Luke 8:4-15 NRSVue
4When a large crowd was gathering, as people were coming to him from town after town, he said in a parable: 5“A sower went out to sow his seed, and as he sowed some fell on a path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6Some fell on rock, and as it grew up it withered for lack of moisture. 7Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8Some fell into good soil, and when it grew it produced a hundredfold.” As he said this, he called out, “If you have ears to hear, then hear!”
9Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but to others I speak in parables, so that
‘looking they may not perceive and hearing they may not understand.’
11“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. 14As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with endurance.
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Some thoughts on this scripture
Reflection
We move to the discourse made up of the parables beginning with the parable of the sower and its explanation with a short note on the purpose of the parables. Though the explanation of the parable is usually taken as the work of the Christian community, the explanation, emphasizing how the proclamation was received fits the parable itself perfectly; many did not receive the word of Christ, others did not persevere etc. but the word itself is powerful and in many produced, and continues to produce, a hundred fold yield.
Reflection
Matthew states that he always spoke to the crowds in parables to expound to them things hidden since the foundation of the world. Let us pause now to thank the Lord for his revelation through the parables.