Matthew 13:1-23

 FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR A

Commentary of Fr. Fernando Armellini

Greetings to all. 

Last week, we reflected on the prayer that Jesus addressed to his Father in a difficult moment of his life, when the multitudes who had initially welcomed him with enthusiasm began to turn away from him, when his adversaries, the scribes and Pharisees, seemed to have achieved their goal of convincing the people that it was someone possessed by Beelzebub and that they should not follow him because he was a heretic. 

Let us imagine what we would have done in that difficult moment. It is easy to imagine because we find ourselves in the same situation that Jesus experienced; we also experience so many abandonments in our Church, a decrease and low interest in the Gospel. 

Let us think about what is happening with many of our catechists, who are sometimes confronted with parents with little interest in their children's catechesis. You hear expressions like, 'When will this catechism story end? With all that our children must do, this catechism class conflicts with the soccer tournament.' What do our catechists do so generously and admirably? They are tempted to get discouraged and go back to their own business. 

Jesus did not react this way because Jesus prayed, and we, on the other hand, pray little. Today's Gospel passage tells us what he did. He was not marked by defeat. He has a great treasure to give to the world, his Gospel, and he loves this humanity madly, and although it opposes him, he does not resign himself to rejection. Today, we will see him take up the proclamation of the Gospel again, and he will do it in a new way because he wants this message of joy and salvation to be accepted. 

What does he do? He presents it in a new language; he resorts to parables. Why does he resort to parables? Before, he tried to reason, but it was not effective. Now, he tries the parable because the parable has a great advantage over reasoning. The reasoning gives reasons why, and the interlocutor can also be put against the wall and compelled to accept a truth thrown at him from outside. This truth often conflicts with his convictions and sometimes even forces him to change many aspects of his life, and he will try to disengage from this truth. 

The parable doesn't throw the truth in front of you; it makes it come out from inside, that is, the person who tells it forces you to take the side of one of the characters, and at the end comes the choice, but the choice is the one that comes from within, and then you can no longer reject the truth because you have said it. It is the classic example of the parable of the prophet Nathan that when he found out that David had sinned with Bathsheba and had caused her husband, Uriah the Hittite, to be killed, Nathan presented himself to David and told him that there was a poor farmer who had a very dear little sheep which he caressed; it was his only satisfaction, and there was another one who had a large flock, and this rich man, when a friend of his came for dinner had killed the sheep of that poor farmer. David jumped up and said, 'Bring in that wretched criminal,’ but Nathan said to him, 'You are that criminal; you are the one who did those things.' David can no longer turn back because the truth comes from within. If Nathan had come to him with reasoning and said, 'You are an adulterer, a criminal, a murderer,' David would have said to him, 'She is the one who seduced me; go away, you must have more respect.' David would have remained as before; he had an escape, but with the parable, he could no longer hide. 

This is the advantage of the parable's logic. I made this long introduction because Jesus is a Semite, and Semites like to speak with images, metaphors, allegories, proverbs, and enigmas. I also made this introduction because, for three Sundays, we will listen to Jesus' parables. 

Let's listen to how the first one is introduced: 

“That day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables.” 

Jesus told many parables; what did the evangelist Matthew do? He chose seven of them and placed them in chapter 13 of his Gospel. Of course, these are parables that Jesus told in different places and times. Having put them together, the evangelist had to create an artificial narrative framework with theological meaning. 

Let us examine this framework. First, the place where Jesus pronounces these parables. “That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake [literally: ‘by the sea’].” First, Where? by the sea is where Jesus pronounces these parables. But there is no sea in Galilee; there is a small lake. In the Gospels, it is called a sea, and we will also see a multitude that Jesus gathers there before that lake; the evangelist intends to tell us, 'Beware because Jesus is inviting you to make an exodus, to leave the land of slavery where you find yourself and to let yourself go free.' 

Second observation: Jesus leaves the house with the disciples. In the Gospels, that house always represents the community where the disciples meet with the Master. And let's observe well: This community cannot remain in the house because there are immense multitudes, all humanity waiting for the message of salvation. In going out, this Church goes out of the house to meet these multitudes with the Master. 

Soon, we will find this community in the boat, and the boat we know has always represented the Christian community, the Church, the new humanity born of the Gospel, like that new humanity born of the flood. We find, therefore, this first group next to Jesus. It represents those who have joined the Master and are in the boat. Of course, we know that these disciples had not yet given him their convinced adhesion, but in this narrative framework, the evangelist introduces us to this community in the boat; he indicates those who have already given their adherence to the Master. 

Then, a second group that still does not belong to this community appears. It does not get into the boat; it remains on the shore and will have to leave that shore. The parables must achieve that to get them to adhere to Jesus's proposal. He will not do it with reasoning, as he said, but through the parable so that the conviction arises within these people, and they accept to adhere to the Master. 

Let us now listen to the parable. 

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” 

The first character of the parable is easy to identify; the sower is Jesus. He now encounters this community. He has gone out of the house to meet the multitudes. But where does he come from? Where did this sower come from? He comes from heaven; he comes from the Father; he comes from God; he is the Son of God who came to bring the seed of the word into the world, that is, to create a new humanity. 

This sower has already sown much seed, and what he has produced seems very little. What is the reason for this apparent failure? Jesus tells the parable precisely to answer this question, for it is to us that the parable is addressed, to us who get discouraged when we do not see the results we expect. We ask ourselves, Is it worthwhile to continue sowing to proclaim the Gospel if people are less and less interested in hearing it? Also, is this seed of the word effective or not? Because even those in whom it is sown, what do they produce? People who go to Church but then in the family don't get along; they pick on the neighbors, who respond with resentment, and these neighbors also go to Church. Even if we look at the world, for 2000 years, the Gospel has been proclaimed, and there are still wars, injustice, violence, and misery; in short, let's admit it, the results are relatively few. 

Then we asked ourselves, wasn't this message supposed to create a new humanity? What is the reason for these poor results? The question might arise whether the seed is to blame for being ineffective; perhaps they could have produced more. Here is the first question. Let's drop this seed and plant something else. Or maybe the fault lies with the sower who got the time of sowing wrong. 

The parable wants to answer these questions. These are the questions we ask ourselves today. The bad results, the parable tells us, do not depend on the preacher or the sower nor on the quality of the seed, which is excellent; they rely only on the soil in which this seed falls. The parable will invite us to direct our attention to the different soils because the result is at stake. We will have to work on these soils. How do we make them productive? We will see this in the last part of today's Gospel passage. 

First, a parenthesis is provoked by a question the disciples asked Jesus. Let us listen to this question: 

“The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ He replied, ‘Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have, will be taken from them. I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: ‘‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’” 

The disciples asked Jesus this: Here in Capernaum, we have all heard the same Gospel; how is it that we have understood it and we have given our adhesion because the message that you propose is beautiful, who accept it become beautiful, but others have not let themselves be involved in your word. And this is also the question that we ask ourselves today. Matthew puts it in the mouth of the disciples, but it is to make us hear Jesus' answer. We priests have often heard from mothers who are also catechists who ask us, Why doesn't my good husband come to the Gospel meetings that are so beautiful, so exciting? Why doesn't he fall in love with the word of God? Why doesn't my son participate in community meetings that are so beautiful that he can learn so many things and do so much good? The answer of Jesus is for us who ask ourselves these questions because some say 'yes' to the Gospel, and others say 'no' to the Gospel. 

Jesus's answer must be well understood because it could be misunderstood; he says, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” This answer of Jesus could suggest that some are favored and predestined for salvation, and others are not. This answer of Jesus means, first, that 'it has been given to you,' i.e., that faith is a gift of which you must be conscious and give thanks to the Lord, and it is a gift that has been offered to all. The first letter to Timothy, in chapter 2, says that God wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. 

Then, for mysterious reasons, the way to God and Christ is not the same for all; some come first, and others come later. Some have not had the good fortune to hear the Gospel, and there are also those who are interested in other things by their own choice. These are the different terrains. The reception and the fruit do not depend on the seed or the one who brought this seed into the world, Christ. It depends only on the soil, which can be more or less prepared. 

Is it any wonder that this happens? Jesus answers, 'No,' and Jesus cites the example of the prophets of the Old Testament. They, too, proclaimed the word of God, but how often were they heard? Seldom. For instance, in Isaiah's time (and Jesus quotes him), the people covered their ears so as not to listen to his prophecies, and they hardened their hearts not to let this word that called to conversion penetrate. They were not deaf and blind; they saw and heard very well. They understood what the prophet was saying but did not want to receive the message, so they defended themselves from this word. There may also be some responsibility for these rejections of the Gospel. 

So, what does Jesus do? He announces this Gospel with parables. Now, we will hear what they represent. We will also see how to work these four terrains to become productive. Let's listen: 

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” 

The prophet Isaiah uses another image to underline the efficacy of God's word when it penetrates man's heart, always produces extraordinary effects; he says it is like the rain and the snow that come down from heaven and do not return without having watered the earth, without having fertilized it and made the seed germinate. Jesus also says that the scarcity of fruits depends not on the seed but on the soil type, and he lists four such soils. 

To get the message, I want to make two observations. The first one refers to the type of soil that makes up the land of Israel; those who have visited it know that the fields are full of brambles and paths, those paths which are formed during the uncultivated season, when the people shorten the way and form these paths; it is also full of stones. The rabbis of the time of Jesus used to say that when God created the world, He had four buckets of stones; with three buckets, he made the land of Israel, and with the other bucket, the mountains of the rest of the world. It's a compelling image to say how rocky this land is, but when you get a field cleared, the land is magnificent and produces plenty. Remember that the sowing was done by scattering, and they mixed the seed with some soil to distribute it better, more evenly; they threw it, and it fell where it fell; the soil they had was that and no other. 

Second observation. These four soils do not represent four types of people, but four terrains are present in each of us. We are tempted to categorize those we know by this image. No; they are within each of us, and each is invited to work these grounds so that when the word of God comes, it can penetrate and transform our lives. 

The first of the soils: Paths with hard ground; when the seed falls there, it does not penetrate and is as if it had not been sown. The birds of the air come, and if they peck it, nothing is left. The Israelites did not pity the sparrows; there were blessings for all of God's creatures, but none for the sparrows because they pecked the seeds. But birds, especially birds of prey, represented in the Bible the temptations of paganism; they represent the pagan peoples who were trying to seduce Israel with their proposals of immoral life; they were trying to turn Israel away from the covenant with their God. 

Let us remember that when Abraham wants to make a covenant with God, come those birds of prey that try to prevent this covenant. This bird of prey is paganism, and since we are surrounded by paganism, even today, let us remember that the word of God is being pecked at by this pagan conception in which we are immersed today in our society. 

Here is, then, the first reason why the word of the Gospel does not bear fruit: it cannot enter into hearts that are hardened. Who made them so? We know very well that what makes our hearts unfeeling to the word of God are those paths that are well-trodden because that's where many people go: secularization, permissiveness, Things are OK because everyone does it, the insulting and vulgar speeches to which we so often pay attention, the moral proposals that circulate in the media, the ephemeral world of fashions... 

We end up losing our heads because of these things. How does the word of the Gospel, which requires reflection and silence, dwell in our hearts? If you are young and on Sunday you are present at the Eucharistic celebration still dazed by the disco music, how can you tune your heart to the Gospel? So, what to do? We must till this hardened soil (I repeat, it is present in each of us). Some suggestions to till this soil. 

The first one: During the week, from time to time, take the Gospel, perhaps before going to sleep, read a passage. Also, read in advance the Gospel passage you will hear on Sunday; you will arrive there prepared; try to understand, perhaps with some explanation of the text, the message in that text; you will have cleared the ground. 

The second suggestion. On Saturday nights, forget about specific insulting TV programs; they waste your time, so in the morning, you will be in a suitable condition to listen to the Gospel passage. And try to identify those heathen birds who immediately grasp the word of the Gospel and forget it as soon as they hear it. 

The second terrain (always present in each of us) is the rocky terrain, where there is a little bit of earth; when the seed falls, which is the word of God, it takes root immediately, but it does not hold because it lacks soil. With this metaphor of the stony ground with little soil, Jesus presents the experience of those who, upon hearing his Gospel, are immediately enthusiastic and adhere to it, but how long does this enthusiasm last? Even today, we witness many religious manifestations that attract large crowds, and even the media takes an interest in these meetings, but let's ask ourselves, do those who participate have a deep spiritual experience that leaves a mark in their lives? Or, as the prophet Hosea says, it is like the morning cloud, like the dew, that as soon as the first ray of the sun rises, it immediately vanishes. 

This rocky ground, with little soil, is the image of these strong but ephemeral enthusiasms. It is this emotional experience that we do not want to discard, but then they must face the daily work of faith; we need to add soil, that is, the word of God. How to get this soil? First of all, you have to stay united to your community, to the brothers and sisters of faith; if you move away from the community, if you don't participate faithfully in the Eucharistic celebration on the Lord's Day, you can be sure that in a few weeks, you will see how everything dries up in your heart, everything hardens in your heart because too many people pass you by in three weeks in your heart. The Gospel no longer penetrates your heart. Think of what happens if, in one month, you do not participate in the Sunday Eucharistic celebration; everything dries up in your heart, and you need your brothers and sisters reminders, advice, and support; if you are left alone, you are immediately left without soil. 

Third land, the land of thorns. These thorns represent all the oppositions that the word of God encounters in daily life. Concerns for health, profession, family, and friendships are good things, but if these preoccupations absorb all the concern and energy, the seed of the word is choked; it does not germinate anymore; it dies. The frenetic activism of modern man who cannot think of anything else but material things, the attachment to this world's goods, the professional success... Be careful; they make you lose your head; they are thorns that choke the interest in the Gospel. 

How do we keep the earth free of these thorns? There is only one way: prayer: constant dialogue with the Lord. Faith is an infatuation with Christ. And when you unite with Him because you decide to join your life with His, it is like a marriage. But marriages can break up; we see it all the time. Why do couples break up? Because communication, dialogue, and mutual interest begin to diminish. Then, one ends up being interested in lovers. Also, divorces between the disciples and Christ occur for the same reason. If the dialogue with him is interrupted, one ends up at the mercy of this world's idols, worries, problems, and anxieties. 

Finally, the fourth ground. Fortunately, this is also present in each one of us. The soil is beautiful. The Greek text says: τὴν καλὴν - ten kalén, not the 'good' soil but the 'beautiful' soil. This bears fruit “a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” It's the beautiful heart in which the Gospel produces abundant fruit and produces a beautiful life, and that's what we verify today. Where the Gospel is taken seriously, takes root in life produces beautiful people. Jesus insists on this beauty that he wants to see in his disciples. 

Unfortunately, the translations translate 'good' when one should translate 'beautiful' - 'kalós' in Greek. For example, the beautiful tree, which is him, bears gorgeous fruits, which are us. Jesus wants beautiful people, and these lovely people are born when we cultivate well and work well on this beautiful soil in each of us. 

We see that the seed that is sown is lost mainly because it falls among the thorns, on the stones, and on the paths. Then what to do? Some get discouraged and say, 'I stop sowing this seed.' How many catechists say, 'Since people are not interested, I don't proclaim the Gospel anymore.' This is the mistake. Since a lot of seed is lost, the solution is to sow more; this sowing must be more abundant so that good soil is found in all, and this good soil may bear great fruit. 

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.