The Meaning of the Parable of the Sower - Mt 13: 18-23
In our reading of the Gospel of Matthew, we again encounter the parable of the Sower. Jesus told a parable (Matthew 13: 3-9) but did not provide any explanation for it. In the narrative of the Gospel, it is immediately followed by a statement in which Jesus explains the general meaning of the teaching in parables and only after this introduction begins to explain the parable previously told. Some exegetes say that this explanation was not from Jesus but was created by the early Christians. According to such criteria, the authorship of many passages of the Gospels can be attributed to anyone. Therefore, respecting all well-intentioned efforts of exegetical inquiry, we treat the pericope of interest to us as the teaching of Jesus. Considering the content of the parable itself, we focused on the Sower, his determination and love for the mission. On the other hand, Jesus' explanation allows us to pay attention to other elements of the parable, this time more in the aspect of the result than in the means leading to it. This allows us to go a bit beyond the biblical text and move to the area of moral-ascetic theology.
People who hear the teaching about the kingdom and do not understand it have been compared to the grain next to the road. Just as this grain feeds the birds, they become the prey of the evil one. Jesus seems to have culpable ignorance in mind. The idea of God's kingdom on earth is extremely beautiful and sublime, but it can trigger different reactions in people. Many are so delighted that they give their lives in God's cause, but there are also those who do not allow laziness, carelessness and a primitive lifestyle to nobly respond to God's sublime offer. They consider themselves believers, Christians, often practice their faith externally on a regular basis, but everything is superficial, traditional, and routine. It is part of the herd behavior of a crowd that proudly identifies itself with so-called mass Christianity. A colossus on clay legs, which is still trying to impress with its size and imaginary strength, but in reality, it is consumed by spiritual deadness. There is a lack of understanding of faith, its deepening and, most of all, a personal relationship with God. Such a man is not only an easy morsel for Satan, but can also be his tool. With his mediocrity, he compromises the work of Jesus, which, after all, is related to the great expectations of the Teacher. Unfortunately, there is a lot of this kind of seed in the Church, maybe even the most ... Perhaps that is why this category takes the first place in the narrative of the parable.,
While in the first case we are dealing with culpable ignorance, which often exposes the blindness and stupidity of the people of the Church, the next example draws attention to people of weak will and character. They are like grain without fertile ground. Many wills, desires, resolutions and even sincere efforts, but everything is very fragile, weak and therefore temporary. There is joy and an immediate reaction to life, but all in a way that is so characteristic of our generation today: flash, effect, impression ... As in the first case, also in the second, it seems that Jesus has some kind of guilt in this category of disciples in mind. It is not just an innate weakness in human nature that affects all people. It results more from disregarding one's own weaknesses and vices, from reckless treatment of one's own deficiencies and tendencies towards evil, and above all, from the instability in overcoming them, from quick discouragement and consent to defeat. Like the people from the first group, also these people are not aware of the greatness of God's cause, His kingship on earth, therefore they neglect the need to devote themselves to the end of this idea. They do not see, do not understand its beauty and uniqueness enough to summon the necessary willpower. This part of Jesus' teaching can apply to people who are demanding, possessed by self-centeredness and a hedonistic lifestyle. They identify with the Church, while having no idea what it is all about ...
In the third group, Jesus places those for whom material wealth, the good of this world is the center, meaning and goal of life, eliminating the absolute priority of God. Temporal goods are like thorns and weeds for a seed: they choke it, they parasitize it, and even if it allows it to grow, they are weak and fruitless. This category also has numerous representations in the Church. The goods of this world have always successfully competed with the wealth of the clergy, but today they seem to be gaining an unprecedented advantage. In a consumerist society, access to all temporal goods is so easy that many people have lost control in this area. Also, the people of the Church, those most closely associated with it, those with vocation ... That is why a blade of faith and spirituality is still only a blade, fragile, yellowed, invisible, and therefore funny and discouraging ... It should bear fruit, beautiful, good-looking, blessed, but it still remains a stalk and as such is unable to do so. The worst for him may be (and often is) that he sees his existence and fulfillment in an inseparable alliance with the surrounding "company”.
Finally, a seed that has found its ground and bears fruit. A distinctive and perhaps the most beautiful feature of Jesus' parable is the gradation of the soil. It can bring various amounts of harvest, but in any case, it will be the maximum fertility. This is also the case with man. His abilities, living conditions, and environment determine his effectiveness as a human being and as a Christian. Jesus knows it perfectly well, which is why he constructs his parable in this way. What is important for him is not to live on a chord, but to be fully connected with him, to live for his cause, for his kingdom. For him, anyone can be a champion, even someone limited physically or intellectually. Each! And this is the most beautiful, most hopeful and creative moment of Jesus' teaching.
There is another joyful aspect of this Gospel passage. As we reflected on the fate of the seed sown, we saw different categories of people in Christ's Church. Some of them were assessed harshly, not without reason… However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that they all belong to the Church, that it is so spacious, so stretchy that everyone can find their place in it. Humanly speaking, it is more of a poverty than good. These people often do harm to God's cause, which church statistics can never compensate for. It must not be forgotten, however, that it was not Jesus' will to establish an ideal, sterile clean institution. If he wanted to, he would certainly have created one. The Church is a place of conversion and sanctification. Established for sinners, ordained for them first and foremost. This "inferior" element of it is not written off in advance. It is the hope of God and is also to be the hope of the Church itself. For them, the Church exists more than for the correct ones. It may be difficult to harmonize with the teaching of the parable of the Sower, but it certainly is.
“You shall not sow two kinds of seed in a field” (Lev 19:19).
Until Tomorrow
fr. george