Today’s Picture: The Sower by Vincent Van Gogh
The Teachings of Jesus: the Parable of the Sower
Jesus prefers to teach in parables. The beauty of the parable is that it reaches people where they are. It can say different things to different people. It is a moral story, but doesn’t necessarily mean just one thing. From the beginning people have wanted to clarify what the parables ‘really mean’, but this robs them of their genius.
Today we have the parable of the Sower. A look at life and that which gets in the way of living a truly fruitful life. We are left to ponder what the path, the thorns, the rocks may be in our own life. Jesus expects us to work out what we need in our own life to grow and be fruitful.
Today’s Prayer
Preparation: I come before the Creator of the Universe, the Father, the Mother, who loves me dearly.
I ask that my prayer is according to God’s will.
The Gift: Ask for what you desire. Suggestion: to better understand Jesus and his teaching.
The Setting: A story to listen to with the crowd. What does it say to your life?
Mark 4:1-9 HCSB
Again Jesus began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him.
So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down,
while the whole crowd was on the shore facing the sea.
He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them:
“Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.
As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it sprang up right away, since it didn’t have deep soil. When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have a root, it withered.
Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop.
Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”
Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”
Today’s Music
Today’s Music: The Sower’s Song, by Andrew Peterson
More music from Andrew Peterson