Matthew 13:10-23
“Notice what you notice.” Yesterday, today, and the next three days are all about the sower and the seed. I’m sure we’ve all heard a number of sermons/messages on this famous parable, so it might be hard to pick out much to say, especially when we are repeating it twice. So I would encourage you to send your comments, no matter how large or how small. Even tiny snippets can sometimes speak mightily into our souls.
For to the one who has, … but from the one who has not… (v. 12). Has or has not WHAT??!! From the context I’ve always had to interject my own words into that verse, words like faith or belief. For to the one who has {faith}, … but from the one who has not {faith}… But it’s even more confusing than that. In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) Jesus uses very similar words: For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away (v. 29). Clearly in this context Jesus is talking about money or wealth or talent. It’s not that clear in today’s reading.
Even today in my initial reading I was inserting words (faith, mostly). But as I looked deeper, reading and re-reading, I saw the same word “has” in the previous verse: To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. I realize that “has” is only a helping verb here, but it did allow me to interject words into verse 12 other than faith or belief: For to the one who has {the secrets of the kingdom of heaven…}. So I can re-read verse 12 differently: For to the one who has {the secrets of the kingdom of heaven}, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not {the secrets of the kingdom of heaven}, even what he has will be taken away (my emphasis and wording added in bold).
So where does that take me? It gives me something concrete to go on. Instead of vague concepts like faith or belief, we have Jesus speaking of specifics, like His Father in heaven or eternal life, or repentance and renewal, etc. Jesus could be suggesting that some of His listeners truly HAVE these secrets of the kingdom of heaven imbedded in their souls and they will continue to learn more. Others do not, and as He goes on in this reading, some clearly never will! Sad.
We’ll spend more time unpacking this parable in the next few days.
Slava Bohu!