Interrogation 16-07-2023
Sunday, 2 July 2023
1:49 PM
Gospel reading for this Sunday
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
Theme
The Parable of the Sower
NRSV version
The
Parable of the Sower
13That
same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 2Such
great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while
the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them
many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And
as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other
seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang
up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But
when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they
withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up
and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on
good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let
anyone with ears listen!’
……………………
18 ‘Hear
then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears
the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and
snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As
for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and
immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person
has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution
arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As
for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the
cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields
nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one
who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one
case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’
Gospel for Hearers version
1
That same day Jesus left the house and sat down by the sea.
And
a large crowd gathered around him,
so
that he got into a boat and sat there
while
all the crowd stood on the shore.
3
He was telling them many things in parables.
"See,
this sower went out to sow
and
while he was sowing,
some
seed fell beside the path and the birds came and ate it up.
Other
seed fell on stony ground where it did not have much soil,
so
it immediately sent up shoots
because
there was no depth of soil;
then
the sun came up and it was burnt,
and,
because it had no roots, it was dried up.
Other
seed fell among thornbush
and
the thorns grew up and choked it.
And
other seed fell on good soil and it produced grain -
some
a hundred, some sixty and some thirty.
Let
the one who has ears hear."
3
You, therefore, listen to the parable of the sower: -
from
everyone who hears the message of the kingdom
without
understanding,
the
evil one comes and snatches the seed
which
has been sown in their heart;
this
is the seed sown along the pathway.
As
for the seed sown in stony ground,
it
is the one who hears the Word
and
immediately welcomes it with joy;
but
he has no root system in himself.
He
is only a good-time hearer,
and
when bad times or persecution because of the Word arise,
he
is immediately offended.
22
Then the seed sown among thorns -
this
is the one who hears the Word
and
worldly worries and the seduction of wealth choke the Word
and
it produces no fruit.
And
there's the seed sown on the good soil,
those
who hear and understand the Word,
and
produce a harvest, a hundred - or sixty - or thirty-strong.
From “The Gospel of Matthew”, in The Gospel for Hearers (Translated from the
Koine Greek by Elizabeth B. Edwards, Formatted by the Rev William A. Johnston),
2013, Diangellia Press.
Robot comment
What are the serious issues raised by this passage?
(An AI robot's response: Note that the robot here
provides opinion, not fact and should not be taken as authoratative)
The
parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 is a story about a farmer who
sows seeds on different types of soil. The seeds that fall on the path are
eaten by birds, those that fall on rocky ground sprout but wither away because
they have no roots, those that fall among thorns are choked by the thorns and
those that fall on good soil grow and produce fruit. Jesus explains that the
seed represents the word of God and the different types of soil represent
different responses to it. The parable raises
issues about how people respond to God’s word and how it affects their lives
Some questions raised
by the text:
- Who is Jesus talking to?
- Who was the evangelist talking
to?
- Perhaps this parable suffers
from being too familiar. We've heard it all before. How do we revisit something so familiar,
and how do we extract a meaning for our own lives?
- Is this a description of
different sorts of people -- some who are able to "get it", and
some who miss the point, or is it an exploration of our essential human
nature -- we all have the capacity to open ourselves to truth, but
sometimes betray our better selves.
- Are we at risk of
self-congratulation? "Look at me and what I have achieved".
- Are we at risk of false
humility? "Look at me and see what a mess I have made of my
life".
- Where is God in all of this? Is
God a careless farmer who does not know where to throw his seed, or is
this a God who knows where he is casting his seed just to see what will
happen?
- After reading the Parable of
the Sower do we know better how to live a full and fruitful life? Does the
parable give us hope?
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