As for what is sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and delight in riches choke the word and it proves unfruitful. There is no purpose in attending your church, donating your time and money and then not faithfully abide by what we learn from God’s teachings; appearing as if you believe and do not care as much is seeming full but actually turning out to be void.
And conclusively for what was sown in good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty; all dependant on the strength of your faith and your actions to re-enforce it. With faith and hope in your heart, mind and soul you can indeed reap the benefits of God’s teachings. When you believe, you are one with God and you are blessed.
The "seed" that is sown is called the "word of the kingdom". Jesus uses the term "word of God" to refer to the "commandment of God", or God's laws. According to the parable of the sower, the "word of God" is sown "in the heart." God's laws are known intuitively, or naturally, by everyone.
In the parable, Jesus gives four examples of how individuals respond to the "word of God" which is "sown in the heart."
Some individuals reject God's law of love completely, like a hard path that will not allow seeds to take root. They let the temptation to do evil devour the truth, like birds devour seeds on the hard ground. In Jesus' day, the temptation to do evil was personified as the "evil one" or the "tempter." (This personification should not be taken literally but the temptation to do evil is real.)
Other individuals initially accept God's law of love in a superficial way, like the thin, rocky soil receives the seed, but when it becomes difficult to follow the way of love, they abandon it. They let the truth wither away.
Other individuals let God's law of love get entangled and choked out by materialistic concerns.
However, some individuals accept God's law of love and produce the fruits of love -- good deeds -- in various amounts. In the parable of the sower, the "word of the kingdom" is sown "in the heart" but only "he (she) who hears and understands (accepts) it; he (she) indeed bears fruit"
In addition to the parable of the sower, Jesus gave a number of other parables about the "kingdom of God."
Another parable which will aid in understanding the Kingdom of god is of the leaven:
“And again he (Jesus) said, 'To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like this. ‘A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with forty litres of flour until the whole batch of dough rises.’
“Leaven, of course, is a substance that is put into dough causing fermentation to make the dough rise when baking bread. The parable of the leaven suggests that the kingdom of God is intentionally put into something and it has a permeating influence on whatever it is in.
“To Jesus, the "kingdom of God" meant the rule of God on earth. Jesus believed that God's kingdom would come as God's will is done "on earth as it is in heaven". Jesus taught that it is God's will, or "commandment," for us to love God and our "neighbour." Through his parables, Jesus taught that God's laws are known to everyone. They are planted like a seed "in the heart."
“The kingdom of God comes, in the beginning, through an individual's search and discovery of God's natural laws within himself or herself. The recognition and acceptance of God's natural laws have an inner influence that permeates the individual's life.
“Although the kingdom of God begins within the individual, it does not end there. The kingdom of God has an "outward" aspect to it. The acceptance of God's way of love becomes evident in the deeds of the individual. In the parable of the sower, the seeds "brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." In the parable of the mustard seed, the plant "grows up and puts forth branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."”
The kingdom of God is the reign of God's law of love in individuals and in human society.
Jesus said that the kingdom of God is "at hand." What did Jesus mean by the term "at hand?" We find the answer to this in a conversation that Jesus had with a Jewish scribe. "The scribe said to Jesus, 'You are right, teacher, you have truly said that He (God) is one, and there is no other (God) but Him; and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbour as oneself, is much more than burnt offerings and sacrifices.' And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he (Jesus) said to him, 'You are not far from the kingdom of God.'"
It is clear that the scribe was "not far from the kingdom of God" because he recognized that God's basic laws for humankind are "love for God" and "love for neighbour." The discovery, or recognition, of God's natural laws is the first step toward the reign of God's laws in an individual's life.
Of course, the kingdom of God, or the reign of God's laws, becomes a reality in a person's life only when a person chooses to live by these laws. The scribe was "not far" from the kingdom of God because the scribe recognized God's laws. The next step would be for the scribe to "enter" the kingdom of God by obeying these laws.
When Jesus said that the kingdom of God is "at hand," he meant that we are "not far" from the kingdom when we recognize God's laws of love for God and love for neighbour. And the kingdom of God becomes a reality for us when we choose to follow God's laws as we live each day. The kingdom of God is truly "at hand" for anyone to discover.
B
Discuss the meaning and relevance of parables to the belief and life of Christians today
For Christians, clearly the parable has continuing relevance, for the Christian faith is a missionary faith. The instruction of Jesus is to 'make disciples'. These disciples, converts to Christianity are seen many Christians to be the harvest of which the parable speaks. For other Christians, the harvest is the spreading of the Kingdom of God throughout the world - good news for poor people, the continuing struggle against injustice and oppression in its many forms, freedom from blindness, physical and spiritual. My own view is that you can't separate the converts from the Kingdom. Ultimately the freedom of the Gospel is transmitted through the Christian gospel itself - the Good News that God cares enough for His suffering creation to come and suffer in and with it. And that His suffering has brought about a defeat of evil in the lives of individuals which has and will continue to spread to nations. Whatever one's personal faith stance, it can't be denied that the world has never been the same since Jesus of Nazareth walked it.
An excellent instance is the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.
“There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day; and there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
“And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom; the rich man also died, and was buried; in hell he opened up his eyes, being in torments, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his company.
“The rich man cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, which he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame’.
“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you acquired many exquisite things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and you are tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from us to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, which would come from you.”
There are so many needs right here at home. That's true. We have problems, and too much money is not one of them. But look at it another way. Aren't all of us, rich? Compared with Lazarus, compared with at least half the people in the world, we live in a gadget-filled paradise. Maybe we buy them on time, but we have our homes, cars, and televisions. Occasionally we buy something on impulse that we don't need and hardly ever will use. We would never admit that we have money to throw around, but in the eyes of half the world's people who go to bed hungry every night (the teeming millions of Lazarus’s) we are very rich in material things.
We are rich in other ways as well: in terms of education, experience, expertise, and, yes, Christian faith. These are personal resources God wants us to use not just for ourselves but also for the sake of others.
Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus sends an uncomfortable message: the two men who seemed worlds apart actually shared a common humanity and a common destiny. Their basic human needs for food, shelter, and medicine, love and friendship were the same. They were both vulnerable. One day Lazarus died. So did the rich man. Then neither the purple and fine linen of the rich man nor the sores and rags of Lazarus mean anything. Both stood naked before God.
Other fine examples are that of the Lost Coin and The Lost sheep.
“There was once a woman who had ten silver coins. One day she happened to lose one. So she lit a lamp, swept the house and sought diligently for the coin. When she found the coin she rejoiced and called together her friends and neighbours and said, ‘Celebrate with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’”
This parable is not unlike the parable of the mustard seed. In that parable the Lord seems to be burlesquing the popular expectations of the kingdom as a giant cedar of Lebanon. As if Jesus were to say, "You are looking for a cedar of Lebanon, the great apocalyptic tree, and all I am asking of you is to become an insignificant little shrub."
If we can imagine the astonished faces of the hearers, it is not hard to picture Jesus' amusement at the collapsing of their house of cards. This parable continues in a similar vein.
A certain woman has lost a coin. A drachma was about the same as a denarius, one day's wage for a common laborer. It was not a lot of money. But she is looking everywhere for this coin, sweeping the house up and down. Some of the hearers are not getting excited and want to help her. When she finally finds it, there is great joy! She calls friends and neighbors, and they rejoice over her recovery of the tiny sum.
Jesus once again juxtaposes the grandiose expectations in the popular mind regarding how the kingdom is expected to appear in our lives, and how it actually appears. The woman finally finds the coin of modest value. That is the extent of God's intervention. Thus the kingdom is identified with the ordinary. She did not win the state lottery. Jesus undermines grandiose expectations of all kinds. For one reason: they are not likely to happen.
“A shepherd, on looking over his little flock of one hundred, can only count ninety-nine. He counts them again, and he notices that a certain one has gone; it may be a white-faced sheep with a black mark on its foot, he knows all about it, for "the Lord knoweth them that are his." The shepherd has a visual projection of the wanderer in his mind's eye, and now he thinks but little of the ninety and nine who are feeding in the pastures of the wilderness, but his mind is in a ferment about the one lost sheep. This one idea possesses him: "a sheep is lost!" This agitates his mind more and more—"a sheep is lost." It masters his every faculty. He cannot eat bread; he cannot return to his home; he cannot rest while one sheep is lost. The shepherd then searches the land until he finds the sheep. When he locates the sheep he rejoices and praises God.”
We are the Lord's own flock, furthermore, by his purchase of us; he says: "I lay down my life for the sheep." It is nearly nineteen centuries ago since he paid the ransom price, and bought us to be his own; and we shall be his, for that purchase-money was not paid in vain. And so the Saviour looks upon his hands, and sees the marks of his purchase; he looks upon his side, and sees the token of the effectual redemption of his own elect unto himself by the pouring out of his own heart's blood before the living God. This thought, therefore, presses upon him, "One of my sheep is lost." It is a wonderful supposition, which is contained in this parable—”if he lose one of them." What! Lose one whom he loved before ever the earth was? It may wander for a time, but he will not have it lost for ever, that he cannot bear. What!? Lose one whom his Father gave him to be his own? Lose one whom he has bought with his own life? He will not endure the thought. That word—"if he lose one of them" sets his soul on fire. It shall not be. You know how much the Lord has valued each one of his chosen, laying down his life for his redemption. You know how dearly he loves every one of his people: it is no new passion with him, neither can it grow old. He has loved his own and must love them to the end. From eternity that love has endured already, and it must continue throughout the ages, for he does not change. Will he lose one of those so dearly loved? Never. He has eternal possession of them by a covenant of salt, wherein the Father has given them to him: this it is that in great measure stirs his soul so that he thinks of nothing but this fact,—one of my sheep is lost.
It dies not matter whether we are part of the flock two thousand years ago, or we are the flock of today, each one of us is as important to God. God regards us all as highly and would go to great lengths to find us and return us to the safety of his covenant.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
But without faith it is impossible to please God, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he will reward those who diligently seek him.
C
“The parables are no longer relevant for life today.” Do you agree?
I personally believe that parables are relevant in every day and age. Generally the human patterns of behaviour do not and have not dramatically changed, that is also true for the human ways of reacting to certain situations.
Throughout history stories have been a much loved part of society; lectures and sermons are not of as much interest and a parable is still an extremely effective way of captivating your audiences’ attention.
Another constructive quality of parables are that they compel you to think for yourself; when a person figures out for himself the meaning or relevance of something it encourages them and makes them feel good about themselves. People are also inclined to make a response; this furthers their understanding and heightens their awareness.
I do also understand that many people might feel that in today’s modern society, the parables of Jesus no longer have relevance as they may not deal with certain issues that can arise.
Furthermore, people can have difficulties perceiving the relevance when the story is set in an unfamiliar instance; but that can easily be overcome as most parables can be set to modern instances.