Hard hearts and rocky hearts.

We’re continuing our reflection on the Parable of the Sower.  Jesus presents four types of “soil.”  We’re going to look at the first two today and the remaining two on Monday.

These first two don’t directly apply to you (we’re quite confident about that) – but there’s still some “echoes” of them in each of us that we can all relate to.  And understanding them helps us understand others (as well as ourselves). 

Hardened Pathway – This is a heart that is hardened to God, and thus unable to understand or accept Him.  In the Exodus story we’re told that Pharoh’s heart was hardened so that even after seeing all the miraculous plagues, he was still determined to defy God.  Now that’s a hard heart.

When He spoke this parable, Jesus was specifically alluding to the Pharisees who, in their pride and jealously, were unwilling to admit that He was the Messiah.  In our present time we might think of people who are so successful and self-sufficient they don’t see the need Jesus. 

But we can have residues of this “soil” in our own heart when we encounter something we just can’t accept.  For example, an attachment we’re not willing to let go of.  Or a spiritual practice we don’t think should apply to us (monthly Confession, anyone?).

What’s the response to this “soil” type?  To not walk away from Jesus.  In the Gospel, some of the people who couldn’t accept Jesus’ teachings just walked away.  That’s the path of Pharoh and the Pharisees (sounds like a bad ‘60s rock band). 

Far better is to be like the Apostles.  They found some of Jesus’ teachings very hard, even causing them to ask, “Lord, who can be saved?”  But they didn’t leave.  They were just honest with Him – “this is hard, help us!”

Rocky Soil – these are people who lack endurance.  In the Gospel these were people who were fired up for Jesus’ miracles and inspiring preaching.  But as soon as there were trials or persecution, they turned from Him. 

We encounter this in ourselves when we’re excited for a new commitment (“I’m going to start blessing myself and saying grace when eating in public”), but that zeal quickly fades when we’re out in the real world.

And especially, these days, the fallen world is really ratcheting up the persecution, with people being canceled in their workplace, by their banks, among social groups – it is more and more difficult to simply live out our faith in public.  It’s not so much that we lack ordinary endurance, but that we need supernatural endurance.

One place to seek that supernatural assistance is in the “buddy system.”  It’s tough to go it alone and not get picked off.  Jesus was acknowledging this basic fact when He sent His disciples out two-by-two.  And He reminds us of it again when He tells us, “where two or more are gathered in my name…” 

On Monday we’ll turn to the remaining soil types - thorns and good soil.  But no need to wait until Monday for good soil.  You can plant yourself in it this weekend by spending some quiet time with Jesus and His Gospel reading.

Blessings on your journey with Christ –

Steve and Karen Smith

Interior Life

Postscript:  Mt 13:1-23

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 disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"  He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.  To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.  Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see.

Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them.

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.  Amn, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

"Hear then the parable of the sower.  The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.  The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.  But he has no root and lasts only for a time.  When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.  The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.  But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold."