Jesus, after having received baptism in the river Jordan, begins His public ministry with the miracle at Cana. Previously, in our reading from Matthew, we have seen Jesus proclaiming the Kingdom of God. As He traveled across Judea and Galilee, He called His disciples, instructed them, preached in the synagogues, healed the sick, cast out demons and restored community to those who were rejected. He mingled freely with the sinners, forgave their sins, visited their homes, and dined with them; He is full of action.
Yesterday, we heard the parable of the Sower. He begins a new phase of his teachings with this parable. With this parable, He introduces a new way of getting his message of the kingdom across to His listeners. His disciples, rightly so, are surprised at why He uses parable, a type of story, that only a few people understand.
We all like listening to good stories, don’t we? They catch our attention, and it remains with us for a longer period.
What exactly is a parable? And why did Jesus use them? F. Dale Bruner defines parables this way: “they are riddle-like sayings, covering as much as conveying truth … they require ‘looking into’ in order to be understood.”
Why did Jesus use parables? Bruner offers two reasons:
- The hearts of those who rejected Him were already hard and, parables were a way to get into that hardness and make a difference.
- The secrets of God’s kingdom are meant for humble people with open minds and large receptive hearts, not for proud intellectuals who are closed to them.
The parables of Jesus invite us to respond personally. That is our responsibility. If we are not open, we will not hear Jesus’ message. If we hear and do not respond to the message, it may grow fainter and eventually disappear.
St. Paul tells the Romans that hearing the word of God leads to faith. (Romans 10:17) However, we are responsible for opening our hearts to the Word and for responding to that Word when we hear it. Scripture can be puzzling, vague, if we just read with a closed mind and heart. We must read prayerfully, with an openness so that we may receive whatever the Spirit wants to reveal to us, and our faith may grow.
He tells his disciples in today’s gospel that they are blessed to hear and understand. If we are already in the place where we hear and understand, Jesus’ words remind us that we too are blessed.
The question, however, to us is how do we use that privilege and live His Gospel?
