28 July 2023 - free thinkers

Today's Readings

(Audio)

The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom

without understanding it,

and the Evil One comes and steals away

what was sown in his heart.

There are several points to take away from this seed that falls on the path. The first is that we have an enemy who will not calmly sit back while we receive the word that has the power to save us from his dominion. The second he works chiefly through our lack of understanding. Does this mean we have to be theological geniuses in order to withstand his assault? We would argue that it doesn't mean that at all. The understanding to which we are called is that of children, that of those able to open their hearts and minds to the parables of Jesus precisely because they are humble enough to allow themselves to be taught, not prideful enough to think they need not be taught or that they know everything already anyway. The enemy is known as the father of lies (see John 8:44). We are called to know, not merely truths in the abstract, but Jesus, who is himself the truth (see John 14:6). If we cling to his words and his promises we will be able to resist the lies of the enemies. But we must know what those promises are, and in what our hope consists. The more we do, and the more we learn to think in accord with the truth taught by Jesus, in a process called the renewing of our minds, the less access to us the enemy will have.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (see Romans 12:2).

A related concept to understanding is that of putting down roots. It is a related concept because the opposite of both is to have only a shallow relationship to our faith. If we don't understand it in the sense described above then our faith won't be enough to fill our whole lives. It might fill an hour on Sunday but that will hardly be enough to sustain us in the face of "some tribulation or persecution". As our minds our renewed we must let our behavior change as well, until it befits sons and daughters of our Father in heaven, children of the Kingdom. We cannot force this growth, for it is God who gives the growth (see First Corinthians 3:7). But we can let ourselves be grown, both by not resisting the work of God, and also by not spending our efforts in other ways that are opposed to his work.

The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,

but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word

and it bears no fruit.

We know that our world is full of such thorns, that pressures that could choke our life in the Kingdom are all around us. But this does not mean we have to allow them to choke the life of God within us that is making us grow. If we learn to understand in the sense to which we are called by Jesus, and to think rightly about these thorns with our renewed minds, and act rightly when confronted by them, we will not give them a foothold within us. Our minds can be so filled with conviction about the promises of God that these thorns can't affect us. When our human mind is alone and unaided in a field of thorns there is little it can hope to do. But when our minds cling to the words of Jesus we can rest in the peace of his promises.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? (see Matthew 6:25).

Understanding that leads to actively using our renewed minds is key. When we do so we realize that the commandments are not designed to restrict us in arbitrary ways. Rather they are designed for former slaves to ensure their future freedom. They are meant to keep us from falling back into acting as those who do not know the God of Israel, because to know him is life and freedom.

I, the LORD, am your God, 

who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery.

You shall not have other gods besides me.