The Sower
“Listen: A sower went out to sow. As he was sowing seeds, some of them fell beside the path where it was trampled on, and birds came and devoured them. Others, however, fell upon a stony place where there was not much soil. The seeds sprang up instantly, but because there was no depth to the soil when the sun had risen, the seeds were parched, and because they had no root or moisture, they withered away. But still, others fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and throttled them, and they did not yield fruit. But still, others fell upon the good soil and yielded fruit, shooting up and swelling, and some bore a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Let him who has ears listen.” (Matthew 13:3b-9, Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8)
Why Parables?
The disciples and some around Jesus approached Jesus when he was alone and asked, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” In Jesus’ reply, he said, “Because it has been granted to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, but it has not been granted to them and those outside; everything comes in parables. For to him who has it shall be given and shall be more than is needed, but from him who does not have even what he has shall be taken away. Hence, I speak to them in parables because seeing, they do not see, and hearing, they neither hear nor understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah when he says, ‘With your hearing, you will hear and in no way understand, and in seeing you will see and in no way perceive. For this people’s heart has grown crass, and they have listened with their ears grudgingly, and they have closed their eyes, so that it may never happen they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with the heart and turn back, and I shall heal them.’[Isaiah 6:9-10]” (Matthew 13:10-15, Mark 4:10-12, Luke 8:9-10)
