The Kingdom MovementA Literary & Pastoral Study Guide to the Gospel of Matthew |
The Inspiration of Matthew, by Caravaggio
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On the King's ErrandDevotional Reflections on Matthew's Gospel
Personal Growth: Listening to Jesus’ Word: Mt.13:1 – 9, 18 – 23
13:1 That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And large crowds gathered to him, so he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. 3 And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, ‘Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.’
18 Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.’
This might be a familiar passage for you. So let me say some things that are hopefully new, but definitely bear repeating. Sometimes we think that we change because we learn tough lessons from hard circumstances. Not true. In fact, we have to stop waiting for bad circumstances, like losing a person, breaking up with someone, getting cancer, losing your innocence, getting fired, or whatever. Instead, we have to listen to what Jesus has said, and is saying. Let me give an example: Archbishop Oscar Romero, who is remembered as a champion of the poor in El Salvador. ‘The people of El Salvador remember Archbishop Oscar Romero as a martyr who gave his life standing up for justice and the poor. But he was not elected archbishop because of his love for the poor. Quite the opposite.’1 Romero was chosen as a rather nerdy, safe supporter of the status quo. Why? Perhaps because when he was 7, young Oscar came down with an unknown life-threatening illness. Fortunately, he recovered. But it may have been the illness that made him kind of a fearful person. He became a parish priest at the age of 25, in 1942, and became known as a defender of El Salvador’s social status quo. This, when 40% of the land was owned by 13 families. The church was being persecuted at this time and many were being killed or assassinated. Despite the suffering going on around him, he didn’t seem interested in causing waves, or even ripples. In February 23, 1977, he was appointed Archbishop of El Salvador. The corrupt government welcomed the news. Many other priests groaned with dismay and disappointment. ‘After he was elected, however, the Salvadoran military shot his friend from seminary, Father Rutillio Grande, who had been organizing the poor in a rural parish. After receiving the news of his friend’s death, Romero drove through the night to the little town of Aguilares, where his friend lay dead. Those who knew Romero said he was never the same after that night. His world was shattered by the murder of his friend. Romero began to speak out against his country’s repressive government.’2 For example, in 1979, he criticized the U.S. for giving aid to El Salvador’s revolutionary military government that committed human rights abuses, like assassinations and torture. He was shot in 1980 after giving a sermon calling on Salvadoran soldiers to obey Christ’s higher law and stop oppressing the people. Thirty years later, in 2010, the government of El Salvador admitted to state involvement in his murder. What caused the big change Jesus wanted in Oscar Romero? Yes, his friend being killed was the external circumstance. But the sad thing, in my opinion, is that his friend didn’t need to die for Oscar to change. Jesus didn’t need that event. He certainly didn’t cause it, as if God causes other people to sin. And he definitely didn’t want that to happen. Because the internal factor was present beforehand, and the internal factor is infinitely more important. The internal factor was Jesus’ steady pressure on his heart. Jesus called Oscar Romero over and over to love him and love others. Only when Father Grande was murdered did Romero ‘hear’ Jesus about not just caring for the poor (Mt.6:19 – 24; 19:21), but laying his entire life down for the sake of Jesus and others (Mt.6:25 – 34; 16:24 – 26). But he could have listened a long time before that. Is the soil of your heart good and soft and fertile only in bad circumstances? In truth, it doesn’t give God glory to credit Him for bad circumstances, as if the only way He has of getting through to us is through hard times, or as if He were the author of all that stuff. He’s not. Sometimes we read the Old Testament and think that, but God’s chastisement of Old Testament Israel was unique to them, and now that Jesus has come, it is over. God no longer works that way. And He does not do that to us. He certainly can work in the midst of hard times. He can bring His redemption, if we receive Him. But that’s because He has spoken to us already, and keeps speaking to us. Do you have ears to hear Jesus? Clear away the distractions. Focus. Read. Receive Jesus’ word. Don’t allow fear of other people, or greed for wealth, choke out the words he says. Allow his word to change you, just like a seed planted in good soil bears fruit and reproduces itself. |