The Point of the Story

Today’s reading of the parable of the sower led me to reflect on the fact that we hear differently during the various stages of our life. When I was a child, I thought this parable was a good story. As a young adult, I was rather mercurial and open to accepting whichever interpretation of it that I read or heard. As an adult, reading the parable to myself, I sometimes felt on the verge of discovering a new and deeper meaning in it, but work and family life distracted me and I didn’t follow up on it. Now that I am older and have spent time in the school of hard knocks, I am inclined to see the parable in a new light. I have come to see that understanding the meaning of the parable is not as important as what we do with that understanding.

The parable of the sower is one of a string of parables found in Matthew 13. Jesus wasn’t just telling pithy stories, he was reminding his hearers that the longed for kingdom of heaven was at hand and that they had something to do with its coming. Hearing and understanding the word is essential, but living it is more important.

Thy kingdom come, Lord Jesus. Amen. — CKA

Contributed by The Point of the Story

Today's reading of the parable of the sower led me to reflect on the fact that we hear differently during the various stages of our life. When I was a child, I thought this parable was a good story. As a young adult, I was rather mercurial and open to accepting whichever interpretation of it that I read or heard. As an adult, reading the parable to myself, I sometimes felt on the verge of discovering a new and deeper meaning in it, but work and family life distracted me and I didn't follow up on it. Now that I am older and have spent time in the school of hard knocks, I am inclined to see the parable in a new light. I have come to see that understanding the meaning of the parable is not as important as what we do with that understanding. The parable of the sower is one of a string of parables found in Matthew 13. Jesus wasn't just telling pithy stories, he was reminding his hearers that the longed for kingdom of heaven was at hand and that they had something to do with its coming. Hearing and understanding the word is essential, but living it is more important.
Eternity for Today