Therefore hear the parable of the sower

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:18–23 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the parable of the Sower:   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; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receive it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."   Here Christ explains to the disciples the parable of the Sower.  It is a story about how we receive the word of the kingdom.  A lack of comprehension makes us vulnerable to the wicked one, so that we lose the value of the teachings.  This is an indication of what we observed from Christ's teachings in yesterday's reading, a need to make an effort to grasp the teachings.  Then Christ moves on to the next stage in the possible progress of discipleship:  one who immediately receive the word with joy, but endures only for a while -- when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, he stumbles and falls away.  This teaches us about the depth of the heart that needs to be involved in receiving the word.  Joy is a beautiful thing, but love is a deeper communion that calls us to a more rooted place within ourselves.  The one who received seed among the thorns is illustrative of how we can be distracted: by the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches.   We should recall here Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, in which He taught against worry and anxiety (see this reading).  His example in this parable strikes us as warning against how our lives and life purpose can be carried away by such distractions, we are "choked" by these thorns of preoccupation and cares through an unbalanced focus on outward worldly concerns which leaves no room for the life which Christ offers.  In our present world of great distractions and preoccupations, an intensely materialist popular focus, and endless demands magnified by media of all types, this becomes an extensive concern, and one we must take quite seriously.  As popular forms of media give such a great focus to our own image in the eyes of others, such concerns become ever more magnified.  See St. John's Gospel passage regarding those religious leaders who valued the "praise of men" above the praise of God.  Although they believed in Christ, their fear of ostracism ruled their choices (see John 12:42-43).  In a modern context, we might consider how this is related to fear of "being cancelled."  Note that for Christ the problem is ultimately whether or not we live this life He teaches, and bear spiritual fruit.  Those who are choked by the thorns He describes as becoming unfruitful.  Finally, Jesus teaches, "But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."   Note the process here:  we are called to truly hear and to understand -- and in the living of what we hear and understand we bear spiritual fruit.  This is the description of a lifelong process.  That is, not a one time-assent or belief, but of fully living out His word and teachings, seeking to grasp them and understand them, and then living them throughout our lives, with a clear promise of potential for spiritual fruits He as one would describe the multiplied produce of an agricultural crop at harvest:  a hundredfold, or sixty, or thirty.  Jesus does not ask us to compete with one another for that final count, but He does ask us to make the effort, to be a good disciple, as best we are able.  

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow"

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:1-9 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus said to the Pharisees and scribes who had accused Him of casting out demons by the power of demons:  "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.  Then he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.  So shall it also be with this wicked generation."  While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him.  Then one said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You."  But He answered and said to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother and who are My brothers?"  And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."   

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.  And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.  Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying:  "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  My study Bible comments on today's reading 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).  This is because such activity was part of daily life for the people.  Here, Jesus reveals Himself as the promised Messiah.  He is the sower in the earth, who had been foretold in Isaiah 55:10-13.

In today's reading, Jesus introduces parables into His ministry.  He begins with this key parable to all the rest of them, the parable of the Sower.  Above, we note that my study Bible explains the Sower is Christ Himself.  He sows His word.  In our following readings, Jesus Himself will be explaining the parable to His disciples.  But let's consider the setting.  As He goes and preaches by the sea, we're told, great multitudes were gathered together to Him.  So much so, that He got into a boat and sat to speak to them.  His position of sitting while the crowds listen standing on the shore is significant, for this is a position of a teacher.  But the great question is, why in parables?  And why now?  Certainly yesterday's reading holds one clue for us.  He spoke to the Pharisees and the scribes about an unclean spirit cast out of a person, an unclean spirit who can't find rest in the "dry places" he goes to afterward.  So he returns to the person who's like a house empty, swept, and put in order -- but takes seven spirits more wicked than himself.  If we understand Christ's teaching, He's telling the Pharisees (and us) that it's of no use merely to meet the basic standards of "clean" life, if we are not actively pursuing a deeper faith with God.  We want an indwelling of the Holy Spirit, an active and deepening journey of faith in which we pursue God for such depth and closeness.  We want to draw near to God with our hearts, not just our lips, so to speak.  So today, as these great multitudes now come to Him, Jesus effectively challenges the crowds.  They're going to have to make an effort to discern what He's talking about.  He's not going to simply feed people with mysteries and meanings and revelations if they're not committed to such a gift in the first place.  They have to have ears to hear.  That is, God wants us to have spiritual ears to hear with, to deeply desire what is offered so that we cultivate this kind of perception, as best we can.  My study Bible describes parables as stories in word-pictures, which reveal spiritual truth.  They give us seemingly simple pictures of daily life, but represent and communicate the deep things of God.  It notes, "Parables give us glimpses of Him whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9)."  The images in parables give us stories, as Christ understood human beings to need stories.  They reveal truth through a responsive heart that will ponder past the "entrance" and into the reality of God's Kingdom.  They are things that we can chew on, think about through the periods of our lives, and experience as revelatory from a number of angles as we do.  So let us be drawn in.  Everybody loves a story, and these stories come from Christ so that we might be drawn in to listen to Him, and reap a harvest of the Kingdom.  

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

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

- Matthew 13:18-23

Yesterday we read that Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes that see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

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

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