You’re all familiar with the parable of the sower and the seed, and what it meant, right? Well, here’s a bit of trivia. Did you know that this is the first parable that the synoptic gospel writers (Matthew, Mark and Luke) recorded? And, also, did you know that when Jesus spoke this parable to the large crowds, he didn’t explain it to the crowd? Mark says, in Mark 4:10, “When He was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.”
In fact, I like the way Matthew recorded the question that the disciples asked Jesus about this parable when they were away from the crowds already. They asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?’” (Matt 13:10). In other words, why tell the crowds a story, but not explain what it means? What’s your point in doing this?
LORD, WHY DO YOU EVEN SPEAK TO ME?
The response of Jesus to the question is actually quite dense, and not as straightforward as you’d want. That’s not what I want to reflect on now, although that’s the gospel for today. But instead, let me allow you to grab that question, and copy paste it into your present journey with the Lord. “Why do you speak to me in parables?” or maybe I’ll even shorten that and suggest that you ask the Lord: “Lord, why do you speak to me?”
It’s a good question, when you think about it. “Lord, why do you speak to me?” (I assume you have heard Him speak to you, and we’ll get back to that before we close.) I used to work for a very large corporation, whose President and the owner of that conglomerate, does not speak to anybody who is lower than a Senior Vice President. And if you read the Old Testament story of Esther, who became a queen, you’ll learn that the kings of those times would not speak to anyone whom He himself did not invite into His chambers. No one would dare even set an appointment with Him.
And yet here we have the God Almighty, Himself, the creator and owner and ruler of everything that exists in the heavens and the earth, and He would speak to you and to me. At this stage in my life, I don’t know what I would do or what my life would be like if I never heard from the Lord ever again. Not in my thoughts, not in scripture, not in His actions, not in His creation. I don’t know how I could live if God suddenly chose not to speak to me.
HE DOESN’T HAVE TO. AND YET HE DOES.
The truth is, He doesn’t have to. He doesn’t need you nor me. Nor any of us. Yet He does. He speaks to us, and converses with us. Next time the lector lifts up the bible and says, “This is the Word of God”, you better jump with joy and say, “THANKS BE TO GOD!!” Because you and I wouldn’t be where we are, if God chose not to speak to us.
Yes, there was a time when I ignored God’s messages to me. And in fact, there are moments, when I tune out of the readings during the Holy Mass, or when I dismiss those godly messages sent to my social media and instead focus on the world’s messages about themselves and their worldly gods. Yet, God is ready to speak to me anytime I turn to Him. It’s like water that just comes out of the tap when you open it. What a great and gracious God we have!
BUT DO WE LISTEN
Now for those of you who may struggle with hearing the voice of God, or who don’t have that sense of personal conversation with the Lord, there is hope. The good news is that the Lord promised that He would send His Holy Spirit who would open our ears and our eyes, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, the words of scripture will come alive, your eyes will begin to see the wonders of God’s work as his personal message to you, and you will know the voice of God amid the noise of all the messages grabbing for your attention.
If you wish and are serious about having this kind of relationship with Jesus, please feel to approach anyone among us whom you feel has committed his life to Jesus, invite him or her to pray over you and to ask the Lord for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on you. And when that happens, I guarantee you that the seed planted by the sower will come alive and bear much fruit in your life. And soon, you too will begin sowing seeds of hope yourself. May God be glorified in your life.
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