Breaking the Word

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."  The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because 'they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.'  Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: 'You shall indeed hear but not understand you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.' "But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to 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…(Mt 13:1-23 )

Jesus was by the sea side and naturally one would expect a greater part of the hearers to be fisher folk. Again one would expect Jesus to speak parables that are connected to fishing and sea and so on. Sitting by the sea side Jesus speaks of parables related to sowing and harvesting. Could this be one of the reasons why the hearers did not understand what Jesus was preaching?

Jesus spoke many things in parables. He did not want the people to understand it as it was said. (Hear and hear yet they did not understand).  Mysteries of the kingdom could not be understood by the hearer on its own. It has to be revealed. Human intelligence and effort and seeking could not help a man to reach understanding. Jesus has to reveal it and explain it for the hearers.

Jesus by saying the following: "But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to 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” wants to tell the people that he is the perfect revelation and he is the only revealer of God to the people. That is why the prophets and the righteous longed to see him.

No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! "Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father. (Mt 10:24-33)

The disciple will be treated like the teacher and the slave like the master. Jesus was treated badly by the people. He was called by bad names (Beelzebul, drunkard, glutton, eunuch etc.). He was thrown out of the city, thrown out of the religion, and crucified. The disciple also will be thrown of the society, criticised by the religious people and persecuted in everyway.

The disciples should be bold enough to speak openly in public. They should be proclaiming always. They should proclaim all what they have heard from Jesus. They should not be afraid of people in proclaiming the word of God. Word of God will be met with opposition. Proclamation will be prevented. It will be objected to. The disciple should not be afraid of the persecutors.

The disciples should believe that they are cared for. God cares for all (whole) of his creation. He cared even for a sparrow. He also cares for even part of a creation. (Even all the hair of your head are counted). God is so caring and so protective. God will be more protective and caring for those who are his disciples and who proclaim his word in public.