Aneel Aranha's video: January 27 2021 - Sower s Bounty - A Reflection on Mark 4:1-20

Do not be satisfied with receiving God’s word, but bear abundant fruit of what is sown in you. https://youtu.be/fzN_lWfVDf8 Scripture Reading: Mark 4:1-20 “Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen! When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret[a] of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”” Reflection If you are familiar with the game Chinese whispers, you know that the message circulated around is distorted and the final recipient receives a message which is not even close to what the original message was. Many a times information gets lost in translation when it is passed on through multiple channels or mediums without being tracked for preserving its authenticity. When Jesus uses the style of parables to explain the truths of His Kingdom, He expects those who have ears to listen and not simply hear the message, so that the meaning of His word is not lost amidst the noise of the world. The word of God, in today’s gosple is presented as seed which is sown by God the sower. People who receive it are represented as different types of soil, and it is only the good soil which is able to bear fruit, thirty, sixty and a hundred fold. In other words, Jesus, in what seems to be His favourite style of teaching about the Kingdom, provides a word of counsel as well as caution to His listeners. His counsel is to be those who not only receive His message but also bear the fruit of obedience to His word. His caution is about the various attacks of the enemy by which His message, if not guarded and practiced, will either be stolen, uprooted, choked or will simply die away. When we tread on the path of the one whose example we wish to follow, we should familiarise ourselves with the essence of all that we are taught. So much so that even when the message is not provided in clear terms, we should still be able to understand its meaning. How is this possible , you may ask, when it comes to understanding the complexity of the parables taught by Jesus? It is possible when we have a personal relationship with Christ. Then we not only receive the message but also receive the wisdom to understand it and more importantly we receive the faith to put His word into practice. Dear Friends, this parable of the sower unambiguously explains that impulsive or momentary excitement, short lived enthusiasm, obedience without perseverance or the contemporary attitude of familiarising with the word of God, to simply use it as an inspiring quote on Facebook or other social media handles, will bear almost zero fruit in life. God expects His word to take root in us, to bear mighty & abundant fruit through us and bring great glory to His kingdom. Only then neither thieves, nor calamities nor suffering or atrocities can ever deprive us of its bountiful richness. Let anyone with ears to hear, listen and the will to do it, persevere. God bless you!