where it had little soil; it sprang up immediately, because it had no depth; but when the sun rose and burned it, it withered, because it
had no roots. Other seed fell among thorn bushes; and the thorns grew and choked it; so it didn’t produce any grain. But some seed
fell on good soil, grew and increased and yielded grain; some seed produced thirty times as much, some sixty, and some one hundred
times as much.” And Jesus added, “Listen then, if you have ears.” When the crowd went away, some who were around him with the
Twelve asked about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But for those outside,
everything comes in parables, so, that, the more they see, they don’t perceive; the more they hear, they don’t understand; otherwise they
would be converted and pardoned.” Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How, then, will you understand any of the
parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those along the path, where the seed fell, are people who hear the word, but as soon as
they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Other people receive the word like rocky ground. As soon as
they hear the word, they accept it with joy. But they have no roots, so it lasts only a little while. No sooner does trouble or persecution
come because of the word, than they fall. Others receive the seed, as seed among thorns. After they hear the word, they are caught up
in the worries of this life, false hopes of riches and other desires. All these come in and choke the word, so that finally it produces nothing.
And there are others who receive the word as good soil. They hear the word, take it to heart and produce: some thirty, some sixty, and
some one hundred times as much.”

Reflection:

Unlike a careful and responsible sower who would
ensure that the seeds fell only on the good and well-prepared soil,
the parable’s sower recklessly sows the seeds everywhere: not
only within the fertile, ploughed soil, but also among thorns,
on the path, and on the rocky ground; in other words, he sows
them in every conceivable space. However, there is a method in the
seeming madness of the sower; for, we know that this sower
is God Himself. What appears foolish in human perspective
has greater wisdom in the Divine plan. God does not withhold his
word – the seed – from any type of human hearts, be they fertile,
full of thorns, hard, or rocky. The Good News is not withheld from
anyone, nor is it preached based on the recipient’s worth. It is up
to the human hearts to respond to the seeds of the word, so as
to produce thirty or sixty or hundred fold. Let those who
have ears, let them hear.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2022