Thoughts for the Day

Then the disciples came and asked him, ‘Why do you speak to them in parables?’ He answered, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that “seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.” With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:

“You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.”

But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today we continue looking at the Parable of the Sower! We call it 'The Parable of the Sower' but it should more likely be called the 'The Parable of the Four Soils'. The Sower scatters his seed on four different types of ground:

• On hard ground (seeds cannot germinate).
• on stony ground (no depth of earth).
• On thorny ground (weeds choke the plants).
• On good ground (produces a good crop).

The parable is about the seed, that is the word of God, and how it's received by people:

• The hard soil represents the person who hears the Gospel but is hardened by the things of this world that it has no chance of growing in the.
• The stony soil represents the person who happily accepts the Gospel but its roots are not strong enough, and when trouble strikes their so-called faith disappears. T
• The thorny ground represents someone who receives the Gospel but who allows the joys and woes of this life get in the way until they have no time for it.
• The good ground represents the person who receives the Gospel and continues to grow in faith, that is, producing spiritual fruits.

It is not enough to just hear the Gospel preached to us, we have to absorb and internalise the message and allow God's Spirit to slowly change us, to produce the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5.22-23).

Lord Jesus Christ,
may we truly hear the words of Your teaching,
and in hearing internalise the message.
With the Holy Spirit's help
may we learn to apply what we have learnt
to our everyday life,
growing and maturing into good soil
that will produce good fruit.
Amen.