Explain to us that story!

Matthew 13:34-43

(The full text of today's gospel reading is - Mt 13:24-43)

34 All Jesus did that day was tell stories, a long storytelling afternoon. 35 His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy: I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open things hidden since the world's first day.

36 Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." 37 So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. 40" The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, 42 pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. 43 At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?

Food for thought!

The gospel notes, that when Jesus had dismissed the congregation and went into the house, his disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." Why did they do this? In chapter 13, Jesus gives no less than 8 parables. In these "earthly stories with heavenly meanings" Jesus speaks about God's plan of salvation, the work of Satan, the fickle nature of the human heart and the greatness of the kingdom of heaven. After Jesus had finished telling the first four parables, the disciples came to Him to ask Him a question. Notice verse 36. They didn't ask about the sower, the soils or the seed; they didn't ask about the mustard seed or the leaven. When they asked Jesus to explain a parable, they asked Him to explain the parable of the wheat and the tares. 

So he explained. This is extremely important. When everybody was gone, when the disciples were all alone by themselves, they came to Jesus, and asked him to explain something they had not and they could not understand during the day. Explain to us, they said.

This is what we must always do: at the end of the day or the week, sit down for Jesus, and ask him to explain to you the many things you failed, during your day or week, to understand, to do, to have. Yes, Jesus continues to use parables with us too, and many of our parables are just difficult to understand. We have many things that we don't and can't understand in our lives. Who of us understands everything in his or her life? Who does understand his or her story? We too need to sit for Jesus and ask him to do some private explanation.

Some of us meet Jesus only in the public, on Sundays, in the church. Many of us never come to Jesus in the private, alone, away from the crowds. We miss a lot because there are things that Jesus do tell us only in the private, in solitude. That is why when Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house, his disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained to them. Wouldn't you like Jesus to explain somethings to you, in private? I do.