had it come up than it withered, because it had no water. Some fell among thorns; the thorns grew
up with the seed and choked it. But some fell on good soil and grew, producing fruit a hundred
times as much.” And Jesus cried out, “Listen then, if you have ears to hear!”
The disciples asked him, “What does this story mean?” And Jesus answered, “You have been
granted to know the mystery of the kingdom of God. But to others it is given in the form of stories,
or parables, so that seeing they may not perceive and hearing they may not understand.”
Now, this is the point of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the wayside are
people who hear it, but immediately the devil comes and takes the word from their minds, for he
doesn’t want them to believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are people who receive the
word with joy, but they have no root; they believe for a while and give way in time of trial. Among the
thorns are people who hear the word but as they go their way, are choked by worries, riches, and
the pleasures of life; they bring no fruit to maturity. The good soil, instead, are people who receive the
word and keep it, in a gentle and generous mind, and persevering patiently, they bear fruit.

Reflection:

Very few, perhaps even no one can
resist the charm of a story. Long before the advent of
technology, storytelling is one of the entertainment of
the community. That is why a good storyteller is much
sought in ancient times. They weave powerful spells
of words that enthrall the audience. And even until
today, story is one of the alltime best vehicle for imparting
lessons. And Jesus being a good teacher employs this
technique to teach the people. The problem with story is, it is
multi-faceted. Sometimes, we need an interpretative key to
understand it. And so, in the parable of the sower today,
even the disciples cannot make heads or tails of the
story. And so Jesus has to tell them that the seed is the
word of God. The different conditions of the soil parallel
the heart on which the word of God falls into. Thus the result
varies. The lessons that stories give are rich and layered. That
is why we need to spend time  unpacking them.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021