Justin Appel
Dear Friends,
Today’s Gospel lesson contains a parable and a related explanation that seem wildly unfair to us. After telling the parable about the sower, Jesus explains the spiritual meaning behind the riddle, and about parables generally.
At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is preaching a kind of predestination: to whit, that due to a preordained reality, some people will accept Christ’s words, while others—for various reasons—will fall away from them. Jesus’ explanation of the parable to the disciples seems to have underscored this idea, that he intentionally spoke in parables to prevent some people from hearing, understanding, and believing.
However, St John Chrysostom states that this spiritual “blindness” is the result of a willful rejection of God’s kingdom. He goes so far as to call it a “self-chosen blindness.” We can continue in this condition because God may allow us to do so.
That’s a sobering thought. This means a responsibility lies upon each of us, on myself, to respond to God. The good soil of the parable might be likened to a good heart that receives God’s word and nourishes those seeds, allowing them to grow.
The parable indicates actions we can pursue. We can actively resist demonic power (St Paul teaches us to resist), develop spiritual depth and endurance, and clear away the thorns in our lives through repentance. We can attempt such difficult activity because God undoubtedly wants us to, and because he will perfect and complete any effort we begin in faith.
This ascetic way of prayer, humility, lack of judgement, participation in sacraments, and so forth—these are the sort of actions which, through the power and love of God, lead to good soil in our hearts. God sows the seeds and causes them to grow in our hearts. However, God asks us to do something, to take one step toward him so that he can make a thousand steps toward us!
Why would it be otherwise? Is not our whole existence to be found, as creatures, in returning to our Creator, in being united with him? Is this not the substance and purpose of our lives?
What else is there?
Yours in Christ,
—Justin