Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Luke (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 Water the Seeds of God with Tears of Repentance

Mark 4:3–9

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on October 29, 1944)

"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred" (Mark 4:3–9).

I also went out to sow the word of God into your hearts, for you are God’s field. But I am a poor and wretched sower! “Why poor?” - you ask. But isn’t the farmer poor and wretched, having only an eighth of a tithe of land? Can’t I directly attribute to myself the words of God spoken to the holy prophet Isaiah when the Lord sent him to preach: “And He said, 'Go and tell this people: Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return and be healed'” (Isaiah 6:9-10).

I should have led tens of thousands of Orthodox people living in the Tambov diocese to Christ, but the hearts of this people have become coarsened and they turn away their ears from the commandments of Christ, and they close their eyes, so as not to see what is holy, and not to understand in their hearts, and not to be converted, so that the Lord would heal them.

And only you, my close and beloved ones, the little flock of Christ, open your hearts to receive the word of God. But among you there are those to whom the words of God addressed to the holy prophet Ezekiel apply: “As for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking about you beside the walls and in the doors of the houses; and they speak to one another, everyone saying to his brother, ‘Please come and hear what the word is that comes from the Lord.’ So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them” (Ezek. 33:30–32).

Isn’t the farmer pitiful and wretched who sows his seed in unplowed ground? But I am in his position, for many years God’s field was abandoned, and few people cultivated it. And the earth of human hearts hardened, and the holy seed of the word of God did not grow in it.

But why am I complaining? Why do I confuse your hearts? “Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God” (Ps. 41:12). Is not the Lord able to increase my flock? Don’t I know those wondrous words that the Apostle Paul said: “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword; it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow” (Heb. 4:12). I know this, and therefore I will boldly sow the seeds of the word of God even into abandoned land, for I know that His word is powerful and will itself plow the soil of your hearts.

So, you, strong in faith, and you, fresh grass of God, young shoots, listen: “A sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.” Jesus Christ spoke to us not about the peasant who sowed his seeds along the road, but about the broad path leading to destruction. The majority of people, eager to arrange their lives in complete prosperity, material contentment, dreaming of wealth and fame, despising the commandments of Christ, wanting to build their lives with their minds, strive along this path, pressing and driving each other. They run along this rough road, forgetting about God.

Sometimes such people, out of curiosity, look into our churches, and it happens that the word of God accidentally touches them, or in a conversation with believers they meet along the way, the seed of Christ falls into their souls. And the hearts of these people, busy in pursuit of earthly happiness, are confused. Then they stop in their running and think about whether they need to follow this broad path, whether they should think about their soul, and not just about the well-being of the body or the well-being of the family.

But on this wide path many invisible birds fly, enemies of the human race, dark demonic forces, in whose power these people are. They vigilantly watch so that nothing interferes with their dark deeds. And as soon as they notice that a person has stopped, has become thoughtful, that he intends to think about his soul, then, like birds of prey, they attack him and carry away the word of God sown in his heart.

This is what it means that a seed that falls along the road is trampled and destroyed by birds.

“Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.” How many people there are who can be likened to this stony ground - good people, sincere people, overwhelmed by good impulses, but who do not have the depth of feeling and thought, who do not possess the great treasure of the concentration of their souls. They are fickle, are carried away by one thing or another; they passionately take up lofty matters, devote themselves to the service of science, art, philosophy, but soon give it up, because one passion is replaced by another, which captivates them.

The word of God's truth cannot take deep roots in their souls. The Lord said about such people that when sorrow or temptation comes to them, when they have to suffer for Christ, they easily and quickly abandon Him. Such people, as soon as they are touched by the admonishing hand of God, teaching them the righteous and sorrowful path, immediately begin to grumble, do not want to endure sorrow, blaspheme God and leave Him. And the work of God, which had just begun in their hearts, ends.

It happens even more often that as soon as such people hear ridicule of their faith, cowardice and false shame immediately take possession of their hearts, drowning out the seed of the faith of Christ in them. This is what the word of Christ means about the seed that fell on stony ground.

“And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.” This often happens with grains of wheat that fall into weeds, nettles and all kinds of thorns. This also happens to those whose soul and heart are like a field overgrown with weeds, nettles and all kinds of thorns.

“What are these weeds and thorns?” - you ask. This is all that the poisonous seed, worthless, which no one feeds on, produces - human malice, the desire to satisfy one’s lusts, passions that crush everything good in our hearts. How can God's seed grow among these weeds? Of course, it will soon be drowned out and bear no fruit.

“But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” It is necessary that this be so in human hearts, in your hearts, so that they are wide open and trembling before God, so that you open your spiritual eyes, your spiritual ears and perceive the word of God, which we, shepherds, diligently sow into your hearts.

It is necessary that you take care of it, so that, leaving the temple with trembling, you preserve the word of God with the greatest attention and carry it home like a precious cup overflowing to the brim, afraid to spill the slightest drop from it. It is necessary that you bring this grace of God untouched to your home. This is only possible for those whose hearts are like fertilized soil, and I know that many of you have kind and pure hearts.

And it is also necessary that the seeds be moistened by early and late rains, and warmed by the sun, and illuminated by its light. This is what you should take care of. You may ask, “How can we water God’s seeds?” With tears. Water them with tears of repentance for your sins. Illuminate them, like the rays of the sun, with the light of love. Warm them with the warmth of good deeds, mercy and compassion for your neighbors.

And the seed sown by me, an unworthy servant of God, will grow in your hearts. When I finish my work as a sower and go into eternal rest, then I will boldly stand before the Throne of the Most High and say: “Here am I and the children whom God has given me” (Heb. 2:13). Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.