Until a few years ago, I had never seen the movie Star Wars. This was the cinematic equivalent of blasphemy for my in-laws, my friends, and pretty much everyone else in the world, really. Star Wars is part of our cultural lexicon, but when you’ve never seen it, most references to it go unnoticed. It’s as if fans of the film franchise speak another language when they talk about it. Sure, I had heard people say, “Luke, I am your father,” but anything more than that, and I was totally lost. I never understood the context of what I was hearing. And I certainly couldn’t contribute to the conversation.
When Jesus taught in parables, He was speaking to two audiences. Some, like His disciples, understood what He was teaching. And if they didn’t understand, they would ask Jesus to explain. Others belonged to the “you will listen and listen, but never understand” camp (Matthew 13:14). Much like being a part of a conversation about a movie you’ve never seen or a book you’ve never read, the latter audience could tune out the point of Jesus’s message.
Jesus knew that by speaking in parables, His message would get through to the right people—the people who would open their hearts to Him and who would work to see the kingdom of God flourish. He also knew that the people who were out to get Him would not understand the parables, and so to some degree, parables were a protective measure.
Reading the parable of the sower, I wonder where I land on the spectrum of listeners. As Jesus sows the seeds of His message, how receptive are my heart and mind? Do I have a hard heart and closed eyes when I read Scripture? Do I read the difficult parts with the same rigor and delight as I do the easier passages? Do I cling to the Jesus who heals and pardons and shy away from the Jesus who turns over tables and calls out sinners? Do I let the double-edged sword of Scripture do its good, sanctifying work in me?
Eugene Peterson wrote it this way in The Message: “They stick their fingers in their ears so they won’t have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.”
I know my heart is rocky and full of weeds that choke out the Word. The parable of the sower exposes my idols, holding them up to the light of Jesus’s message about the kingdom of God, about the freedom and peace He, and He alone, brings. But I am tempted to fall away when trials come, turning to my own strength instead of the Word of God. I chase the material, the next-best, and the greener grass, instead of running relentlessly after Jesus alone. My faith is weak, even when I long for it to somehow be enough.
The remedy for my fallow heart is the Word.
May we be eager listeners with hearts rich with fertile ground, eager to know His teaching and ready to do whatever He asks of us.
First of all I would like to say great blog! I had a quick question that I’d like
to ask if you don’t mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your thoughts prior to writing.
I have had a hard time clearing my mind in getting my ideas out.
I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the
first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted just trying
to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or tips? Cheers!
I write a prayer and it’s structured by an older SRT prompt Address, Describe, Confess, Praise and request. It keeps me focused and the confession helps me tremendously.
Amen! Great devotional this morning!
“May we (I) be eager listeners with hearts rich with fertile ground, eager to know His teaching and ready to do whatever He asks of us (me).” I too, have sometimes struggled with the parables, today my heart was listening.
Allison an Amen
Tina ❤️ grr back
Mia continued prayers for your family.
Lifting the spoken and silent.
Jesus explains to His disciples the purpose of teaching in parables: to reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom to those who seek while concealing them from those who are indifferent or hostile
examine our response to God’s Word, encourages us to seek the Kingdom with all we have, and assures us of the ultimate justice of God. It affirms that although the Kingdom may start small and seemingly insignificant, its reach is vast, and its impact is life-changing for those who embrace it.
AMEN!
As we all prepare this spring for our earthly gardens Lord prepare my heart for Your final garden! Happy Friday She’s ! Fertilizer your soil this weekend and find some rest in Jesus! ☮️❤️
They stick their fingers in their ears so they won’t have to listen; they screw their eyes shut so they won’t have to look, so they won’t have to deal with me face to face and let me heal them. WHY WHY WHY?? I want healing. How can a heart be so hardened that it doesn’t want peace from God.
I remember asking when I first started studying the Bible, “why does Jesus speak in parables?” I had a hard time understanding them back them. HRT helped that. Jesus was about calling hearts, not arguing with minds. He spoke to the ears of the heart, and if those ears could hear Him, then the heart would follow.
How receptive are my heart and mind?? When I was younger I was loving learning about God. Then a terrible thing happened in my life and I turned away. God slowly pulled me back. I don’t want to have roots in rocky soil. To turn away when something happens that is too big to comprehend. That is when I need Him most.
LAURA DIANNE – I think you could have wrote the devo!!