A sower went out to sow ...

Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

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There is just somethings about just that captures our attention. Often I find myself lost in thought as i read and consider the things that he taught. His style of teaching was so different than that of preachers back then and even today. He was not content to simply speak in religious verbiage but brought his message down to earth so that everyone could understand and learn. This is why he spoke so much in parables.

Parables like this one have a way of captivating our imagination. As I read I can see the seeds, the rocky ground, the thorns and the fertile soil. Yet I wonder if the crowds really understood what he was trying to teach. Perhaps, unlike me, they had the ability to connect the seed with God's word and the soil with the heart of man? Or possibly the Lord was simply interested in discerning who would be humble enough to ask questions?

Help my heart to remain humble Lord so that I can receive all that you have for me.