A parable is a short moral story and is a device used by Jesus often in the Christian New Testament. Jesus used parables to make his audience think. He challenged them to a new interpretation of the Kingdom of God, turning the views of the day upside down.
How To Study a Parable:
- Study the three parts: the setting, the story, and the spiritual message
- Observe three principles in finding the central message:
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- Each parable has only one, central message.
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- Each parable has a number of details that have a spiritual significance of their own, but all of these details also relate to the one spiritual message.
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- Each parable has details that have no special spiritual significance;
- Study the application or applications to our own life and service.
The Parable of the Sower and the Soil
Matthew 13:3-9: Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "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. He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 13:18-23 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 his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
This parable likens the human heart to soil and the “truth” is like a seed. If our hearts are hard, it is more difficult for the truth of a situation to get through to us. If we do not have the patience to tolerate difficult situations to get to the truth, our hearts are like stony ground – the lesson we are faced with never has a chance to take root because we will not stay in the struggle long enough for it to pay off. If the cares of the world distract us from doing what is right, it's like the seed in thorny ground – even if we know what is right, if we are distracted from practicing it, what good is our knowledge? But if we open our hearts and minds to possibilities that are outside of the realm of our current understanding and practice life principles that foster understanding and growth, we will be like healthy plants and our lives will be like plants that feed a hungry world and make the world a better place.
Activities To Practice At Home
Write your own parable about 4 people in today’s world and the way they choose to react to the challenge to follow Jesus OR to follow the search for truth. Base your characters on the ideas in the parable of the sower.
Watch seeds sprout. Line a glass jar with a damp paper towel and insert several seeds ( such as zucchini, lentils or peas ) between the glass and the towel. Place a lid on the jar, leave it on the kitchen counter, and check the paper every day to make sure it's still moist. Seeds should sprout in a few days.
Read some other parables in the Christian New Testament:
- The Lamp Under a Basket – Matthew 5:14-16
- A Wise Man Builds on a Rock – Matthew 7:24-27
- The Workers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1-16
- The Talents – Matthew 25: 14-30
- The Faithful and Wise Servant – Luke 12: 35-40
- The Lost Coin – Luke 15:11-32
Like parables, Aesop’s Fables are examples of moral stories. Check out a book of Aesop’s Fables from the library or go to http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Aesop/Aesops_Fables/ to read the fables online.
LOVING KINDNESS MEDITATION to cultivate the “soil” of our lives: The practice always begins with developing a loving acceptance of yourself. If resistance is experienced then it indicates that feelings of unworthiness are present. This means there is work to be done, as the practice itself is designed to overcome any feelings of self-doubt or negativity. After accepting yourself, you are ready to develop loving-kindness towards others.
Four types of persons to develop loving-kindness towards:
- A respected, beloved person — such as a spiritual teacher;
- A dearly beloved — a close family member or friend
- A neutral person — somebody you know, but have no special feelings towards,
e.g. person who serves you in a shop;
- A hostile person — someone you are currently having difficulty with.
Start with yourself, then systematically send loving-kindness from person to person in the above order. This will have the effect of breaking down the divisions within your own mind, the source of much of the conflict we experience.
Ways of arousing feelings of loving-kindness:
- Visualization — Bring up a mental picture. See yourself or the person the feeling is directed at smiling back at you or just being joyous.
- By reflection — Reflect on the positive qualities of a person and the acts of kindness they have done. And to yourself, making an affirmation, a positive statement about yourself, using your own words.
- Auditory — This is the simplest way but probably the most effective. Repeat an internalized mantra or phrase such as 'loving-kindness'.The visualizations, reflections and the repetition of loving-kindness are devices to help you arouse positive feelings of loving-kindness.
You can use all of them or one that works best for you. When the positive feelings arise, switch from the devices to the feeling, as it is the feeling that is the primary focus. Keep the mind fixed on the feeling, if it strays bring it back to the device, or if the feelings weaken or are lost then return to the device, i.e. use the visualization to bring back or strengthen the feeling. (from www.buddhanet.net )
Updated Sept 7, 2007 wfr
