• "Parables: Their Original Purpose"
• Sermon for Sexagesima
• January 30, 2005
• The Reverend Stephen C. Scarlett

We often think of parables as stories told by Jesus to reveal truth. In the gospel today (Luke 8:4 ff.), Jesus tells us that his original purpose was the opposite. "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God; but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand."

Parables illustrate that there is a distinction between those who understand the true meaning of things and those who do not get it. God made a world that is full of signs-visible things that reveal truths that cannot be seen. As Romans says, "Ever since the creation of the world [God's] invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made" (1:20). Those who understand are able to see through the visible creation to the glory of the Creator. Those who can't see become idolaters, worshiping the creation as the end in and of itself.

The Bible is like this. Some people read the Bible and don't get it. They are offended by some surface detail-the treatment of the Canaanites or the offensive behavior of some character. They are never able to see how the story develops from beginning to end and how all comes to fruition in Christ. They miss the common themes, the allusions, the insights into God and human nature that are just a bit beneath the surface.

The liturgy is like this. It is a drama of ritual, symbol and word that reveals Christ to us or it is just so many unintelligible words and acts-depending upon whether one has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom, depending on whether one has eyes to see.

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed marked a turning point in the ministry of Jesus. Large crowds flocked to Jesus because of the miracles he performed. If you were sick, he could heal you. If you were hungry, he could feed you. The people were attracted because they saw the visible miracles, but they did not understand who he is, which is the deeper point to which his miracles pointed.

Consequently, Jesus began to teach in parables. Parables are designed to separate those who see only the things that are on the surface from those who can see the deeper truths of the gospel. To the casual hearer, Jesus is just telling farming stories. A man went out to sow seed and some grew and some did not and so what? But to the person who is willing to look deeper, to the person to whom it has been given to know, the parable reveals meaning.

The parable of the Sower and the Seed shows that Jesus had no rose-colored view of the motivation of the multitudes. He knew that as time passed and the crowds were exposed to the difficulties that come with a life of faith, most would turn away. The seed planted in their hearts would be overcome by the hostile forces of the world, the flesh and the devil.

The multitudes, ancient and modern, are attracted by the first proclamation of salvation, which is often accompanied by miracles and significant emotional comforts. But they are repelled by the struggle with the devil and sin that takes place over the longer term.

Mankind fell in the Garden and brought suffering and death into the human experience. Ever since then we have wanted to find some easy way to get rid of the uncomfortable consequences of sin. We want someone to tell us that it can all get better without pain and struggle, but the heart of the gospel is the Cross. Jesus did not come to wave a magic wand over our lives. He came to take our human nature upon him, to suffer and die for our sins and rise from the dead for us. Following him means sharing in his sufferings. It means, in the words of the baptismal service, that we "shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner, against sin, the world and the devil" (Prayer Book p. 280).

The more the multitudes came to understand that a life of faith would be difficult, the smaller the multitudes became. The devil was able to crush the faith of some. Various temptations and tests caused others to fall away. Still others were so preoccupied with concern for their happiness in this world that the progress of their faith was brought to a halt. This process of sifting continued until all abandoned Jesus on Maundy Thursday. And, then, on Good Friday, the multitudes played a different tune.

This process of sifting hasn't changed much in 2,000 years. The Parable of the Sower and the Seed still describes what ministry is like. But we should take heart that some of the seed fell on the good ground and bore fruit. "Unto you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God."

Those who endure in the faith and bear fruit face the same temptations that cause others to fall away. The difference is that when the word of God is sown in the good ground of a receptive heart, the new life that is formed is stronger than the impediments and overcomes them. Those who are faithful must also fight and struggle, but, by grace, they never give up.

The key word for the faithful in the parable is the last one. Jesus said, "the seed on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart bring forth fruit with patience." Patience in the New Testament means endurance. It means to continue on in faith through the obstacles to victory. As Hebrews says, "Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (12:1).

The important point for the season of Pre-Lent is that initial enthusiasm for the faith is not enough. We must not only begin to walk with Jesus when prayers are easily answered and God's presence is experienced; we must also continue to walk with Jesus when the struggle with sin is hard and God's presence is not experienced. The cross is the path and portal to Easter. As Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."