“1The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:1-9)
Jesus describes the path of a farmer carrying seeds: some fall along the path, others on rocks, and yet others on thorns. Unfortunately, whatever could have grown out of the discarded kernel will die along with it. Only seeds that fall on good soil will bloom and thrive. In this analogy, the seed is the gospel, the sower is Jesus himself, and the various soils are the different attitudes toward those who hear his message—good soil is akin to openness; bad soil is akin to rejection. Spiritual abundance is the reward of those who accept the gospel. To merit the Kingdom of Heaven, we must share our portion of divine abundance and recognize its source. If we do this, our seeds will blossom and flourish. However, it is not enough for us to perfect ourselves. We must also perfect the world.
Whether from teachers or experience, the lessons we learn guide us toward leading a masterful life.
