Sunday 16 July 2023

Psalm 65

Background

Parables were a key element of Jesus’ teaching; around 55 of them appear across the gospels. The theologian Paula Gooder suggests that they capture something of Jesus’ personality; they are playful and thought-provoking, and their meaning cannot easily be tied down.  

This particular parable appears in three of the four gospels. As well as our reading today from Matthew, it's in Mark (4:1-20) and Luke (8:4-15). According to all three, Jesus was addressing a large crowd; in Mark and Matthew’s accounts, the crowd was so great that Jesus got into a boat, so that he could address the people from the Sea of Galilee. The crowds heard the story (Matthew 13:1-9), but only the disciples heard Jesus’ explanation that followed (13:8-23). The explanation suggests that this parable is allegorical – each element conveys a specific meaning.  

A man went out to sow seed, some of which fell on the path (and was eaten by birds), on rocky ground (where the plants died quickly), among thorns (that choked the plants) or on good soil, where it produced a great deal of grain (many, many times more than the yield that would have been expected by farmers in this period). Jesus revealed to the disciples that this represented those who hear the good news about the kingdom of God and respond in different ways. Only the lives of those who hear the good news and understand it bear fruit.  

According to the gospels, Jesus offered explanations for only three of his parables (this one; the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43; and the fishing net in Matthew 13:47-50). Many have questioned why only the disciples were treated to an explanation (creating a division between ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’). Some have noted that the disciples would later be commissioned to teach others (Matthew 28:20) after Jesus ascended into heaven, and suggested that they needed a fuller understanding of Jesus’ teaching in order to do so. Others have noted that, throughout the gospels, Jesus encounters apparent ‘outsiders’ (such as the Samaritan woman in John 4:4-42 and the Syrophoenician woman in Mark 7:24-30) who nevertheless appear to understand his message better than the ‘insiders.’  

To Ponder:

• What do you think those standing in the crowd thought of Jesus’ story? 
• Are there stories (in art, films, television, music etc) that have helped you to understand something about God? Would the same story have spoken to other people in the same way? 
• How can we use stories when we speak to other people about faith? 

Prayer

Gracious God, give us hearts that are open to your word, so that it might take root within us, grow and flourish, and so that our lives might bear fruit and give you glory. Amen.