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.

 

 

 

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

 

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

"I will open My mouth in parables;

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

 

- Matthew 13:31-35 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Increase our faith

 

Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his  neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those thing which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

- Luke 17:1–10 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus told the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus:  "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'   Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'" 

Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his  neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones."  My study Bible comments that little ones refers primarily to children, and by extension to anyone whose heart is humble and dependent upon God.  Let us be aware that this is a teaching addressed to the disciples once again, and it speaks to the use of power in the Church to come.  In that context, little ones is a term that includes those who are in of lesser stature, including social stature or community standing.  Over the course of the past two chapters,  Jesus has been responding to criticism from the Pharisees and scribes, who complained that He received and ate with tax collectors and sinners.  His parables over the past several readings have alternatively been addressed to the Pharisees and to the disciples.  After teaching the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, directed at the Pharisees (see above), Jesus now turns once again to the disciples.

"Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."   For more on this practice, see also Matthew 18:21-35.  Seven times a day uses the number seven, a symbol of completion or fullness, here indicating an unlimited amount.  This teaching is another indication of the need for humility in leadership, not to abuse power or authority. 

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."   Perhaps the apostles' request to the Lord, "Increase our faith,"  is a direct indication of the difficulty of the teaching on unlimited forgiveness for all of us. 

 

So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  My study Bible comments that the mulberry tree is symbolic of the devil's works.  It's on the leaf of this tree that silkworms feed.  As worms are an image of hell and death (Mark 9:42-48), so its association with the devil.  This patristic interpretation is confirmed, my study Bible adds, by numerous scriptural images of evil being destroyed in the sea (Luke 8:33; Exodus 14:27; Matthew 21:21; Revelation 20:10). 

 

"And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not."   My study Bible suggests that the servant plowing is mentioned first and the one tending sheep second, showing that we must first work our own salvation (Philippians 2:12) before we can become shepherds (as the apostles will be) to others.

 

"So likewise you, when you have done all those thing which you are commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"  This word translated as unprofitable literally means "without merit" or possibly "useless").  But it doesn't indicate something without intrinsic value.  It means that everything we have comes from God and is owed back to God.  Whatever we might offer to God, already belongs to God.  

We might be puzzled by the final verse in today's reading.  But it is more easily understood if we consider that our precious life -- especially the life everlasting offered to us by Christ -- is of so much more substance than we could ever offer in return to God.  In this context, we can also consider the Passion toward which Christ journeys on this road to Jerusalem, and what He will do for us, and how that compares to anything we could do for Him.  God's love and mercy, and the life more abundantly that His own "work" and sacrifice as Suffering Servant will bring to us is incomparable in value to what we as servants could possibly do for the Lord in return.  As we have discussed over the course of the past several readings and commentary, this language once again touches on terms the reflect the concept of "debt," for the Greek word translated as "unprofitable" indicates a lack of capacity to repay.  If indeed we consider that faith as a mustard seed can be so powerful, then truly the faith with which we're blessed is something we don't have the power to repay, for we haven't got the capacity to give a gift on that same order of merit or worth.  So God's love and mercy -- and the commands which lead us into the life of the Kingdom -- are things for which we can't create substance of equal quality or value.  Our sense of what is most precious must be adapted in order to correctly esteem the value of such a life, and so we are prepared to be humble and to forgive, for we receive so much more in return from God.  From where I sit, following the commands of God has only added to my life in this world as well, for to follow His truth is indeed to find freedom in the sense of finding the way to carry one's cross, and to be relieved of false burdens under a much harsher yoke (John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-30).  Let us be like the disciples, and demand of the Lord, "Increase our faith."  For this is the place where we receive far more than we can ever pay in return.  

What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it?

 

 Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches." And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."

And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able.  When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." 

 

- Luke 13:18–30 

 

 Yesterday we read that Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.  But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity."  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.  But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, "There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day."  The Lord then answered him and said, "Hypocrite!  Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound -- think of it -- for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

 

Then He said, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.  And again He said, "To what shall I liken the kingdom of God?  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."   My study Bible comments that the mustard plant grows to a height of about ten feet in Palestine.   It notes that both 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."  These also stand, it says, for faith entering a person's soul, which causes an inward growth of virtue.  This soul can become godlike and receive even angels (the birds of the air).

 

 And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.  Then one said to Him, "Lord, are there few who are saved?"  And He said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able."   My study Bible points out that the description of the two ways was widespread in Judaism (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Psalm 1; Proverbs 4:17-18, 12:28, 15:23; Wisdom of Sirach 15:17) and in early Christian writings such as the Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas.  Here in Luke's version, this sense is more eschatological than in Matthew's Gospel (Matthew 7:13-14), and refers to the end of the age (as is evident from the parable that follows).  My study Bible comments that, because we wrestle against sins and human weaknesses as well as spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12), entering the Kingdom is the more difficult way. 

"When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from,' then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.'  But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.  And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last." My study Bible asserts here that neither verbal confessions (Lord, Lord) nor sacramental experiences (we ate and drank in Your presence and You taught in our streets) avail anything, unless we also do the works of faith (see Luke 6:46-49).  In terms of the last and the first, Theophylact sees the first who becomes last as not only faithless Jews, but also those in the Church who "from infancy have put on Christ and have been taught the Word, but who become last by transgressing against it."   Note that Christ's teaching consistently places more responsibility upon those who already know the gospel, as opposed to those who do not (Luke 12:47-48).

Let us study the language of Christ's parables of the Kingdom, and the great beauty He inspires from so few amazingly well-chosen words.  Jesus teaches, "What is the kingdom of God like?  And to what shall I compare it?  It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches."  This extraordinarily simple parable fills us with images that explode with a vivid illustration of growth.   The tininess of the mustard seed already speaks to us of something extremely small and compact, from which one will observe growth that surprises.  My study Bible speaks of the growth produced from the mustard seed in the region from which Christ came, that they are not just the bushes we might be familiar with, but trees which can grow to ten feet.  But Christ's parable takes us on an added journey, by remarking upon the birds of the air that nested in its branches.  These birds of the air resemble for us angels, which can accompany those who grow in the holiness of the Kingdom and expand the energies of God which work through their lives, the activity of the Holy Spirit in our world.  One can simply think of the kind of growth Christ describes here, and think of the possibilities it arouses in our imagination from the parable.  Through such growth in our world has been produced countless hospitals and charities, over the time of history, universities, and beautiful art and architecture from so many periods, in so many styles, across the world.  One can simply reflect on the aspect of creativity that accompanies such type of growth, and understand that the work of the Kingdom is one that is attributed to the unlimited creative potential in God the Holy Spirit, the Creator of life (Nicene Creed).  The kind of growth described in this image of the mustard seed become a tree which can nurture and house life gives us a sense of broad expansion, and support that offers shelter for those who can nest in it, including the messengers of the air (the angels).  In the parable that follows, we receive a highly significant image of a different kind of growth, one that is equally mysterious (how does the great tree come from the tiny seed?), and also internal, but one of which we take cognizance when we recognize the transformation it produces.  This is the mysterious process of a natural yeast leavening a lump of dough, working its natural enzymes to the point where all of the dough is changed, transformed.  This is also the power of the Holy Spirit, working to transfigure us, from the inside out.  Indeed, if we study the word for leaven in the Greek, ζύμη/zyme, we'll get a closer picture of this kind of action.  Zyme/ζύμη (pronounced "ZEEmee" in modern Greek) is the root of our modern English word enzyme.  Its action speaks to us of a powerful but compact dynamic activity, working in a way through the interior of the smallest components of life, speeding up chemical reactions within the cells that comprise organisms.  In fact, according to one definition, enzymes are catalysts that do so without being consumed or altered by the reaction.  They are a kind of activation energy.  This is the evolution from the root understanding of Christ's words here, the use of language and its evolution from the Master, our Teacher, who is the Word Himself.  While we ponder how the activities of the Kingdom and the action of the Holy Spirit take place both among us and within us, let us marvel at the great gift of language and teaching we're given in the Gospels, from the word of Christ, thankfully with us always. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting

 

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; 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.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

 

 - Matthew 17:14-21 

 

On Saturday we read that, following Peter's confession of faith and Jesus' first warning to the disciples of His Passion to come, after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.  His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles:  one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."  While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!"  And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid.  But Jesus came and touched them and said, "Arise, and do not be afraid."  When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, "Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead."  And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things.  But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.  Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands."  Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist.   

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.  So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."  Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you?  How long shall I bear with you?  Bring him here to Me."  And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"  So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; 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."  My study Bible comments that sickness in Scripture is often connected to demonic activity.  As the father here is kneeling down before Christ, he shows humility.  However, he lacks faith.   Although the disciples also lacked faith, Christ rebukes the man for placing the blame on the disciples when it was his greater lack of faith that prevented the boy's healing.  Effectively, Jesus is defending His disciples in front of the crowds, but later rebukes them privately.  My study Bible says that this teaches us that we ought first to correct people in private (see Matthew 18:15-17).  According to St. John Chrysostom, this latter rebuke is actually directed to the nine disciples who could not cast out the demon, for Jesus and "the pillars" of faith (Peter, James, and John -- see Galatians 2:9) were not included in the rebuke, as they had been on the mountain with Christ. 

"However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."  This kind, my study Bible explains, refers to all powers of darkness, and not just those which cause a particular illness.  It notes that the banishment of demons requires faith, prayer, and fasting, as there is no healing and no victory in spiritual warfare without all three.  Beginning with the Didache, patristic commentary has taught that both the person in need of healing and the person who performs the healing must believe, pray, and fast. 

Today's reading opens us up to ask the question, "What is faith, and how does it work?"  Ultimately when we look at the root of the word in the Gospel for faith, we see it is the word that means essentially "trust" in Greek.  To trust in Christ is a powerful testament to faith, to trust in God involves the heart and the deepest parts of who we are.  Trust is also a powerful component of love.  For, if we have ever had the sad experience of a broken relationship, we might find that a betrayal of trust is perhaps the greatest breaker of such bonds of love.  Forgiveness may come to repair that bond when the process of repentance is accepted by both parties, and so trust can be re-established.  Faith, therefore, in this sense involves both trust and love, and includes the power of loyalty derived from both in terms of our own communion with God.  There are many ways in which trust may be broken, and thus our own sense of ourselves within God's communion or the Body of Christ may also be broken through betrayals made in bad faith.  But our depth of rootedness in our Creator goes beyond such earthly betrayals or seeming letdowns.  Faith in God does not simply depend upon the rest of the community of believers alone, but -- as Jesus indicates here -- our own initiative is indispensable to faith.  If that were not so, why would both prayer and fasting be indicated here as effective methods of increasing faith?  We often think of engaging in these historical practices of the Church in terms of responding to faith that is already present -- that is, we might think of following these practices because we have faith.  But what if we were to take Christ's words here as an effective and powerful prescription for increasing our faith?  Then we would perhaps have the right mindset He seeks, that He is encouraging His disciples to engage in these practices in order to maintain and increase good faith, for effective healing in the Church and all that might entail for us.  In the historical mind of the Church, these practices are kept and held, and while many people might feel they are practices only for the very devout or those dedicated monks and nuns in monasteries, it is here offered to us as ways to increase and develop deeper faith.  Aside from this, these practices encourage our discipline as followers of Christ, and moreover they help us to know that we are far more capable than we know in terms of deepening our communion with God.  For those who consider such disciplines extremely difficult, consider the varying degrees to which we might incorporate them more regularly in our lives and our schedules.  A prayer rule should not exceed our patience or our capacity for managing our time.  Fasting is typically practiced in stages during traditional periods like Lent, and may be lessened or expanded in strictness; that is, moving toward a vegan diet in general, but also can be understood as fasting from certain harmful practices it would be better to curb.  There are those who fast from social media, for example, or we may choose to fast from gossip.  In essence, we may come to see Christ's words as not simply for those like the disciples who have honorary positions in the Church, but for all believers who wish to draw more close to Christ, and to experience the greater benefits of faith in our lives, including a deepening sense of self-discipline under Christ's love.  In this way, we might find, in fact, a stronger and deeper sense of self that is given to us in return, strengthening us in our bond of love to Christ, and in which we in turn may take confidence in our lives.  Let us look ahead to that place of deepening faith by following Christ and putting into practice the things He guides us toward, thereby moving more deeply into the place He has for us in His embrace.

I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:31-35 

 

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

 

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches." Another parable He spoke to them:  "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened."  My study Bible comments that the mustard seed and the leaven represent the disciples who, according to Theophylact, began as just a few men, but "soon encompassed the whole earth."  It notes also that these symbols of the mustard seed and the leaven 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 (birds of the air).

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying:  "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things kept secret from the foundation  of the world."  This quotation by Jesus is from Psalm 78:2, and illustrates once again how He fulfills prophesies about the Messiah.  It also tells us of the hidden truths "revealed" through the parables. 

What are the things kept secret from the foundation of the world?  In Jesus' hands, this quotation from the prophecy in the Psalms indicates the mysteries contained in the parables He teaches.  He is teaching us about the kingdom of heaven, and letting us know, with this language, that the simple stories He tells -- illustrations of the Kingdom -- are giving us great mysteries, truths embedded within them.  This Kingdom is essentially without time and even without space, so its mysteries are thereby eternal -- and kept secret from the foundation of the world, since God's Kingdom pre-existed the foundation of the world.  Let us make note, while we are considering the eternal nature of the Kingdom which He illustrates with His parables, that this also ties Resurrection into the picture.   Moreover, who would know what was kept secret from the foundation of the world except One who was present at the creation of the world?  John's Gospel begins by telling us this story of Christ's divine identity as Son:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-3).  So when we hear these simple and charming stories (and they are captivating in their quiet simplicity, the way a beautiful icon works when we behold it), we should consider that the Master Storyteller, who is giving us these parables to teach about the Kingdom, is also the One who was God and with God before the foundation of the world.  In contemplating this "pre-time" reality, we might consider the things the Bible tells us about Him which also existed before time:  He is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8); the One foreordained from before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20); who has suffered often for us since the foundation of the world (Hebrews 9:26); who chose us in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); and Beloved of God the Father from before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).  The One who has given us these parables has done so through a divine identity and power that not only makes them still speak to us today, but invested these simple illustrations with the power to continually reveal to us truths about our lives in Him and as participants in His Kingdom.  Therefore, when we consider the tiny mustard seed of faith in us, which can have effects to grow great branches which can even give shelter to the birds of the air, let us understand that He's telling us that together with our faith, and our participation in His life and Kingdom, we are capable of producing spiritual beauty and fruit of spectacular heights and reach.  When we think about the leaven that leavens the whole of the grain for bread, let us consider how powerful that means the faith is within us, for its enzymatic action works deeply and thoroughly, and we don't know the depth and extent of our souls, nor how many other souls these factors may touch within the Body of Christ.  It is our eternal Lord who speaks to us in these divine icons of the Kingdom, and in their divine simplicity they reveal so much splendor, given to us in the creation from the foundation of the world, in the love which has been there for us even before the foundation of the world.  This is why we turn to Scripture continually, and to His words, which never stop giving and making new.

 

 

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

 

  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 speaks of believers as "light" in the Sermon on the Mount, and uses these words here regarding the lampstand (see Matthew 5:14-16).  Here in this context He speaks again of the revelation of mysteries, contained in the parables He gives to the people, for those who have ears to 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 says that this is a call to attentive listening and discriminating response.  We must not only hear, but hear properly.  It says that more will be given to those who respond to Christ with open hearts, and 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."   Again, words Jesus uses here are also found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew's Gospel, and also in Luke's Gospel, each in a different context (see Matthew 7:2; Luke 6:38).  No doubt this spiritual truth, applicable to many circumstances, was repeated by Christ 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."  My study Bible tells us that this parable occurs only in the Gospel of St. Mark.  The kingdom, it explains, 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 Christ's explanation of the parable of the Sower in yesterday's reading, above).  The man's sleep, in this understanding, indicates the death of Christ, from which He will rise.  That the man does not know how the seed grows shows that Jesus does not manipulate people's response to the gospel; rather, each is free to receive it and to let it grow in one's own heart.  The harvest indicates the Second Coming, when everyone 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."   In St. Matthew's Gospel, this parable is paired with the parable of the leaven (see Matthew 13:31-33).  Both illustrate the explosive and expansive growth of the Kingdom.  According to Theophylact (noted in my study Bible) this represents the disciples, who began as a few, but "soon encompassed the whole world."  These also stand for faith entering a person's soul, causing an inward growth of virtue.  Thus the soul can become godlike and even receive 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 with simple faith, it notes, these stories using common images reveal truth in ways they can grasp, as they were able.

My study Bible explains that the Hebrew and Aramaic words for parable also mean "allegory," "riddle," or "proverb."   In yesterday's reading, Jesus told 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 . . .."  So, my study Bible comments, this can also be translated as ". . . all things come in riddles."  So, as we read these various parables given to us here, and taught to the crowds by Jesus, let us note first of all that He explains them privately to His disciples later.  That is, for those with what we might call receptive ears, so to speak, Jesus continues to elaborate the meanings of the "riddles" hidden in these parables.  Such it is that we may also assume we will find meanings in the parables, and that, through faith, they may continue to render meanings applicable to our lives even at various times in our lives.  We can see through patristic commentary and even the short notes in my study Bible, various understandings are possible, as the teachings of Jesus apply to so much and so many circumstances -- whether that be the apostles sent out as "seeds" or even the Church itself as a grain of mustard seed that grows with expansive growth.  Even as individuals, we also may experience the same growth that works in us and produces expressions in our lives at various times, even so that we also may harbor angels and their work and guidance to us (as they ministered to Jesus in the wilderness during His time of temptation; see Mark 1:13).  So when we read these parables, let us do so with open hearts and open ears.  We should not be surprised if, through faith, glimmers of meanings come to us as we experience various aspects of our faith throughout our lives.  Jesus promises that "there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light."  St. John's Gospel in particular emphasizes that Christ is light (the Creed says "Light of Light, true God of true God"); see John 1:1-9; 8:12.  So, therefore, what we find in this image of the lamp that cannot be hidden is also the nature of this light:  that it must spread and be shown, similar to the amazing nature of the growth that comes out of the mustard seed, and also the truths of God revealed to those who may receive them.  These are mysteries to us as they remain hidden as we cannot grasp them; but note that Jesus gave the word as they were able to hear it.   This light that cannot be hidden, these things that will be revealed, secret things that should come to light, all express the expansive, generous nature of God, what we might even call an explosive grace that is characterized more than anything else by a love that continually reaches toward us to share in that Kingdom, and desires for us to know as we are known, as St. Paul puts it (1 Corinthians 13:12).  Therefore, to know the parables is to revisit them as they show us new lights about our faith, as we become more "able to hear."  Jesus teaches us, "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."  With faith, we look forward to receive more of God's gracious light; for as we live that faith we're given, and share that light, so we step onto the path of more to be given.