Reflection

Verse 1: Then he told them many things in parables, saying a man went out to sow seed.

This verse tells me that Jesus was a storyteller. And when he tells stories, he tells them with a purpose. Jesus used illustrations when speaking to the crowds. A parable compares something familiar to something unfamiliar. I believe he did that to make us think and also to look at ourselves to see if the story has something to say about our lives or other people. 

Parables make us listeners discover the truth, while at the same time hiding the truth from those too lazy or too stubborn to see it.

But to those who honestly search, the truth becomes clear and they bear fruit.

My life

I began to think that if God will make my life or your life as a story to tell, what would it be? I hope it will be a story titled “A woman or a man who overcame the world because he/she walked with Jesus.”

Well, it is up to us, I think.

Sow seed

It said also that a man went out to sow his seed. Maybe we think that we are not a farmer and we don’t have green hands and don’t like doing dirty work (working with soil) like me. But……

When I was a girl

I remember when I was a young girl, I used to go with my mother to plant rice seedlings on other farms to earn money so that we could buy food on the table. They paid us 2 pesos each for å whole day of work under the scorching heat of the sun. And since the rice should be planted in soft and muddy ground, were soaked in it the whole day long with leeches around who tried to suck blood from us. I hated it very much. My nails were always brown, and my skin was sunburned.  I wish I could use the money I earned to buy nail colors, but we need food. I promised myself that when I leave that place, I will never, never plant rice again. And I hold that promise. But when I read this passage, I realized that although we are planting nothing in the ground, we are planting something every day with our lives to the people around us and to the world.

What do we sow?

 We sow with our words, both the unsaid and what we had said. With gestures or mimics. 

We plant with our deeds and so on. This passage encourages us to be spiritual sowers; to teach, preach and lead others to God.

Verse 8 said that the farmer sowed good seeds, but not all seeds sprouted, and even the plants that grew had varying yields. It tells me that I/you don’t need to be discouraged even if we don’t see results although we faithfully share the word of God. Belief can’t be forced. It is the work of God through the Holy Spirit to make a miracle change in one’s life. Our job is to seek God, pray, and share no matter if no one wants to listen. I do share God’s words and what I believe insights I received from God in social media although the response was microscopic in my own eyes. But only God knows. I only need to obey.

What kind of sower are we?

This passage talks about the farmer who sows the seeds. What kind of farmer I am or You? God has given us different types of gifts and talents and abilities. It is up to us how we should use those resources from God and develop them. I think God has not given us all that we want that we thought we should have because we could not handle them. And besides, he wants us to ask Him, be in His presence, and walk with Him hand and hand. And many times, that is the problem when we don’t put him first or just pray to Him when we need something. It should be give and take. We seek God’s presence because we want to be with Him. Give Him our time and attention. Thank and praise His name and then He will provide for all our needs.

It said in

As we seek His presence, we will be comforted, we will have peace and we will feel loved and our lacks will be met.

Those who have ears

In verse 9 it said that “those who have ears, let him hear. Everybody knows that everyone has ears. Have you seen someone who doesn’t have one? What was Jesus meant by these words?

We hear many sounds daily. Some of the noises we hear are painful to listen to. For me,  I don’t like to listen to rock music and from people who curse and who think that their sentences are not complete if they don’t utter a curse word.

How about gossip? Most people have all their ears open when they hear gossip being told and we Christians are not exceptional. I think that if we hear gossip being told, we can just ignore it or pray for the person who gossips and the person who was the source of the gossip. And if we hear gossip about ourselves, we must be aware of whether the gossip is true and that maybe we need some changes in our lives. Well, maybe except if people are saying that we are crazy about God. For us believers, that kind of gossip is what we like people to say about us. 

I believe that when Jesus said that those who have ears must listen means that we need to open our spiritual ears in order to gain spiritual understanding. To read His words and meditate on them daily. If we honestly seek God’s will, we will have spiritual understanding, and we will understand the parables.

The passage also talks about the different soil. In your opinion, what kind of things can hinder us from being a soil that produces a good crop?