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In the Gospel today we hear one of the most famous of parables. Jesus uses a well-known event to describe people’s faith experience. People would be familiar with gardens especially vegetable gardens. Most people did not have the luxury of growing flowers for their beauty. As I have mentioned in a previous podcast the gardener was quite generous in sowing the seed. Likely people took notice. Collecting seeds for next season’s garden was critical if you wanted food in the next season. After some reflection and to put this in a more positive perspective the gardener was indeed very generous with the seeds. He wasn’t being selective. Every space got an opportunity to receive the seed. Later the disciples ask Jesus to explain the parable. Its very clear and simple. Jesus is talking about threats to our spirituality and faith. Notice that in no situation did the seed refuse to grow. But something happened, not immediately but something later prevented the seed from growing.

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This passage is distinctive in that Matthew presents Jesus offering a prayer of thanksgiving. Jesus praises the Father because understanding has been revealed to the “little ones”—those without status or power—while remaining hidden from those who might be expected to possess knowledge. The message is clear: true knowledge of God is not achieved solely through human effort or intellectual attainment, but is ultimately received through relationship with Christ.

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At first hearing, this Gospel may seem somewhat jarring. However, its central theme is not unfamiliar. It echoes the foundation of our faith. Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and that the second is to love your neighbor as yourself, as found in Matthew 22:36–40. At the same time, Scripture also calls us to honor our father and mother, and we recall the powerful account of Abraham being asked to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22. Across these passages, a consistent thread emerges: God is to be the most important relationship in our lives. As we have noted before, Jesus often used strong and even extreme language to emphasize his message.

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