The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:1-15.

SUMMARY
In the story, a sower sows seed and does so
indiscriminately. Some seed falls on the path (way side) with
no soil, on rocky ground with little soil, and soil which
contained thorns, and in those cases it is lost or fails to
produce a crop, but when it falls on good soil it grows,
yielding thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

REFECTION:

Jesus then only in the presence of disciples explains

that the seed represents the Gospel the sower being
anyone who proclaims it, and the various soils represent
people's responses to it the first three representing rejection
while the last represents acceptance and the extent
thereof. It is notable that the sower does not do any sort of
soil preparation beforehand; a possible interpretation being
that God does that beforehand to the extent He chooses.
The Parable of the Pearl (also called the Pearl of Great Price)
is one of the parables of Jesus. Matthew 13:45-46

SUMMARY:
It is Illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of
Heaven. It is the penultimate parable in Matthew 13, just
before the Parable of the Dragnet.
It immediately follows the Parable of the Hidden
Treasure, which has a similar theme. It does not appear in
the other synoptic gospels but a version of this parable
does appear in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas,
Saying 76. The parable has been depicted by artists such
as Domenico Fetti.

REFLECTION:

My reflection it is the kingdom of heaven is like unto a

merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had
found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he
had, and bought it. A less common interpretation of the
parable is that the merchant represents Jesus, and the pearl
represents the Christian Church.
 Parable of the Mustard Seed
Matthew (13:31–32), Mark (4:30–32), and Luke (13:18–19).

SUMMARY:

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, it is immediately

followed by the Parable of the Leaven, which shares this
parable's theme of the Kingdom of Heaven growing from
small beginnings. It also appears in the non-canonical
Gospel of Thomas. He set another man before them, saying,
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed,
which a man took, and sowed in his field; which indeed is
smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than
the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air
come and lodge in its branches."

REFLECTION:
It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took,
and put in his own garden. It grew, and became a large
tree, and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches. He
plant referred to here is generally considered to be black
mustard, a large annual plant up to 9 feet (2.7 m) tall, but
growing from a proverbially small seed[1] (this smallness is
also used to refer to faith. According to rabbinical sources,
Jews did not grow the plant in gardens, and this is consistent
with Matthew's description of it growing in a field.
 Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25–37

SUMMARY:
It is about a traveler who is stripped of clothing, beaten,
and left half dead alongside the road. First a priest and then
a Levite come by, but both avoid the man. Finally,
a Samaritan happens upon the traveler. Samaritans
and Jews generally despised each other, but the Samaritan
helps the injured man. Jesus is described as telling the
parable in response to the question from a lawyer, "And
who is my neighbor?" who Leviticus Lev 19:18 says should be
loved. In response, Jesus tells the parable, the conclusion of
which is that the neighbor figure in the parable is the man
who shows mercy to the injured man that is, the Samaritan.

REFLECTION:
Some Christians, such as Augustine, have interpreted
the parable allegorically, with the Samaritan representing
Jesus Christ, who saves the sinful soul. Others, however,
discount this allegory as unrelated to the parable's original
meaning and see the parable as exemplifying the ethics of
Jesus.
The parable has inspired painting, sculpture, satire,
poetry, and film. The colloquial phrase "good Samaritan",
meaning someone who helps a stranger, derives from this
parable, and many hospitals and charitable organizations
are named after the Good Samaritan.
 Parable of the Friend at Night
(Or of the Importunate Neighbor)
Luke 11:5-8.

SUMMARY:

He said to them, "Which of you, if you go to a friend at

midnight, and tell him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of
bread, for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey,
and I have nothing to set before him,' and he from within will
answer and say, 'Don't bother me. The door is now shut, and
my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give it to
you'? I tell you, although he will not rise and give it to him
because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he
will get up and give him as many as he needs."

REFLECTION:
The scene described in this parable suggests a single-
roomed peasant house, where the whole family sleeps
together on a mat on the floor, and a man travelling by
night to avoid the heat of the day. The reason for the
friend's request is hospitality, a sacred duty throughout the
Mediterranean world in antiquity.
 The Parable of the Lost Coin Luke 15:8–10.

SUMMARY:
In it, a woman searches for a lost coin, finds it, and
rejoices. It is a member of a trilogy
on redemption that Jesus tells after the Pharisees and
religious leaders accuse him of welcoming and eating
with "sinners. Or what woman, if she had ten drachma
coins, if she lost one drachma coin, wouldn't light a
lamp, sweep the house, and seek diligently until she
found it? When she has found it, she calls together her
friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I
have found the drachma which I had lost.' Even so, I
tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner repenting.

REFLECTION:
The woman described is a poor peasant, and the ten
silver coins, corresponding to ten days wages, likely
represent the family savings. The coins may also have been
the woman's dowry, worn as an ornament. Both theories
may be true, and either one explains the urgency of the
woman's search, and the extent of her joy when the missing
coin is found.
 The Parable of the Hidden Treasure Matthew 13:44

SUMMARY:
Illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of
Heaven. It immediately precedes the parable of the
Pearl, which has a similar theme. The parable has been
depicted by artists such as Rembrandt. Again, the
Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field,
which a man found, and hid. In his joy, he goes and
sells all that he has, and buys that field.

REFLECTION:
This parable is generally interpreted as illustrating
the great value of the Kingdom of Heaven, and thus
has a similar theme to the parable of the pearl. John
Nolland comments that the good fortune reflected in
the "finding" reflects a "special privilege, and a source
of joy, but also reflects a challenge, just as the man in
the parable gives up all that he has, in order to lay
claim to the greater treasure he has found.
 The Parable of the Prodigal Son Luke (15:11–32)

SUMMARY:

In the story, a father has two sons. The younger son asks
for his inheritance and after wasting his fortune (the
word prodigal means "wastefully extravagant"), becomes
destitute. He returns home with the intention of begging his
father to be made one of his hired servants, expecting his
relationship with his father is likely severed.
The father welcomes him back and celebrates his return.
The older son refuses to participate. The father reminds the
older son that one day he will inherit everything, and that
they should still celebrate the return of the younger son
because he was lost and is now found.

REFLECTION:
The parable concludes with the father explaining that
because the younger son had returned, in a sense, from the
dead, celebration was necessary. But it was appropriate to
celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead,
and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.
 The parable of the rich man and Lazarus Gospel of
Luke (Luke 16:19–31)

SUMMARY:
There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and
fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid
a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing
to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs
came and licked his sores.
The time came when the beggar died and the angels
carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and
was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment; he looked
up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So
he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and
send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my
tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.

REFLECTION:
Therefore I conclude that the bosom of Abraham
signifies nothing else than the Word of God, the hell here
mentioned cannot be the true hell that will begin on the
Day of Judgment. For the corpse of the rich man is without
doubt not in hell, but buried in the earth; it must however be
a place where the soul can be and has no peace, and it
cannot be corporeal. Therefore it seems to me, this hell is
the conscience, which is without faith and without the Word
of God, in which the soul is buried and held until the Day of
Judgment, when they are cast down body and soul into the
true and real hell.
 The Parable of the Rich Fool Luke 12:16-21

SUMMARY:
The rich farmer in this parable is portrayed negatively,
as an example of greed. By replacing his existing barn, he
avoids using agricultural land for storage purposes, thus
maximizing his income, as well as allowing him to wait for a
price increase before selling. St. Augustine comments that
the farmer was "planning to fill his soul with excessive and
unnecessary feasting and was proudly disregarding all those
empty bellies of the poor. He did not realize that the bellies
of the poor were much safer storerooms than his barns.

REFLECTION:
Therefore I conclude that the person whose identity is
tied up with his or her possessions, status, and/or
achievements and is driven by acquiring them can so easily
end up unaware of the call of God and the need of the
neighbor. The farmer's foolishness lies particularly in the fact
that wealth cannot guarantee the future: the Day of
Judgment arrives sooner than he expects.