Introduction
Jesus is a master storyteller, indeed, the model for all storytellers. He uses elements from life, familiar to his listeners, to teach them and us about God.
They (We) are challenged to recognise God’s presence in the small and ordinary things in life and to have faith in the goodness of God.
At a time when world leaders are hell-bent of destroying the good will of people and nations, we can step aside and observe the tiny, almost imperceptible acts of kindness and the everyday tasks of ordinary people and recognise the Spirit of God building the kingdom of heaven.
Let us give thanks to God for the stories Jesus shares with us. May God’s Kingdom come. May God’s Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.
The Gospel
Jesus put another parable before the crowds: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said, “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?” “Some enemy has done this” he answered. And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?” But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
He put another parable before them: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the biggest shrub of all and becomes a tree so that the birds of the air come and shelter in its branches.’
He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the yeast a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour till it was leavened all through.’
In all this Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables; indeed, he would never speak to them except in parables. This was to fulfil the prophecy: I will speak to you in parables and expound things hidden since the foundation of the world.
Then, leaving the crowds, he went to the house; and his disciples came to him and said, ‘Explain the parable about the darnel in the field to us.’ He said in reply, ‘The sower of the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world; the good seed is the subjects of the kingdom; the darnel, the subjects of the evil one; the enemy who sowed them, the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; the reapers are the angels. Well then, just as the darnel is gathered up and burnt in the fire, so it will be at the end of time. The Son of Man will send his angels and they will gather out of his kingdom all things that provoke offences and all who do evil, and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth. Then the virtuous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Listen, anyone who has ears!’ (Matthew 13:24-43)
The Enquiry
See
What do you observe about the world described by Jesus through the parables he uses in this Gospel passage? How similar to or different is it from the world that you experience?
What impact do Jesus’ stories have on the world then and now? Are people more hopeful or more despairing because of his stories?
Why does Jesus tell these stories? What has been forgotten by his followers that they need to be reminded about by him?
Judge
What do you think about Jesus’ message? Is it something you need to hear? Or is our world too far off course for his message to be relevant?
What would the world be like today if people needed his message?
What is there about his parables that you find hard to accept?
Act
What change do you want to bring about in the world and in yourself?
What small action can you carry out that will contribute to bringing about this transformation in yourself and in the world?
Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?
Image Source: Fr Lawrence Lew OP (Creator), Parable of the Mustard Seed, Stained glass window from the Episcopal National Cathedral in Washington DC., Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0