The Parable of the Sower
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
On this Sunday we celebrate the memory of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council and the reading for today is from the Gospel of Saint Luke regarding the Sower.
The Sower went forth to sow. God became Man for us in order to do and then to teach. The God-Man came to teach us the mystery of mysteries for human existence. He came to teach us about the many facets of divine love. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have life everlasting.” (John 3:16). And the Son sowed His word and revealed the antidote to the contagion of sin that has infected generations upon generations of the offspring of Adam, and that antidote is self-sacrificing, co-suffering love.
The Gospel of love has been sown, yet we see from this parable that there are many things that prevent it from taking root. Each of the various locations where the seed fell signifies the different conditions of men’s hearts.
The seed that fell on the wayside signifies the realm of false teachings where the Gospel of love is sown, but the fowls of the air, the foul demons come and steal away the word through heresy and false explanations of that word.
The seed that fell on the rock signifies a heart that at first receives the word with joy but in time of temptation falls away. These are those who are not rooted in steadfast adherence to Apostolic teaching. We know from the words of the Apostles and from their very lives that there will be temptations in the Christian life. There will be times of temptation from persecutions when, perhaps, Christians will have only God as their hope. There will also be times of temptations from scandal. The soul that is grounded in Apostolic teaching will recognize that a perpetrator of scandal has betrayed not only those around him, but he has betrayed even Christ Himself and His Gospel. Christ and His Church transcend perpetrators of scandal, no matter what their title or rank. Our Savior is not a respecter of persons and He foretold woe for those who would cause scandal in the Church, “Woe unto the world because of scandals! for it must needs be that scandals come; but woe to that man by whom scandal cometh!” (Matt 18:7)
The seed that fell among thorns are they that hear the word, but ambition, cares, riches and pleasure choke the word and their spiritual life becomes an empty pretense.
But the seed that fell among good ground, that is, was sown in ready hearts, brought forth fruit with patience. No labor or virtue can be steadfast without patience.
The Sower went forth to sow, and He conscripted the Holy Apostles to help in the spreading of this spiritual seed. It behooves us to mark what characteristics these men showed when they were chosen to spread the seed of the word of God.
Saint Peter was called after he had been listening to the teachings of our Savior and the Lord ordered him and his companions to let down their fishing net at a time and place where usually there would be no fish. When they miraculously received an enormous catch Peter fell down at our Savior’s knees and said, “depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” Our Lord comforted Saint Peter with the words, “Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men.”(Luke 5:8,10) And immediately they forsook all and followed our Lord.
Note well that upon seeing the miracle Saint Peter immediately confronted himself in the spirit of self-examination and then fell down before our Lord in utter humility, counting himself unworthy to be in His presence.
In another Gospel passage, Saint Nathaniel was recognized as a man in whom there was no guile and straightway he believed and was accepted as a disciple (John 1:47, 51). The Holy Scripture marks that guilessness and humility were important characteristics for those who were called by our Savior.
Another important example is Saint Paul. As he journeyed near Damascus, “…suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:3-6)
In a dramatic fashion, Saint Paul demonstrated repentance and ready obedience to the Word of God.
These were men that were made of the same flesh and blood as we all are, but they were changed through guilessness, humility, repentance and a ready obedience to the God of love. It is only when one begins with these basics in the spiritual life that one’s heart is made ready to receive the seed of the word of self-sacrificing love of the God-Man. Because these men made ready their hearts with guilessness, humility, repentance and a ready obedience to God they became more than men, they became grace filled Apostles and the nations were converted.
Not all are called to be Apostles, but as Christians we must ask ourselves, do we exhibit these qualities in our own lives? We must have the courage to look deeply within and confront our own actions and dispositions and ask ourselves: Are we filled with guilessness or guile? Are we filled with humility or pride and self-conceit? Are we filled with repentance or self-complacency and self-justification? Are we filled with a ready obedience to God or stiff-necked self-will?
Almost two thousand years have passed since our Savior spoke the words found in today’s Gospel. They are as relevant today as they were on the very day our Savior uttered them. The human condition has not changed. The Word of God greatly influenced much in the world, many were converted and, for a time, we had Christian kingdoms, Orthodox homelands. Alas, for our sins those days are passed. Today the Christians are few and far between. The love of many has waxed cold. One looks among the so-called leaders of many local Orthodox Churches and we see guile and a pride that has given birth to heresy. We see no repentance and no obedience to Holy Tradition and the Canons. How can love blossom forth under such conditions? There is no love of Truth Incarnate or the teachings He gave unto us through His Holy Apostles. What are we to do?
We can only look to The Sower. The Orthodox Church is not based on fallible men. The Orthodox Church is not based on personalities who can lead men astray. The Church is based on one Personality, that of the God-Man. As Saint Paul wrote:
Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1Cor 3:8-11)
Cults of personality that undermine authentic doctrine and Church order are repugnant to the teachings of the Apostles. As Christians we do not follow the commands of men, but rather we humbly offer ready obedience to Apostolic Tradition. In order to be a Christian today one must recognize the sinful guile and pride that has infected the leadership of many local Churches. The authentic sowers of the word of God today have to resemble the first generation of those chosen by the God-Man Himself to sow His word, that is, the very Apostles. Titles mean nothing, for as Saint Paul wrote concerning false teachers of his day,
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2Cor 11:13-15)
And But though we, or an Angel from heaven, preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be anathema. As we said before, and I say now again, If anyone preach any other Gospel unto you than that which ye have received, let him be anathema. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet sought to please men, I would not have been a servant of Christ. (Gal 1:8-10)
May God give you all the wisdom to recognize the evil in the world and flee from it and may you all prepare your hearts with guilelessness, humility, repentance and a ready obedience to the authentic Word of God so that the Kingdom of God blossom forth a hundred fold in your hearts. Amen.