July 18, 2008
Sunday Scripture readings
Parables give us easy-to-understand guide to heaven
by Anne Marie Kitz
SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF
ORDINARY TIME,
JULY 20
Wisdom 12:13, 16-19; Psalm 86;
Romans 8:26-27; Matthew 13: 24-43
This week’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew depicts Jesus delivering three parables.
The term "parable" is directly borrowed from a Greek expression that is formed through the combination of two words that literally mean "throw beside." In Greek, as in English, parable refers to a story based on a comparison.
With books nonexistent and scrolls available only to those who could read, most instruction in the first century was delivered orally using this literary model.
Telling parables was a popular method of explanation in the time of Jesus. We can be well assured that everyone was not only familiar with them but also enjoyed hearing them. In a way they were a type of entertainment.
Each one of Matthew’s three parables endeavors to instruct us on the character of heaven. Since most of Jesus’ audience were either farmers or fishermen, it is not surprising that He bases His comparisons on experiences drawn from everyday life: sewing seed, harvesting and preparing dough.
We learn from the first parable that there is an intimate connection between this life and the life to come. Jesus confirms that the field, reflecting our earthly existence, is the place where God, our Creator, "planted" us. We are all given the same chances to thrive in this field, but it will not be easy because the same fertile ground is also conducive to the growth of weeds that represent any and all forms of sinful temptations.
In the end, we have a choice. Do we let ourselves become useless weeds that only consume the nutrients from the land without returning anything worthwhile? Or do we strive to be shafts of wheat that bear useful seeds?
The next parable focuses on the potential of all harvested seeds. A seed may be very small, but if planted in God’s field and properly nourished on the Word of God it not only grows into a full and beautiful bush but also draws others to itself. It extends God’s shelter to all living creatures.
The mature mustard bush illustrates that the evangelization of others to God’s salvation is the natural result of a maturely developed faith. Others will instinctively be attracted to us because of our life in Christ.
The final parable concentrates on the preparation of flour for making bread. We may assume that the wheat flour the woman uses is the product of the harvest of God’s field in the first parable. Just as the yeast must be thoroughly mixed into the flour, so must the kingdom of God be thoroughly mixed into our very being.
Consequently this means that just as yeast transforms the flour, so will we be transformed in heaven. There we will experience the full effects of God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice for us who is Himself "the bread of life."
This week let us gather the family and try to develop our own group parable. This will be far from easy. Take the time, however, to express the nature of your family’s relationship with Jesus Christ based on a comparison drawn from your everyday experiences. We might start with a basic simile: "Jesus Christ is like (insert comparison) to us."
Once you agree on this simile, expand it into a story. But don’t stop there. Continue to cultivate it. Return to it over time and add some more details. Let your parable evolve and grow with your family. Let the story sprout into that mustard bush that becomes an expression of your family’s witness of God to others.
Kitz is professor of Scripture at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and a member of Cure of Ars Parish in Shrewsbury. Her e-mail address is kitz@kenrick.edu.
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