with simple faith, these stories which employ the use of common images reveal truth in ways they can perceive, as they are able.  We note also that in private, Jesus explained all things to His disciples.  We may consider this action in light of our own prayer lives, our private time alone with God who is in the secret place (Matthew 6:6), and the work of the Holy Spirit to enlighten our understanding through grace.

Why parables?  Again, as in yesterday's reading, we note that they are designed not to enlighten everyone, but rather to draw in those who truly want this light and truth that Christ offers to them, to us.  What is clear from Christ's stated intention in using parables to preach (see yesterday's reading, above) is that He doesn't expect that everybody is going to want what He's offering.  Not everybody is going to understand or stay with it.  Indeed, elsewhere He wonders if, at His Return, "when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).  Moreover the parables deliberately have a quality of mystery or hiddenness about them.  Their truths are couched in images one has to hear or perceive in a certain way in order to be drawn into them and what they offer to us as pictures of the workings of this hidden Kingdom.  Jesus explains those mysteries of the Kingdom to His disciples in private, when they are alone.  In yesterday's reading, He explained to the disciples, "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 . . .."  And this is directly linked to our capacity for spiritual sight and hearing, a heart which is opened to the mysteries of God and desires to participate in them, to be a part of them, to live this kingdom of heaven.   Often we get the impression that somehow the world has to be perfected, that everybody has to be a believer, that the proper environment for our faith is one in which there are no contradictions or dilemmas so that the gospel can fully live.  But this has never been the case, nor was Christ preaching with the expectation that it would be so until His own return, the Second Coming, at which time God's judgment would be rendered in effect -- and not our own efforts at some sort of perfection.  St. Peter writes, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).  Jesus calls the devil the "prince" or "ruler of this world" (John 12:31, 14:30).  In Tuesday's reading, Jesus referred to the devil as the "strong man" who must be bound in order that He might plunder his house, meaning a prince or ruler who holds a kingdom.  If we wait for the world to be perfected in order that our faith might be truly lived, then we've got the short end of the stick.  Christ comes preaching into a world in which He expects hostility to the Kingdom He brings.  He expects hostility to the gospel message.  Certainly, by His statement wondering if, at His return, He would find faith on the earth, He indicates that this assumption was not meant simply for the early Church and its persecutions, or merely for His immediate followers.  The world remains a place of temptations to our faith, a place of hostility to it, even though the nominal challenges may have changed in form.  These days, most of us get our information about the world through social media, where image may be endlessly distorted so that it is impossible to know the full truth of an incident.  We need our faith to discern not only the time and what is going on around us, but in particular to govern over our responses to it.  Christ's gospel, it seems to me, has never been more important than at a time when fury seems to drive response, ratcheted up by deliberately extreme language, and expressions which make the most extreme mountains out of molehills.  Christ taught us to love our enemies:  He did not expect that we would do that in a world of perfectly receptive people.   But our communion made possible through His ministry was meant to teach us -- we who do wish to receive His message and reflect His light into the world -- how we are to love our enemies and live our lives.   Does love simply mean indulgence?  Does it mean saying a person is always right or approving of all they do?  Hardly (just ask the parent of a difficult and trouble-prone child).  Our parable-preaching Minister, the One who brings grace to us all, expects that we won't have an easy time of it -- just re-read the explanation He gives of His first, the parable of the Sower, to understand that (see above).  Rather, the faith He gives us was meant for struggle, in a world not perfectly receptive nor attuned to His teachings.  It is a light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness does not comprehend it (John 1:5).  Let us go forward and be that light as He commands, no matter what the darkness with which we may find ourselves surrounded.  He knows whatever we go through, for "even the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7).   We still are far from a perfectly syncretized world, in which we find no contradiction to our faith -- and so He understood.  Nevertheless, let us live our faith His way, as He did, and those who followed and sought His light.  "For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go

 Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."

- Luke 22:54-69

Yesterday we read that, coming out from the Passover supper, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.  When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation."  And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and he knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."  Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.  Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.  When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.  Then he said to them, "Why do you sleep?  Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."  And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him.  But Jesus said to him, "Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"  When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?"  And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear.  But Jesus answered and said, "Permit even this."  And He touched his ear and healed him.  Then Jesus said to the chief priests, captains of the temple, and the elders who had come to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs?  When I was with you daily in the temple, you did not try to seize Me.  But this is your hour, and the power of darkness."

Having arrested Him, they led Him and brought Him into the high priest's house.  But Peter followed at a distance.  Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.  And a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, "This man was also with Him."  But he denied Him, saying, "Woman, I do not know Him."  My study bible explains the paradox and poetry of the Scriptures, at work even at this low point in the story of Christ and the Church.  A girl being the first to test Peter is an icon of the temptation of Adam by Eve (Genesis 3:6).  My study bible says that this, as symbol of our fallen state, is overcome when it is women who are the first to hear, believe, and proclaim the Resurrection (24:1-10).

And after a little while another saw him and said, "You also are of them."  But Peter said, "Man, I am not!"  Then after about an hour had passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, "Surely this fellow also was with Him, for he is a Galilean."  But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are saying!"  Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed.  And the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."  So Peter went out and wept bitterly.  Peter's fear is so overwhelming that neither Christ's prediction (verse 34) nor the crowing of the rooster signals a call to repentance, but only Christ's gaze causes him to weep bitterly, according to my study bible.  St. Ambrose of Milan is quoted, who writes that nevertheless, "through tears, what cannot be defended can be purged, for tears wash away the offense which is shameful to confess out loud."

Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him.  And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying, "Prophesy!  Who is the one who struck You?"  And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.  We see the contempt with which our Lord was treated.  We should understand His condescension to be one of us, to be with us, so that He may bring us all into His Kingdom.  Even as divine Lord, Christ experiences the demeaning and degrading experiences that we may suffer.  Added to these facts, this is also a picture of blasphemy.  But we should consider that these same men -- and the centurion in charge of them -- may also come to repentance and be included in His flock (Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39, Luke 23:47).

As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, both chief priests and scribes, came together and led Him into their council, saying, "If You are the Christ, tell us."  But He said to them, "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go.  Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."   Particularly during the time that Jesus was teaching daily in the temple (earlier during the Passover festival), Jesus asked many questions of the Jewish leaders which they refused to answer, because doing so would have meant confessing Him as the Christ (20:4-7; Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 3:4).  At this time, it is as if Jesus is declaring judgement; the time for His effort at dialogue with them is over, as they will refuse to respond either way.  Their minds are made up and hearts are hardened against Him.  His final statement is a declaration that He is equal with God.

In today's reading, we're witness to the power of darkness which Jesus spoke about in yesterday's reading (above).   Jesus is mocked and violently abused by the soldiers.  Moreover, when it comes time for Him to be questioned, He straightforwardly acknowledges His inability to get a fair hearing:  "If I tell you, you will by no means believe.  And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go."  In the midst of what He knows to be certain conviction, and to those who will sit in judgment against Him who have already decided their verdict in advance, Jesus tells the truth.  It's like a conviction He teaches to each of us that no matter how hard things look, we need to face facts.  Jesus will not waste His time attempting to coerce these men to change their minds.  But He does present one more extraordinary fact to them:  He declares His divinity and equality to God.  He tells them, "Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God."   Ironically enough, and of course just as Christ knows full well, this is the "evidence" they need to convict Him of blasphemy.  But in this case, Jesus is telling the truth; He is declaring the extraordinary fact they don't want to hear and don't want to know -- but it is nevertheless a statement which they can and will use to convict Him of the crime of blasphemy, for which they will attempt to have Him put to death by the Roman state.  What is important to know here is that Jesus stands in His truth.  While it appears from all human perspective that this is Christ in some sense "giving in" to these people, giving them what they want in order to convict Him, the tables are turned.  It is He who judges, and His word that judges.  When Christ stands in this truth, it is those who censor Him for it who convict themselves.  Let us keep in mind Christ's abandonment even by one of His closest apostles, the one who speaks for the rest of them, Peter.  The human Jesus is entirely alone.  And yet, He testifies to His truth.  He at once accepts the facts of the matter that are stacked all the way against Him, and He still tells His truth.  We know who Christ is, and the power that He wields as judge and arbiter and the one who gives us the word of truth.  But He also stands in for us, when we may find ourselves in such an unjust position.  We may be abandoned and alone, and surrounded only by those vicious enough to convict us for their own personal reasons.  We find ourselves with those who are not willing to give us a fair hearing.  But, with God, and in a prayerful acceptance of the realities with which we are surrounded, even in the worst of circumstances, we stand in our own truth with only One who judges; that is, Christ.   In an existential sense, this is where we are all the time -- and all the rest of the things we may or may not take for granted make no real substantial difference to us when it comes down to who we are face-to-face with Christ.  That is to say, in this place of terrible abandonment, Christ is neither alone nor without His truth.  He has come to this place simply for us, and so that we know when we may stand in this same place He is with us, and that it is His judgment alone that really counts.  When we are tried in the most difficult and desperate of circumstances, we find Him and the Holy Spirit, and with them God the Father; we take up His courage and His truth, we follow His ways, knowing He was there before us and is yet there with us.  Jesus alone tells us His truth.  The real question is how we can stand in that same place and find our truths with Him.  As we go toward the days we celebrate His birth, let us come to terms about just what it is that determines our truths and our worth, and remember that when all might be against us, it is only His judgment that counts.

Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive

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

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'

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

- Matthew 13:10-17

Yesterday we read that on the same day Jesus went out of the house where He was preaching 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 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!"

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."  My study bible says that the mysteries of the kingdom are not merely obscure concepts nor are they religious truths that are only for the elite.  Neither is the understanding of the parables simply an intellectual process.  Even the disciples, it notes, find the message hard to understand -- and this is something of which we should be well aware.  While Jesus teaches the same message to all, my study bible says that it is the "simple and innocent" who are open to its message.

"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 is the logic of the Kingdom.  If we have ears to hear, we will hear in abundance.  If we do not, even what we think we have will be taken away.

"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."   Jesus also references this passage of Isaiah in John's Gospel (John 12:40).  It is related to faith in general and also specifically to Jesus' ministry, as well as this new style of preaching in parables.  According to St. John Chrysostom, Isaiah's prophecy does not mean God causes spiritual blindness in people who would otherwise be faithful.  It is a figure of speech common to Scripture that reveals that God gives people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).  My study bible also says that this indicates that God has permitted their self-chosen blindness (compare Exodus 8:15, 32 with Exodus 10:20, 27).  The people did not become blind because God spoke through Isaiah, but rather Isaiah spoke in prophecy, foreseeing their blindness.  And by contrast, there is a deep reassurance here, a great and tremendous blessing, in that these (His disciples) see what many prophets and righteous men have desired to see and hear, and did not.

In a particular sense, Jesus emphasizes the great mystery of faith.  It is like "the wind" that "blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes" (John 3:8).  But in Jesus' teaching on His use of parables, He makes it clear that there is some sort of counterpart in us that is responsive to this "wind" (Who is the Holy Spirit) or to Christ Himself.  We, too, put up our own internal obstacles, we rest in a condition in which our ears are hard of hearing and our eyes are blind to something.  At this juncture in Jesus' ministry, when He starts to preach in parables, it has become clear that the leadership is not only against Him, but is plotting ways to destroy Him (12:14).  The Pharisees have brought a serious false accusation against Him (that He casts out demons by the power of demons), and they're not going to stop searching for ways to accuse Him.  There are others in many cities who've seen His "mighty works" and yet rejected His ministry (11:20-24).  This is a clear-eyed assessment and adjustment of His ministry to the conditions that He has found, the receptivity (or non-receptivity) of the people to whom He's been sent and has ministered.  This is the reality of the world in which we live, and the nature of faith that we continue to find around us.  Jesus not only accepts the response He's found, but does far more in this acceptance than meets the eye.  He teaches us about God -- that faith is not imposed upon us.  God does not force nor compel anyone to return God's love.  This statement or awareness isn't simply profound in terms of its implications for God's nature, but it also teaches us truths about ourselves:  that we have freedom to choose faith or not, and that we also have the hand of love that is continually extended and awaiting response.  What it also teaches us is our own responsibility in this struggle for faith.  We need to be aware that it is not automatic, and that our relationship with the Creator who loves us can be abused or lost, frayed with rejection, locked up within ourselves where we choose or prefer blindness or hardness of hearing.  It emphasizes the essential importance of simply being aware of our choices, and our need to return to God's love and to rejoice in the blessing we're given.  Jesus' great emphasis to His disciples, practically none of whom are highly learned nor particularly known (at this point) for their piety or holiness, are the ones to whom the transcendent is revealed -- those things that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see and hear, and have not seen nor heard.  This is the tremendous measure of the blessing we're given.  It's important to remember that, as my study bible noted (above), the disciples don't understand the parable nor immediately grasp its meaning.  But they are there with Him.  They respond to His call, and to His ministry.  The relationship is there.  St. Paul writes that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  It is the response in us to something not given by intellectual proof nor coercion nor manipulation.   Faith, in fact, is trust.  It is a trust inspired by Christ, by the presence of the Kingdom and the holy.  It is a particular response to God's love, a way of living in that reciprocal and endlessly reciprocating relationship.  Faith in our lives is this blessing of the substance of things hoped for.  It is the evidence of things not seen.   We may accept or reject it, but without it we lose immeasurable love and hope.

Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive

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

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'

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

- Matthew 13:10-17

Yesterday, we read that on the same day Jesus taught that "whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother," He 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."  Here we are entering into an all-important area of our faith.  What are "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven?"  My study bible tells us that these mysteries are not merely obscure concepts nor are they religious truths that are only for the elite.  Furthermore the understanding of the parables isn't just an intellectual process (and neither is faith).  We note that even the disciples find the message hard to understand!  Rather my study bible reminds us that this message is taught to all the people, and it is the simple and innocent who are open to its message.  "Simple and innocent" implies first of all a heart that loves truth -- simple meaning straightforward, and innocence implying what we truly desire, a real and pure intent.

"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.'"  My study bible tells us of Isaiah's prophecy that it reveals God as giving people up to their own devices (as in Romans 1:24, 26).  God doesn't deliberately "cause" their their ears to be "hard of hearing" or their eyes to be "closed."   But Christ leaves us to our choice, a depth of true desire.  The passage is from Isaiah 6:9-10.  To be truly healed is to be reconciled, "face to face" with God, in right relationship.

"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."  While we know the disciples certainly don't understand everything, Jesus tells them, "Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear."  The important thing is what they are open to, the faith that leads them as followers of Christ.  In Him, the kingdom of heaven is present -- this is what the prophets and righteous men of all the ages have desired to see and to hear; and the disciples are blessed.

Let's think about the use of parables.  It's a way of filtering out those who really want this message that Christ has, this presence of the kingdom that's come near, from those who really aren't interested.  Faith is like a deep chord that sounds somewhere in us we can't really hear, but somehow we respond to it.  It leads us forward, as if there's a depth of being that's central to us that somehow keeps us heading in one direction.  The parables work to tease out that direction, even if we can't completely grasp the fullness of all the meanings contained therein.  And I think that's Christ's purpose in telling them.  We're not alone in this venture; it's not just all about us.  But it is about a place in which we respond to the presence of the Kingdom in our midst.  It's about a part of us that responds to the work of the Spirit in us, and allows the Spirit to work hand in hand at that depth we can't quite consciously grasp.  I once heard a description of how the human voice works:  there are two basic tones made by the larynx (or voice box) in our throat:  everything else, all sound and all capabilities of the human voice such as singing, come from how those chords then vibrate in various places in the body.  In some sense, our response to Christ, our deep inner "yes," might be like those deep basic tones, and all the help that we get in life from both human and divine sources magnifies that in us and helps that "word" radiate and become more a part of us and a part of our lives.  Scripture, for example, helps to magnify our basic "yes" into something that lives in us, and that we live out in our lives.  It is the presence in the world of Christ that builds and grows that distinction -- His parables are a key to understanding it, and His affirmative "yes" to this process of drawing out those who respond from those who do not.  That's why and how faith is not just an intellectual effort, but involves a great deal more of what makes up a human being.  Faith involves also intuition and creativity, an impulse and drive for truth, life in us that can't necessarily be quantified nor predicted.  The purpose of the word -- those seeds cast by Christ who is the Word Himself, and the Sower -- is to allow them to be planted, and take root, and grow.    Let us remember this is a lifelong process, and that spiritual fruits are generated in time.  Let us have ears to hear and to respond.

Why do You speak to them in parables?

 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 whosoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,
And seeing you will see and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed,
Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,
Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,
So that I should heal them.'

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

- Matthew 13:10-17

In yesterday's reading, we read that on the same day He was spoke (in Monday's reading), 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."  My study bible explains that the mysteries of the kingdom are not just esoteric concepts or some body of religious truth that is only for the elite.  Additionally, an understanding of Jesus' parables isn't simply an intellectual exercise, either.  It says, "Even the disciples find His message hard to understand.  Jesus preached and taught the same message to all; but it is the 'babes,' the simple and innocent who are open to the gospel and have faith to receive this mystery, which is the reality of the Kingdom."

"For whosoever 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."  My study bible notes here:  "When one has zeal, he will be given more from God.  But if he does not use what he has, and fails to participate in the life of the Kingdom, God's gifts will be taken away.  This is a hard saying, but true."  I think it points again to our discussion in yesterday's reading, in which Jesus gave us the parable of the Sower.  Jesus wants those who will be pulled in through their own receptivity through what is in their hearts.  The one thing I believe we can liken this to is love, a heart calling to another heart.  This itself is mysterious, and it is connected through the workings of the Father.  This isn't perfect knowledge, it's the calling of love, the drawing in to relationship, communion, participation.

"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.'"  This quotation from Isaiah begs us to understand what it is to be healed.  To be truly healed is to be in right relationship to God, to be aware and alert, awake to the love and presence of God and participating with it.  It's an explanation for why He will not offer proofs on demand.  (See Saturday's reading, in which He was asked for a sign, and Monday's in which He spoke of a healed person who becomes seven times worse.)  He wants volunteers; love is not something one compels.

"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."  The disciples follow Him because they have a sense of Him.  It's not that they understand Him perfectly -- far from it, the Gospels see to it that we understand that.  They don't even fully understand the parable.  (Jesus will explain its meaning in tomorrow's reading.)  What they understand is a kind of love and trust that compels them to follow Christ.  It is He who leads the way, and whatever it is they possess within themselves, it is that which leads them to follow and compels them forward.  Jesus does not come into the world with an army.  He doesn't come with extreme wealth.  He doesn't have glamour.  What He has is His Person, His authority which is an internal authority of identity and not the trappings of the world.  He has His Person.  It is in the truth of that Person that people find something compelling.  It is the spiritual desire in them that truly responds to the call of His voice in the heart.  The Incarnation is present before them, and these "simple" people, these "little ones" who are not in the power elite or the well-to-do or the most educated, for the most part, are those who are called to Him.  They have eyes to see and ears to hear.  There is a spiritual response deep in the mystery of what it means to be a human being, and it is this love and loyalty that compels them forward.  In this ministry, God is revealed as a lover of all, who does not compel (force) us to love Him, but acts with equal opportunity for all of us.  Our spirits cooperate with His Spirit, and Son and Father are also at work within us.   As Jesus indicates, from this seed grows more.

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear

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

In yesterday's reading, we encountered Jesus' use of parables. We began with the parable of the Sower. Jesus taught, "Listen! Behold, sower went out to sow." He taught the crowds by the seashore, so many now that He must sit in a boat to teach. The parable, interestingly, is a kind of parable of parables. Jesus ends His public teaching with, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Privately, He tells His disciples, "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.'" He then explained the parable of the Sower, the seed, and the good ground of the heart. How the seed takes root -- or not -- will determine its yield. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

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." Here is another parable; they are coming all together for us in this Gospel of Mark now. Jesus' style of teaching is for the crowds, large and bustling, which now gather to hear Him. Can they hear what He is teaching? Will they be drawn in to His truth, and want more? Here we have the parable of the lamp and the lampstand. Christ's light will reveal all! But it all depends on the ears with which we hear, the "ground" of the heart (see yesterday's reading and the parable of the Sower). Christ is here to spread His light! Parables do not hide the truth, but disclose it to those who will ask and seek and knock. But here, and repeatedly so in Mark's Gospel, the emphasis is on how we receive. My study bible beautifully points out: "That which is hidden is the Gospel, the presence of the Kingdom of God. The Gospel, at first a mystery explained only to the disciples, will be revealed to all. Everything done in secret will ultimately be revealed." And this Kingdom will be one which each may come to experience, via the light of this Lamp.

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." Another parable, explaining yet another mystery of the Kingdom. Here, He emphasizes the quality of our spiritual hearing. Do we pay attention? Is the good ground of the heart ready to receive? To what measure will it receive? Our own fertility of reception will determine the bounty we reap, that which we are given, for which we are grateful. The gift of Grace will be poured out upon those who may receive it. There is a reciprocal dependency here, a kind of relationship of opening to God, being filled, and wanting more. Inherent in it is the great value of this gift!

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." Here is another parable illustrating the qualities of this Gift. The Kingdom is not something we make or create; it is given to us. It grows within us. But we reap the harvest. My study bible says, "The kingdom of God is like the seed which by the power of God produces a harvest. This is an image of the mysterious working of the Kingdom -- beyond human measures and expectations. This parable appears only in Mark." Just as the farmer has a cooperative relationship with the earth, so God works with us to provide, and asks of us only our cooperation in this Kingdom.

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." Finally, we are given the beautiful parable of the mustard seed. This growth is so marvelous, so mysterious and magnificent, that out of the tiniest of seeds the great and sturdy bush grows. Note the potency of this flavoring, an herb. In some ways it reminds us of the parable that His disciples are the salt of the earth. This potent herb, as the tiniest of seeds, can grow up to become greater than all the herbs -- and abundantly, to flavor all of life. We begin with the tiny seed of faith. There is no telling what it can produce. My study bible says, in another note worth quoting: "Jesus begins with poor fishermen, but in a few years the Christian faith will spread throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. The work of God may involve apparently insignificant people and circumstances, but the possibilities are limitless because of God's power. That being said, Jesus' followers must always be prepared for the 'long haul.' Jewish expectations in Jesus' day were for the Kingdom to appear suddenly and fully. But God's Kingdom takes time to grow and mature through adversity, and when it is fully formed it will be even greater than expected."

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, we are given to understand that parables are for the large crowds that now follow. "He who has ears to hear, let Him hear!" In private, He explains to the disciples.

A parable is, in and of itself, a kind of teaching about the Kingdom. The Kingdom is a mystery, a riddle waiting to be opened, explored, understood. And, like the growth of the mustard seed, that opening and unfolding can grow and grow. When does our understanding cease to grow? When is there nothing more for which to ask and seek and knock? How great, in fact, can this Kingdom grow? The parables today ask us to keep knocking and seeking and growing, to keep a check on our hearts, to make sure we have "fertile ground" -- and especially to continue receiving. God's abundant bounty comes, as Mark's Gospel tells us, "as we are able to hear it." Jesus gauges His audience, and gives in a way so that it is geared to how one is able to receive. In private, we still come to Him to understand -- perhaps, in the secret place. But the great growth of the Kingdom is something that cannot be exaggerated. Jesus' parables teach us that there is always room for growth. This is something mysterious, that can't be calculated in human terms or by human expectations. God's strength is with us in this endeavor; it's not of our own making nor manufacture. But the growth is there, the harvest is there. The light from the Lamp is abundant and cannot be limited, except by our failure to hear and see in spiritual terms, to receive. My study bible quotes St. Mark the Ascetic, from the 6th century: "Do the good you know, and what you do not know will be revealed to you." How do we approach the mustard seed today? What surprises do you find in the crops that grow without your understanding? How does the Lamp give its light today? Let us guard the heart and its good ground, so that we may continually receive the gift of the Kingdom.