Luke 8: 4 – 15 The Parable of the Sower II

Luke 8: 4 – 15 The Parable of the Sower II

Now to the meat of the parable. The farmer sows good seed not indiscriminately exactly, but almost, as it goes not only in the good soil of the prepared field, but also on the foot path, on rocky ground and among the briers. It was then walked on, eaten up by birds, withered by the sun and stifled. The seed, as Jesus explains it, is the Word of God, planted in us and capable of bearing great fruit. But not all of us are receptive. There are those of us who lack fortitude against the devil’s temptations, there are those who lack determination, there are the lazy, the distracted, etc. Those who do bear fruit, Jesus compliments as receiving the seed with openness, who retain it and persevere in it to bear fruit. What does this mean? By openness I think he means putting yourself in contact with the word by reading the gospels, hearing God’s word in mass or in a service. By retaining it I think he means thinking about it, meditating on it, praying over it, discussing it. By bearing fruit through perseverance I think he means if you are open to the Word and do the work to retain it, and keep at it, you will bear great fruit. But obviously it all takes work, just as farming takes work. Unless a farmer goes through the full process of farming – (preparing the field, sowing the seed, weeding, watering, cultivating, etc.) he will not have a fruitful harvest. As a farmer’s work is hard but rewarding, so is our work of responding to God’s Word.