Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Luke: The Parable of the Sower and the Seed (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Luke

The Parable of the Sower and the Seed

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1962)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

"The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12), says the Holy Apostle Paul in his instructions to Christians. That is why, attaching great importance to people hearing the word of God, our Lord offered us today in the pages of the Holy Gospel the Parable of the Sower and the Seed, in which He depicted the various effects of His Divine word on human hearts.

The word of God, my beloved, is of great importance for the religious and moral life of people. Without the Divine Revelation contained in the word of God, we would not have a proper understanding of God and His essence and properties, nor of the world and its origin and final destinies, nor of ourselves – of our purpose in the present and future life, of our nature.

Without the word of God we could not lead a truly moral life. Only the word of God clearly defines what constitutes the essence and perfection of a truly moral life. The word of God is that spiritual, divine seed from which the spiritual man is conceived and grows. Just as in the material world everything – from a small blade of grass to a large tree – is born and grows from a seed, so in the spiritual world the new gracious man, the new creature in Christ, is reborn into a new life through hearing the word of the Lord, the word of faith and hope, the word of salvation and eternal life.

The earth itself is naked and ugly, dead and lifeless, but throw seeds into it, and let it be watered by raindrops, warmed by the sun's rays, and it will be adorned with diverse, golden flowers, fruits and grains. Dead and ugly in itself is our sinful nature of fallen man, capable only of cultivating sinful thoughts, feelings and untruths from youth to old age. But when the living seed of the word of God and the gospel of Christ is sown on it, when it is watered by the grace of Christ and warmed by the breath of the Holy Spirit, then a new life arises in it. It is clothed, as with pleasant greenery, in the garment of holy thoughts, reverent feelings, intentions and desires; it smells of the flowers of good deeds and the fruits of the Holy Spirit: "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22–23).

Just as a material seed, no matter how much it is reborn, does not lose its inherent vitality, so the spiritual seed - the word of God, which the Only Begotten Son of God brought to earth - does not cease to be sown in the hearts of men in all countries of the world and to revive human souls into a new, spiritual life, and it will bear fruit until the end of the world. But, unfortunately, the Divine word is not equally fruitful in all hearts. And the reasons for this barrenness are now indicated in the Lord's parable.

The Lord says that when a sower sowed, some seed fell by the wayside and was trampled underfoot; and the birds came and devoured it (see Luke 8:5). This signifies those who hear the word of God but do not understand, to whom the devil soon comes and snatches this word from their hearts, so that they will not believe and be saved. And, therefore, the first obstacle to the word of God bearing fruit in a person’s soul is inattention, frivolity, absent-mindedness and carelessness – that which most people suffer from. The souls and hearts of such people are like a highway open to all passing thoughts, impressions, to all temptations and passions, to all empty and idle talk. Such people live only by interest in new impressions, rumors and passions, which is why their souls soon dry up and become insensitive to the word of God.

Penetrating into such souls, the devil, or evil people, or impressions that are not in agreement with the word of God, take away, displace the word of God from them, and so it becomes fruitless. How can one help to get rid of such a state of mind, to return the soul to its receptivity? An example for this can be borrowed from the life of a farmer. When he wants to turn a road into a field, he blocks it so that travelers cannot walk on it, cultivates it and sows seeds. And it bears fruit. So let scattered souls protect themselves from vain passions and worldly impressions, concentrate on diligent reading of the word of God, and it will little by little revive in them good Christian feelings and love and will begin to bear abundant fruit in their truly Christian life.

"Other seed fell on rocky ground and quickly sprang up, but since it had no root, it quickly withered" (cf. Mark 4:5-6; Luke 8:6). This means those who joyfully hear the word of God, but then, because of persecution or temptations, fall away and do not bear fruit. Thus, the second obstacle to the fruitfulness of the word of God is found in souls that are like rocky soil, that is, hardened by self-love or some other passions and lusts and not softened by a feeling of love, compassion, and good disposition towards others. Under the influence of self-love, these souls have become like a stone, insensitive and unsympathetic, and therefore they are not capable of perceiving the word of God, and therefore it does not bear fruit in them; although they hear it, it soon withers in them.

In order to heal and correct such wretchedness of the soul, it is necessary to perform feats of selflessness and deeds of love, communicate with merciful and good-natured people, as well as talk and read about deeds of mercy, which together can gradually soften the soul and make it responsive, loving and cordial.

"Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked the seed" (Luke 8:7). This means those who listen to the word of God, but in whom the cares of this world, wealth and pleasures suppress it and it is choked (see Luke 8:14). In spiritual life, thorns usually mean various cares and worries, pleasures, worldly pleasures, the satisfaction of all lusts and passionate desires. Naturally, the soul is suppressed by these desires and the word of God cannot be imprinted in it.

In order to heal your soul from this illness and to allow the word of God to bear fruit in it, it is necessary first of all to tear out of it the cares of life, and to turn the main and primary concern to its salvation. The sought-after treasure of a Christian is the Kingdom of Heaven. "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33), says the Savior. Therefore, first of all, we must take care of the salvation of our soul, then all the rest will be added of itself, and our cares about worldly things will take on a secondary character and will not stifle in us the good shoots of the word of God.

But besides barren souls, there are also fruitful souls. "Other seed fell on good soil and brought forth fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold" (Mark 4:8). This means those people who have a good and pure heart and listen to the word of God with attention and bring forth fruit in patience (Luke 8:15). Indeed, they need a lot of patience to preserve themselves from the various temptations, seductions, and cares of this world and to keep their hearts blameless and pure. But then they are rewarded with abundant fruits.

Dear brothers and sisters, in order for the word of God to bear fruit in us, let us first of all listen attentively and read it and reflect on it, driving away all inattention and absent-mindedness and guarding our hearts from all harmful preoccupation and vanity. Then we will bear fruit in patience, to which the Savior also drew our attention, adding at the end of the parable the words: "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (Luke 8:15).

If we apply our efforts to this, then, of course, the merciful Lord Himself will help us cleanse our souls from worldly cares and fertilize them with His grace, so that here on earth we will bring Him good fruits and be worthy of endless life in Heaven, which God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Cor. 2:9). Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.