To begin, let’s look first at Jesus’ ministry tour within the pertinent verses: Luke 7:18-8:25. There are several narratives here. The first concerns John, the Baptist. John is facing a crisis, literally a life and death struggle. From prison, he sends his emissaries to ask Jesus a question: “Are you the Messiah, or should we look for another?” Why this question? Is it as simple as, “Jesus, are you the King we were promised from the Scriptures? The King who would sit on the throne of David forever?” Or, was it more personal, more desperate. Something like, “Jesus, help me! Save me from certain death!” Jesus sends word back to John that, essentially, the evidence is in the fruit of His ministry. The gospel is being preached and it is bearing fruit. Souls are being saved. People are being healed. The Kingdom of God has come to men. That may have been small comfort to someone in John’s predicament, but the message to John is this: in the midst of persecution, stay strong! Keep the Faith!
In the second vignette, Luke tells the story of a Pharisee, Simon, who invites Jesus to supper. It seems that this is an exploratory mission on Simon’s part on behalf of the Sanhedrin. It also seems that this dinner is not necessarily adversarial, as some of Jesus’ future encounters with the religious leaders will prove to be. During the supper, an unnamed woman walks in silently and begins to anoint Jesus’ feet with perfume (spikenard) that she pours from an alabaster vessel. This process is exquisitely intimate, causing discomfort and some disgust amongst some of Simon’s guests. When Simon begins to, but think in an accusatory manner toward the woman’s actions and Jesus’ seeming ignorance of what kind of woman she might be, Jesus responds by first, discerning Simon’s thoughts, then by telling a short parable about forgiveness, with the over-arching thought being that he or she who has been forgiven little, while he or she who has been forgiven much responds by loving much; the unnamed woman being Jesus’ example. What is not known is whether Jesus had had a previous encounter with this woman, but when I compare her actions to Song of Solomon 1:12, I take her actions as a silent declaration of Jesus’ being the Messiah. My guess is that Luke may have been familiar with that same Messianic Prophecy.
The third vignette points to an expansion of Jesus’ ministry in two ways. Geographically, Jesus expands His ministry to reach the entirety of Northern Israel, preaching in all of the villages. Additionally, Luke documents that a number of prominent women began to follow Jesus and provide, apparently, financial support to the ministry. So then, Jesus is building a Church accepting of diverse members of the community.
The fourth and fifth vignettes include the Parable of the Sower, Jesus’ explanation of the parable to His disciples, and finally, a set of proverbs, one building upon the other, that emphasize Jesus’ final point that it is of vital importance that those who hear His words take them to heart so that they will receive the reward God has for them, namely eternal and everlasting life.
The sixth vignette places further emphasis on the previous point about hearing. In this moment, Jesus is pressed by a large crowd and someone points out to Him that His mothers and brothers are trying to reach Him through the press. Jesus responds by saying to all within earshot that those who hear His words and believe them, it is they who are His brothers and sisters. In this statement, He confirms that a glorious inheritance awaits those who take up their cross and follow Him.
The seventh, and last vignette is the narrative of Jesus calming the storm. After demonstrating His mastery over, even the elements of nature, the disciples aboard the boat with Him find themselves asking the question collectively, “Who is this man, that even the winds and the rain obey Him?” How similar is this to John’s original query about whether or not Jesus was the Messiah? Notably, Jesus’ response to the disciples was different than His response to John. Where Jesus encouraged John by presenting to Him the evidence of His Majesty, He chastised the disciples with a question, “Where is your faith?!” And so these seven vignettes have taken us full circle. How does this relate to the Parable of the Sower specifically?
The seed that fell by the wayside and was eaten by the birds was the word of God that was rejected by the hearers, in our case, Simon and his religious compatriots. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 tells us, “...if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god (Satan) of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Beloved, in this parable, only the religious leaders are at risk of missing out on salvation.
In the case of the woman who preached the gospel in silence, anointing Jesus’ feet with her tears, she opened a door for others, particularly women to join Jesus as co-laborers in the gospel. John and the disciples round out the example of those who have heard or seen the power of God but are at risk of losing heart. In both cases, they received encouragement from Jesus, either by His Words or by His Presence. Whether you apply the ‘rocks’ or ‘thorns’ analogy, both were under pressure, with their very belief system being challenged to the core. Jesus encouraged them and us through His actions.
Finally, with His final words in the parable, the proverbs on hearing, He encourages us down through the ages to remain diligent in applying His Word to our lives individually, and remaining patient in all things with the confidence that the work that He (Jesus) has begun in us, He will complete. That finished work will culminate with us spending eternity with Him in His Kingdom.
Selah
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