Therefore hear the parable of the sower

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:18-23 

 

As we began chapter 13 of St. Matthew's Gospel, Jesus began a new kind of preaching.  He gave the parable of the Sower to the crowds.  (See Tuesday's reading.)  Yesterday, we read that following His giving of this parable, the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:18–23 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus taught the crowds the parable of the Sower, the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to the, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophesy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their  eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  

 

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

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

 

 

 

 

Therefore hear the parable of the sower

 

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

 

- Matthew 13:18-23 

 

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

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

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

Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father

 

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear!"

 

- Matthew 13:36-43 

 

In chapter 13 of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus has introduced parables in His preaching to the multitudes (beginning with the reading from Tuesday last week).  He taught the parable of the Sower, then gave an explanation for why He speaks in parables to the disciples, as well as an explanation of the parable of the Sower.  Then He taught the parable of the Wheat and the Tares.  On Saturday, Jesus taught the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven, 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 of 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."

 

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears, let him hear!"  In the reading from Friday, we reported my study Bible's lengthy note on this parable.  One thing we can note clearly about this parable is the way Jesus refers to seeds as that which produce the ultimate fruits that identify what kind of plant grows.  That is, since He explains this as a parable about human beings, we understand sons here to refer to the children, or fruits, that spring from the seed.  What that implies for each one of us is that whichever kind of "seed" we allow to be planted within ourselves (that is, in Scriptural language, the ground of the heart), what is produced for us becomes identity.  If the "bad seed" is implanted in ourselves, we grow to become sons of the wicked one, in Jesus' language.  The good seeds of the Son of Man grow sons of the kingdom.  We are ultimately malleable, in Jesus' imagery, and what we take in determines who we become.  Let us be aware that the language implies inheritance, and those who are members of a particular house:  sons is meant for all of us, of any gender, as it gives us a sense of identity or name of a house to which we belong and which we carry with ourselves.  The idea of identity is similar to what we find in the teaching of St. Paul on sexual immorality.  Just as Jesus says here that the seed we take in and harbor determines whether we are sons of the kingdom or sons of the wicked one, so St. Paul teaches that with what or whom we associate in the body also creates identity for us (see 1 Corinthians 6:12-20).   In this context, we must recognize that we are united with Christ in Baptism.  So there is a sense of the plasticity or malleability of identity that is important in these teachings.  Our identity is not rooted in some permanent sort of fixture that never changes, and neither should our sense of inheritance be so either.  The Gospels stress repeatedly that it is not enough to be descended from illustrious forbears to take on the identity of those righteous people; what is essential is that we be like them, we do as they did.  Using similar imagery from agriculture, John the Baptist preached to the multitudes:  "Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."  In our modern lives there is a great deal of emphasis and interest in ancestry and genetic codes.  This gives us a type of orientation that would seem to imply that identity is not malleable or changeable, but fixed.  But in the viewpoint of Scripture, even the body is subject to that with which we interact, the things with which we choose to feed ourselves, whether we speak of something physical, emotional, spiritual, mental.  We need to understand that what we choose to dwell upon or spend time upon can become a part of identity, forming and shaping the self.  What we choose to admire or idolize makes a difference.  Let us take seriously this repeated understanding that we grow to be "like" that with which we feed ourselves, what we take in and focus on, and consider how a garden or farm needs constant work, pruning, uprooting of what we don't want, and vigilance to remain in its most beautiful and healthy state.  

 

 

 

Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 13:36-43

Yesterday we read that Jesus continued teaching about the kingdom of heaven in parables, 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."

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."  He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"   In today's reading, Jesus explains the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, given in Thursday's reading.   Just as with the parable of the Sower (see readings of May 7 and May 8), in private Jesus explains the meaning of the parable of the Wheat and the Tares.   We recall that tares are plants that resemble wheat, but are weeds and do not give the grain of wheat.  Jesus explains the parable by giving us a vivid picture of judgment, and speaking of the end of the age.  It's strong talk, and comes together with changes in His ministry that we can observe.  He is being confronted by the religious authorities, who now have decided to plot against Him, to try to destroy Him (see this reading).  He introduced concepts of judgment in replying to the scribes and Pharisees who demanded a sign from Him, a kind of proof of His identity (in this reading), saying that those figures in the Old Testament -- all foreigners -- who responded to the work of the Holy Spirit in Solomon's wisdom and in the preaching of Jonah, would rise up in the judgment to condemn "this generation" that asks for a sign. 

In chapter 12, Jesus used strong words of Judgment after He was accused of casting out demons by the power of demons.  He told the Pharisees:  "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."   It is perhaps in this clear and plain-spoken reference to the Holy Spirit that we find Jesus' most explicit reference to Judgment and its workings in the world.  The greatest gift He brings us, the outpouring of the Spirit for all people, becomes something which has an effect upon us whether or not we want that effect.  It brings us choices, and significant choices.  When we are in the presence of the holy, remaining neutral becomes an impossible task -- we are faced with acceptance or rejection in our response, a "yes" or a "no."  But amidst this stark choice, there is also the gift of time, and of repentance.  There is the power to reconsider, to "change one's mind," which is the literal meaning of the Greek word for repentance, metanoia.  My study bible was quick to note, in the reading referenced just above, that Jesus does not say that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven.  The potential of repentance is key to our understanding of our faith and of ourselves.  We are beings in time, with a fixed identity only in the power of Christ, the image in which our Creator has fashioned us.  As human beings who may not only "change our minds," but also become more deeply molded in our faith, becoming unified with Creator who has come to call us back to Him,  beings within whom the Kingdom may dwell in the ongoing presence and work of the Holy Spirit, and who are ministered to by angels, assisted in prayer even with countless saints, we are not fixed in time.  Rather, identity is something that may expand and grow, casting off what is not good nor profitable, and the things which stand in the way of God's love in us.  Therefore, none of us can have an absolute sense of what judgment is like or will hold, even for ourselves, nor for anyone else.  We cannot have the perspective that God has, nor the love, nor the mercy, nor God's capacity for healing.  What we  can understand is the depth of love in which we are held, but also the worth and value to which we are called.  Our love means something; what we love and make a part of ourselves means something about who we are.   Perhaps Jesus' most telling words about the end of the age are in His statement about the work of the angels, sent out at His command, at that time: that they will  gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness.  These are the things for us to consider, and for time to heal and repair, for "change of mind" to address.  Let us remember that we all grow in understanding and that none of us are finished with what St. Paul called the "good fight of faith."  It seems, rather, that the beauty He looks for in us exists midst weakness and imperfection (2 Corinthians 12:9), even shame and all manner of things that are offensive to the world (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).  In this vein, let us remember that it was His Crucifixion that Christ called the hour of His glory (John 12:23-33).  Let us look to His love to teach us what it is to shine forth as the sun.

Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field

 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."   He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

- Matthew 13:36-43

On Saturday we read that Jesus taught another parable to the multitude, 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."

Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house.  And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."   He answered and said to them:  "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Here is Jesus' own interpretation given to His disciples in their "headquarters" (Peter's family home in Capernaum) for the parable of the Wheat and the Tares (Friday's reading).  

 We note the growth of the seed, the word, into the good wheat.  This gives us some idea of the action of the word of the Son of Man, how it works in us.  As shown in the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven (above, from Saturday's reading), its effect is growth and transformation, a type of change that affects our substance.  So much so, that Jesus calls the good seeds in the parable the sons of the kingdom.   Sonship not only indicates children, those who belong to a particular household or family (in this case, the family of the kingdom),  but also those who will inherit.  The sons of the wicked one are those who grow in the word of falsehood, suggesting to us that seeds are planted that are misleading, half-truths, meant to resemble truth but missing the mark.  It tells us of the extreme need to be diligent in discernment, and to care passionately about what is true and what is not.  There is a commitment implied here, and not found only in this dimension of faith but also in various examples in Scripture, that tells us that what we choose to make part of our lives becomes a part of ourselves.   We are made for a sort of  connectivity with our world, with ideas, with others -- and so what "connection" we choose becomes as important as who we are ourselves.  The Kingdom invites us to participate in it, becoming its sons (for we all inherit, male and female), but so does that which is not the Kingdom.  We don't remain neutral by denying that we need discernment, because we will always make choices.  This is simply the nature of life itself, the field in which we live.  We are thinking, rational sheep.  That is, we have been given the gift of consciousness.  To be sleeping is to be apathetic, to not care, and to not use the gift we've been given.  It means that we will lose what we have (25:29).  Jesus gives us other examples of those who do nothing with their gifts, and fail by remaining in that "neutral" place (see, for example, the parable of the Talents).  To love and desire truth is perhaps our greatest asset.  This desire within us keeps us loyal to Creator and author of truth, and is so much more than a cold rationality, but demands of us a deeper kind of perception.  St. Basil, commenting on Genesis 1:1, teaches:  "It is He, beneficent Nature, Goodness without measure, a worthy object of love for all beings endowed with reason, the beauty the most to be desired, the origin of all that exists, the source of life, intellectual light, impenetrable wisdom, it is He who 'in the beginning created heaven and earth.'"  The seed of the good word of the Son of Man associates and seeks to unite us with Creator, a sacramental return to this origin, an alliance which leads to sonship in the Kingdom.  The real choice for the love of these good things, of beauty and truth, is in the heart.  It's there that we find the desire for more to life than what we find apart from God's love.

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

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

- Matthew 13:24-30

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

 Another parable He put forth to them, saying:  "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.  But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.  So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?  How then does it have tares?'  He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'  The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'  But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."'"  My study bible says that this parable builds on the previous parable of the sower (see Tuesday's reading).   The focus here is on the enemy who has sown his seed among the seed of Christ.  As falsehood came after truth and false prophets came after the true prophets (see Jesus' warning at 7:15-20), so the Antichrist will come after Christ.  Just as the weeds first appear similar to wheat, so the devil fashions his lies to resemble the truth.  As the devil sows while men slept, we are to understand that heresy and lies creep in when people are apathetic.  It gives us an important example, also, why the Church does not condemn nominal members, nor does it judge those who are outside the Church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13).  As wheat would be destroyed in weeding out the tares, so also, many people who may ultimately find salvation would otherwise be lost if they were condemned before Christ's judgment.

In the parable of the Sower, Jesus indicated the presence of the wicked one, who comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  Here, my study bible says, in this next parable that He gives, He emphasizes the work of the enemy, the wicked one.  The significant thing to notice here is the emphasis on truth, the truth that is in the word that is sown.  Tares are plants that resemble the wheat, but don't produce the grain that nourishes people.  The resemblance is meaningful, because this is the way that falsehood works.   In this description found here in the parable, Jesus teaches us that the difference between truth and falsehood -- and even goodness and evil -- isn't often a glaring and obvious contrast.  Rather, the parable teaches that truth and falsehood closely resemble one another.  Unless one is alert and aware, telling them apart is something we won't be able to do.  Again, as my study bible pointed out, we notice that the tares were sown by the enemy while men slept.  As we learn frequently throughout our lives, what sounds good doesn't always turn out to be so.  It's important to think about this parable in the context of the history of the Church that was to follow in the centuries after Christ, and the many universal Councils that were held to decide matters of doctrine and heresy.  Those were attended by hundreds of bishops; no matter of truth was insignificant.  To modern ears, many times the issues of heresy that were discussed at these Councils can seem to be details or even irrelevant, but that is also a falsehood.  Those "details" make all the difference in terms of what our faith means for us, and how salvation works in us.  While we may think of the wicked one, or of evil itself as something glaring and horrible, completely noticeable to everyone, we delude ourselves with a false assurance that we would know it when we see it.  In Jesus' parable, the wicked one comes while we're sleeping, not in obvious ways.  The tares resemble the wheat, and furthermore they are sown so closely within the field that it is impossible to separate them without damaging the wheat.  The subtlety of this process is exceptionally remarkable, something we are meant to notice and be well aware of.  What is false is not necessarily easy to spot.  It creeps in while we sleep, or are unaware.  The falsehoods produced really closely resemble the good things we need for nurturing and for life.  This isn't an easy task to discern the difference.  Nor are the tares going to be removed; instead truth and falsehood live side by side, intermingled in our lives.  If we're looking for evil, we won't find it in obvious ways.  Instead, Jesus teaches us throughout the Gospel -- and especially as the time of His ministry comes ever closer to the Crucifixion -- that our work as good servants is to be awake, alert, ready for His Return.  We are always to be vigilant about doing the things that we know He wants us to be doing, the work of good servants.  We're to be mindful at all times of Who we serve and what that means we live in our lives, our awareness of Him should accompany all our choices.  We will be distracted by all the tares that are always with us until the harvest.  Let us remember how we are to focus, and keep His word in mind at all times.

Therefore hear the parable of the sower

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

- Matthew 13:18-23

In the readings of the past two days, Jesus has given us the parable of the Sower. In the first reading (on Tuesday), he taught us (and the multitudes of people) the parable. See Behold, a sower went out to sow. In yesterday's reading, the disciples asked Him, "Why do you speak in parables?" Jesus quoted from Isaiah, and He told them that to the disciples it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, but not to all the multitudes. He said, "For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him." Therefore, He said, the prophesy of Isaiah is fulfilled: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive.

"Therefore hear the parable of the sower: . . ." Jesus continues explaining to His disciples; first, in yesterday's reading, the purpose of the teaching in parables. Next, in today's reading, He begins to explain the parable of the sower itself. Jesus Himself is 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." We recall Jesus' telling of the parable. The analogy to the "wicked one" is the birds who devoured the seed that fell by the wayside. In the Greek, the word for "wicked" here is poneros. There are many connotations to this word for evil or the evil one -- among them is pain, and laborious toil. So, as we've noticed before in Matthew's gospel, we are once again in the territory of an oppressive rule, of pain and hard labor. In this case, those who do not understand seem to be lost in this oppressive kingdom of harsh rule.

"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." Again, there is the interference of "the world" (and its harsh ruler) with "the word" or the seed. To what degree does tribulation and persecution take away what we have? How deep is our capacity for faith? The words here are also interesting to think about: stony indicates a kind of hardness (as in hardness of heart, lack of understanding) that is scattered through this soil. "Tribulation" is like an inner sense of pressure, being in a narrow space, a feeling of being without options. But it also has a strong connotation of sorrow. So, as Jesus indicates it is a kind of conflict, both internal and external (persecution) that interferes with the word or seed taking root.

"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." The "cares of the world" include anxiety and worry, the things that fragment our will. The "deceitfulness of riches" indicates the faith we may put in material things to resolve our problems, to give us a sense of well-being, but that turn out to be false promises, things we cannot count on after all. It's an indication of putting faith in things that aren't worth it (including anxieties and worries), deliver false promises, don't give us the things we really need. Worry, anxiety, faith in the false promises and deceit of the purely material alone (without God's understanding for guidance of its use and acquisition) also describe characteristics of this false and oppressive kingdom, which takes us away from the food and things of which we truly have need, that nurture body, soul and spirit.

"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." To understand is to consider something seriously, to take it in, to make it a part of one's life and choices in life. Jesus will continually return to the need for the faithful, for His children, to produce good fruit. And this is the way it's done, in good soil, by taking the word seriously, and making it a part of ourselves, in wholeness (and thereby, healing -- see yesterday's reading for more on this). We contrast this with the "fragmenting" nature of the "wicked" -- deceitfulness, false faith, worries and anxiety, sorrow, toil, pain and oppression. To seriously take in this word, on the other hand, is to build up oneself, to make whole.

Let us consider, then, the nature of faith as shown by this parable. The sower sows, and where does the seed fall? Do we allow the oppressive nature of what we may find in the world to choke it out of us, to take this word and cast it away from us? Do we lose ourselves in the reality of the oppressive forces -- internal and external -- we might encounter? Do we seek wholeness and healing or allow ourselves to be fractured and fragmented by all the cares and tribulations we may find in the kingdom of the "oppressive" ruler? At some level, it seems to me, we all encounter all four of these conditions, and we may do so in varying degrees and times throughout our lives. We may receive new challenges to our faith for which we are to be prepared and warned. One of these things or another may come our way, interfere with the word -- with new ways Christ may be calling to us for example. So the process of a deepening and strong faith is all important. And therefore it is important that we take care how we hear this word and let it grow within ourselves, and that we understand the things that may interfere with it as well. Into the oppressive kingdom of "the ruler of this world" comes the sower. How do we take care that His word takes root in us, and thus produces fruits worthy of His kingdom? This is the question. Can you hear the word? Can you let it take root? It is always there, on offer to us! We don't all produce the same amount of fruits, but we all have a chance to do so.