Sunday 13 July 2008
- Bible Book:
- Matthew
"Then the disciples came and asked him, 'Why do you speak to them in parables?' He answered, 'To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. The reason I speak to them in parables is that seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand'." (v.10-13)
Background
The chapter before today's passage is about recognising evil.Jesus' opponents - the Pharisees - said his healing was the work ofdemons (Matthew12:24), while he suggests they would never be forgiven formistaking good for evil (
Today's passage is all about division - people separated from eachother.
There is a separation between two groups: those who look at whatJesus does - healing, teaching, defeating evil spirits - and seegood things, and those who look and don't get it. In the parableswhich follow, Jesus recognises that separation and emphasises it.Does he even widen it?
Jesus' words and actions are like seeds. Some people, he says, arelike soil where seeds can't grow. But where they can, where peoplerecognise what he brings as good, there's a huge harvest. A100-foldharvest is a mammoth, miraculous yield for a subsistencefarmer.
The kingdom has that effect on people. Some see it, others don't.The poor respond gladly, the rich go away empty. For those whounderstand, more and more makes sense. Those who don't seeliberation and healing as from God lose out on the secrets oflife.
To Ponder
We may see God's liberating work in Fairtradeprojects, but what if we hear an economist deriding them asirrelevant and detrimental to the workings of the market? How wouldyou respond to such an opinion?
Where today might Jesus say "Seeing they do notperceive ... nor do they understand" (verse 13)? Who might he sayit to?
When you see God's good works, how can you knowif the seed has taken root in you?