Daily Bread

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!’

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.'

Parables were stories with a deeper meaning, often with a shocking twist at the end. They were designed to challenge the listener to work out the significance and how it applied to them.

Like human relationships, our relationship with God is a two-way and mutual thing. For a relationship to work we have to be invested in it — we have to work at it. Jesus wanted people to listen, understand, and turn with their hearts to God, and parables were a great way of 'throwing down the gauntlet' of relationship. They were a bit like a coded invitation! Were his listeners eyes shut and their hearts dull, or would they try and work out what the parables meant and how they were a call for them to respond?

The whole point, of course, is that God came to us in the person of Jesus Christ to invite us into a new relationship with God — the 'healing' for which our souls long.

Jesus' teaching on parables comes hot on the heals of the parable of the sower, and in the 'spirit' of Jesus, I will ask, who you are in the story? Go back and read the parable again. Are you the sower, the seeds, or the ground? (I'll let you work that one out).

Holy God
May I have ears to hear
and a heart that responds
to your invitation
to run into your arms.
Thank you for the blessing
of being your child
and for holding me close to you,
through your faithful
and unfailing love.
Now and forever.