Parables

(From Mark 4)

Parables were a customary style of teaching in our time, the time of Jesus. And Jesus told many parables, quite a few of which have become cornerstones of our Christian faith. Even quoting the titles of some, like the Prodigal Son or the Good Samaritan, instantly produces a visual picture, the scene of a seemingly ordinary story that carries a strong spiritual message. 

The parables are easy to remember. And as I recall these stories, I can relate to the characters in them. They come alive and become real to me. And what’s more, each parable invites me to literally put myself into the story and consider its deeper truths in light of what I face in my own life.

Who am I? I’m someone who actually heard Jesus speak these parables. I was one of the women who traveled with Jesus, and when he taught, I was there. You may be surprised to learn that in your Bible today, the parables of Jesus make up about one third of his teaching. They were an important means of communication then and they still are today. In a way, each parable seems to have a life of its own. Each listener is invited to enter the story, and to let it speak in the most personal way.

Jesus told us about parables and how he used them. The Gospel of Mark explains (Mark 4):

“When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, 

“To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that

‘they may indeed look, but not perceive,
    and may indeed listen, but not understand;
so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”

I was there when he said this, quoting the prophet Isaiah. But let me back up a bit to give you some background that may explain why parables were so important to Jesus.

It was early in his ministry, practically at the beginning. And almost from the start, Jesus encountered opposition from the religious authorities of the day, the Pharisees in particular. They complained when he healed on the Sabbath. They argued about hungry disciples not washing their hands before they ate. They even accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of the demons themselves!

It was easy to see that they felt their authority threatened, especially when they noticed the large crowds following Jesus. Jesus, of course, never set out to threaten them. But he told the truth and he spoke of the Kingdom of God and justice for the poor and oppressed in a way that set the Pharisees’ teeth on edge. To Jesus, the people were more important than the rules!

And so, we come to the parable of the sower. Jesus, just after his latest confrontation with the Pharisees, had stepped into a boat and moved a bit offshore so that the crowd could hear him teach. Pharisees, of course, were also in the crowd, hoping to find something to criticize. Their minds were closed to the possibility that the words of Jesus might actually speak to them. Thus, they were present to find fault, not to actually listen.

It was a very interesting scene, almost metaphorical. Jesus sat in the boat and the crowd stood on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. In my mind, the distance between Jesus and the crowd accentuated the sense that Jesus really was apart from us: above us, in his divine nature. He truly was the master and we were his students.

Of course, Jesus was human, too, and so many other times he would literally be in the midst of us, touching us and speaking face-to-face. But now, he was apart, certainly not out of range of our hearing, but somewhat removed and distant.  In a way, that distance gave his words a bit more power. And he was speaking from the sea, traditionally considered a place of mystery and even danger. But his voice, calm and sure and strong, came cleanly across the water to us, as if somehow amplified by the sea itself. We had nothing to fear.

And Jesus began:

“Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”

Vincent van Gogh, The Sower, 1888. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.

He went on speaking, without explaining this parable to the crowd. You should understand that rabbis who taught with parables generally refrained from explaining them. The idea was to let the listener hear and ponder the meaning, allowing the parable to speak to each listener individually, on a personal level.

After Jesus finished speaking, everyone left, except his closest followers, including me. And someone asked Jesus the question we all wanted to ask: what was the meaning of the parable of the sower?

And he said to us, 

“Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

And that was his explanation. Of course, he still left out quite a bit: for example, who, exactly, is the sower? Why doesn’t the sower just keep to the good soil? Isn’t the sower wasting the seeds sown along the path, on the rocky ground and among the thorns? And why are the birds (Satan) allowed to eat up the seeds from the path? I had a scarecrow in mind. What’s more, why didn’t the sower clear the thorns that choked some of the seeds? Or dig up the rocks?

None of us had the courage to ask any more questions. And of course, as I have explained, that is the beauty of parables. They leave us to ponder them, to literally engage ourselves in the story and to extract whatever meaning we can from the particular way the words speak to us. In short, we are left to personalize the parable within the frame of its basic story line.

I have thought about this parable for a long time. And to me, it serves as a foundational story for all of the other parables of Jesus. You see, it sets the stage for how he would teach over the next three years of his ministry. 

Jesus knew, you see, that some were hungry for the word while others sought only to find fault and would never truly listen. That’s why his parables have proven to be so powerful. And so enigmatic.

And what did this parable speak to me? Well, you didn’t ask, but let me tell you anyway.

The seed is God’s word, possibly even Jesus himself, the word made flesh. The sower, I believe, is the Holy Spirit. And why does the Holy Spirit sow so indiscriminately? Aren’t seeds actually wasted on the path, the rocky ground and amid the thorns?

No, they are not. The word is sown generously, without limit. It doesn’t need to be hoarded or carefully guarded, because there is an infinite supply. In fact, there is no place in all creation where the word is excluded and held back. The sower is practically obsessed with sowing the word, even though it is understood that some will fall on ground that will likely not receive it. But it is in the nature of the sower to sow everywhere, in the hope that there will be growth.

Why? Because the sower sows with great love, and as the Apostle Paul has said, “love hopes all things.” 

And what about me? How does this parable apply to me? Do I always listen for the word, and truly understand? Do I live in the good soil?

I wish I could tell you that I live in the good soil every day and that I never stray. Honestly, I do. But sad to say, I must admit that it’s not true. Sometimes, I find myself living along the path, the path that is well trodden, where temptations make me vulnerable to Satan. At other times, my spiritual roots are too shallow, unable to cling to the stony soil in the face of doubts and the pressures from a culture that belittles my faith. Peter’s denial of Jesus comes to mind. At other times, the thorns of other priorities crowd out my faith and stifle it. 

And yet, thanks be to God, there are times when the word finds in me a receptive disciple, and as a result, my faith grows, and I bear fruit. This is clearly the work of the Holy Spirit, in fact a precious gift, and I can take no credit for it. 

I want to live in the good soil every day. I want it with all my heart. But even though that has not been my experience, I am so grateful that our Father has not abandoned me. His word is fresh every morning and it rises like the sun! That’s why his spirit continues to sow seeds in my life, both on the good days when I am receptive and on the other days when I am not.

What about you? How does this parable speak to you?

Would you like to see a video of this story? If so, then go to https://vimeo.com/showcase/11005935