In Ireland, storytelling is an art form. For almost two thousand years, traditional storytellers called Seanchaí, passed on Irish history, culture and traditions to generation after generation of people. I come from a family of wonderful storytellers. Almost everything I know about my family history I learned from stories my mother and father told me. Even today, when I join my brothers and sisters at family gatherings we share stories as we pass our family history on to the next generation. Our stories evoke happy memories and sometime recall sad events. And when we share these stories, I can hear my mother's laugh and my father's brogue so clearly it is as if they are sitting with us in the room. Stories are powerful tools.
Jesus used stories, parables, to explain the kingdom of heaven. Beginning this Sunday and for the next two Sundays, we will hear Jesus tell several different parables describing the kingdom in common, everyday language using common, everyday images. Today we have the Parable of the Sower. Next Sunday we have the Parable of the Man Sowing Good Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. And on July 24 we will hear Jesus presenting the Kingdom of Heaven as a treasure hidden in a field, a pearl of great price and a fisherman’s net.
When the disciples asked Jesus why he spoke in parables, he answered, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. ... they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand" (Matt. 13:11,13). Jesus was not trying to repress or hide the truth. He says, "Whoever has ears ought to hear" (Matt. 13:9). However, many who did look and hear, particularly the orthodox leaders of the day, chose not to see or understand. They rejected Jesus and threw him out of the synagogues. So, Jesus took his message to the people. He preached wherever people gathered, in market places, town squares, by the sea, in the fields and in people's homes. He brought a message of hope, telling stories in language he knew they would understand with concrete examples from their daily lives: farming, fishing, commerce, cooking and relationships.
No matter what imagery he used, Jesus' message was consistent, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 10:7). The kingdom is here, present, now and it is open to you. Turn your lives around and follow me. For the disciples, the devout followers and those of us who did and do open our eyes to see, our ears to hear and our hearts to understand, Jesus offers a blessing: “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” (Matt.13:16-17). When our eyes, ears and hearts are open to understand Jesus' message, when we accept the message and when we incorporate that message into the way we live, Jesus becomes a living presence in our world.
God of the heavens,
God of the earth,
all creation awaits your gift of new life.
Prepare our hearts to receive the word of your Son,
that we may hear it, understand it,
and bear fruit a hundredfold.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
AMEN.
