The Sower and the soils part 1

 The Sower and the soils part 1

Matthew 13:3-9 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.  Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  He who has ears, let him hear.”

This parable is probably the most famous of Jesus’ parables. It is one of the few that were given a detailed interpretation, and it was also given a prominent place in each of the three Gospels that report it. In each of the three, it opens a section of instruction on parables.

After Jesus tells this story, his disciples come to him and ask why he teaches in parables. He responds by quoting Isaiah 6:9-10. The first 5 chapters of Isaiah are a long list of Israel’s offenses against God and the promise of coming judgment. The most well-known section of Isaiah chapter 6 is the first 8 verses - Isaiah’s vision of God and his call. Then God sends Isaiah to prophecy to the people, but he warns his prophet ahead of time of the outcome.

That’s Isaiah 6:9-10: And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

“ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;

keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

Make the heart of this people dull,

and their ears heavy,

and blind their eyes;

lest they see with their eyes,

and hear with their ears,

and understand with their hearts,

and turn and be healed.”

God is telling Isaiah that people become like what they worship. Israel worshiped idols. Idols made of wood and stone are deaf, blind, and heartless. And as people worshiped those idols, they began to lose their vision, their hearing, and their understanding.

When Jesus quoted Isaiah, he was basically saying that those who were coming to hear him but not with proper motive were just like the people of Isaiah’s day. There were people who were only coming in hopes of a free meal or a miracle, but who cared nothing about his teaching. There were people who followed him, hoping he would be the next Judah Maccabee and throw off the Roman yoke. There were people afraid that he thought he was Messiah and were looking for a way to silence him.

And since none of those people was actually seeing or hearing or pondering to understand his words, they were going to miss what was unfolding right in front of their eyes.