(II Samuel 7:4-11; Mark 4:1-20)
The La Salette Fathers of Attleboro, Massachusetts, called
a building on their premises “Mark IV.” The peculiar
name did not refer to a man but to the Gospel of Mark. The “IV” had to do with the gospel’s fourth
chapter where Jesus preaches in parables.
It is from this page that today’s passage is taken.
Jesus uses parables to reveal God’s kingdom or, perhaps
better, His goodness. In today’s parable
he says that the sower casts the seeds with great prodigality – a sign of generosity. He compares the different places where the
seed falls to people of different character.
But his point is that despite the loss of some seed, it still produces
an abundant harvest. He is telling his
listeners that if they open themselves to God, He will produce in them wonderful
results.
We are tempted to see this parable as exclusively analyzing
people’s faults – weakness, shallowness, and worldliness. We are wise to be wary of such traits in ourselves. But to overcome their effect on us we should
concentrate on God’s unrelenting love. It
is so wonderful that we cannot help but respond in kind to others.
