“To throw alongside” a story with cryptic meaning is called a parable in Greek.
In Zen Buddhism, a parable is like a “koan,” which is a spiritual inquiry using perplexing language intended to rouse a student’s innate wisdom-mind to apply it to their own life. As Rabbi Ibn Ezra said of parables, “wisdom is demanded by the soul as food is by the body.”
Both parables and Koans have gaps; deliberate ambiguity.
Jesus noted wisely that only committed disciples will understand.
The Word is offered to all, regardless of their potential for accepting it. If they don’t, our First Reading says that God’s Word will still accomplish its purpose, even though much of it falls on deaf ears (Isaiah 55:10-11).
To solve a parable, you have to put it on the back burner after mulling it over.
It is the intuitive mind alone that can penetrate the essence and heart of a parable. Then it becomes a living reality, thoroughly relevant to one’s own life.
To illustrate, Robert Hoist shares, “Every fall, new students come to Concordia University. The admissions department has carefully screened their applications. They are admitted because they can succeed. They all have the ability to learn and to graduate. They are good people and good students.
But I know from history that some will be distracted.
Extraneous things will gobble up their time and talents. Perhaps the path of their life has been hard and they lack self confidence. Maybe anger at parents chews on them. They may carry a self-destructive grudge against former friends. Anger at themselves may gnaw away their ability to succeed. A variety of things, like vultures, gobble up their ability for educational growth. They soon drop out or flunk out.
Other students start well. They get to class on time and even sit in the front row. They love to ask questions. They engage in class discussions and are eager to share their own opinions. But their discipline is rocky. They have a hard time with time management. They don't plan usage of their time in order to start writing their papers on time. They socialize well but can't seem to find to time to read assignments. When the pressures get hot, they start to wilt. When it's time for an oral presentation or a midterm test or a final test, the heat is too much. They drop out or flunk out.
Some students make bad decisions about relationships. They get in with a seedy, weedy crowd. There are lots of places to have fun in a big city. City life crowds with sports events, theatres, museums, nightclubs, restaurants, bowling alleys and arcades. It's a great learning environment if one makes good decisions about sound time management. But some students' academic life begins to choke with too much time in too many places with too many non-academic activities. Even special academic tools can choke proper academic growth. Concordia University, St. Paul is a "laptop campus," which means as part of tuition every student gets a laptop computer. It's a marvelous education tool when used properly, but it strangles academic life if used it too much to play games, to send personal emails, or for random searches on internet. When academic demands, ability and interest are choked off, students will drop out or fail.
The majority of the new students, however, will grow and mature. They will study and learn. They will experience the goals of our Concordia Mission Statement which calls the faculty and staff to "prepare students for thoughtful and informed living, for dedicated service to God and humanity, and for enlightened care of God's creation, all in the context of the Christian Gospel." The new students' faith in God and knowledge in life will germinate and grow, and there will be a great harvest. When they graduate some serve in a variety of fruitful vocations in the United States of America. Some will go overseas to serve the Lord. Wherever they live and serve, they will be fruitful citizens in this world and as servant leaders in the Kingdom of God. (source) Robert Holst, Mission ablaze: a Bible study Missio apostolica, 13 no 2 Nov 2005, p 96-108.
2. We can imagine that the field was still a decent piece of land.
Unfortunately, it was probably near two roads, and people would cut across it. E.g. By some traumatic or tough experiences, how does Satan exploit my emotional wounds?
There was a part in the middle of the field where there were some rocks so large that they could not be removed. If my feeling of joy changes to sadness, am I aware that the sadness also will change, maybe into excitement, then back to joy again or another feeling?
One part of the field was always prone to thorny weeds. During the high school years, or college years, or during our working years, did the ground again change? Suffering equals pain x resistance. Jesus is giving us a heads-up, a MEMO, an advance notice. Can I accept with equanimity and calmness that tribulations and persecutions can and do happen, knowing that they don’t have to derail my faith and morals because even these things will pass?
Nevertheless, with a smooth motion the sower threw the seed evenly over the land. The Harvest bore fruit in staggering proportions. One hundred fold or even sixty or thirty. It points to the fulfillment that is coming which will far exceed all that we know here and now, if we are awake now by seeking wisdom, who will accomplish her task in us.
Amen.
