Thirty. Sixty. A Hundredfold.
“Hear this! A sower went out to sow.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path,
and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed 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
and it produced no grain.
And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit.
It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”
[Jesus] added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” (Mk 4:3-9)
Jesus was the consummate teacher.
One of the reasons was because He spoke to the people in words that they would be able to understand, in images, in stories.
His parables were able to survive and have meaning throughout the years because they apply to so many areas of our lives and allow themselves to be open to interpretation and re-interpretation.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus had a lesson that He wanted to teach.
He wanted His people to know that the Word of God had been entrusted to them and that they were responsible for cultivating it, making it grow, and furthering it in their own day.
Producing richly was one of Jesus’ many themes.
Reality was another one.
Jesus acknowledged the reality of our world. He knew that some of the seed would fall on ears that would not hear or on hearts that would not be able to focus long enough to produce. However, He did not shy away from the challenge of entrusting His followers with that Word.
We are His followers.
The Word has been planted in our hearts.
Are we cultivating it? Are we allowing it go grow? Are we producing a rich harvest?
FAITH ACTION: In quiet contemplation this day, ask yourself the following: “Am I producing fruit for the Kingdom? If not, what can I do to produce? If so, what can I do to produce more?”