Wednesday January 24
Again a reference to “those outside" (see yesterday’s reading). But he will not reject those outsiders and shape his own followers into a narrow circle, a cult. No, he will teach them in parables: that is, with stories, images. Jesus was a consummate story-teller; some of his stories are among the greatest in any literature, and would be remembered even if he wasn’t who he was.
Abstract statements you either understand there and then or you fail to understand. You have to catch them in the air when they’re flying; you get no second chance. But a story stays with you even if you don’t grasp its full meaning. It waits for you, it gives you time. It’s part of courtesy to wait for people who cannot move fast. Think of parables as part of the courtesy of Jesus. He’s waiting for your mind to open, your spirit to deepen. And that’s the point of this particular parable: the readiness of the soil makes all the difference.