On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea.
Such large crowds gathered around him
that he got into a boat and sat down,
and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:
“A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil.
It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep,
and when the sun rose it was scorched,
and it withered for lack of roots.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
But some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit,
a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
The sower, who represents God, has a very interesting approach. He is not very careful about where he scatters the seed. He is willing to let it fall on the hard-packed path, where the birds could eat it, or on rock ground, where it has shallow roots, and even among thorns, where it is choked. Only some of the seed falls on rich soil, where it bears fruit, even a hundred, or sixty, or thirty.
God generosity with his kingdom is outstanding. He allows his message, the word of the kingdom, to be scattered into all of our human situations. Our hearts may be hardened and under the power of the devil, or enthusiastic without endurance, or just caught up in the cares of the world, as Jesus will go on to explain. These descriptions of our “soil” can apply to any one of us.
This week all of us who have heard and received God’s word are invited into self-examination. Do you see fruit in the lives of people around you? Meaning, do you see signs that people are being blessed by God because you are part of their lives? Are others drawing closer to Jesus, and to his Kingdom, thanks to your presence.
These questions apply to the Church as well. When are to focused on ourselves and our well-being, we miss what God calls us to. That is, the Church as a whole needs to be reminded that we receive the word of God, so that we too can share it. In fact, Jesus is warning us not to get too caught up in trying to assess the worthiness of others before we share – remember that God is generous. He entrusts his word to us in all of our weaknesses and sins.
But this week is also an invitation to those who have not yet heard the word of God and received it. This may apply to people who were baptized as infants, but who have never yet said “Yes” to faith in Jesus. This invitation is also for those who know little about him: to give him a chance, to look into who he is and what his kingdom is about.
Mysteriously, the Kingdom of God is present in the world, sometimes despite the shortcomings of Christians. But we can also gratefully praise God when we see the good fruit of his message growing in the lives of people being transformed when they say “Yes” to him.