Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish

FR MICHAEL BIBLICAL IMAGERY

(Fr Michael Boakye Yeboah: Vice Rector of St Gregory Seminary, Kumasi-Ghana)

FARMERS

            Farming is arguably one of the most underrated “professions” in the world. Some see farming just as a hobby while others see it as a profession. I would like to think that as we cannot do without medical doctors in today’s society neither can we do without farmers – for someone said there is no disease serious than the “disease of hunger.” The sustenance of the world depends heavily on farmers and so people should not underrate their importance to society.

            In today’s Gospel Jesus uses farming imagery to bring home his message. Matthew 13 is a very important chapter in the pattern of the gospel. It shows a definite turning point in the ministry of Jesus. At the beginning of his ministry, we find him teaching in the synagogues; but ‘now’ we find him teaching on the seashore. The change is very important. It was not that the door of the synagogue was as yet finally shut to him, but it was closing. In the synagogue, he would still find a welcome from the ordinary people; but the official leaders of Jewish orthodoxy were now in open opposition to him. When he entered a synagogue now, it would not be to find only an eager crowd of listeners; it would be also to find a bleak-eyed company of scribes and Pharisees and elders weighing and sifting every word to find a charge against him, and watching every action to turn it into an accusation. Jesus’ change of location (for his ministry), should tell us something. People may use their powers wrongfully to block you from contributing your quota to humanity; but like Jesus, one can change “the synagogue” setting to “the seashore” setting. The Jewish authorities did not see Jesus’ ministry as ‘complementing’ their own divine services but saw him as a threat to their ‘work.’ And so, some people may see you as a threat but like Jesus a change of location will go a long way to help.  The German philosopher Hegel once said: “we have found the enemy and it is us” – the devil is not the only enemy against the spread of God’s word but there are some enemies within.

            Jesus did not only change location of ministry but also changed strategy. Change of strategy is very vital in any public enterprise. Jesus seeing the atmosphere in the traditional synagogue setting, may have decided to change from the synagogue’s catechetical approach to the use of parables in ordinary public space. The parable always makes truth concrete. There are few people who can grasp and understand abstract ideas; most people think in pictures. The great teaching virtue of the parable is that it compels interest. The surest way to interest people is to tell them stories. The parable puts truth in the form of a story; the simplest definition of a parable is in fact that it is ‘an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.’

            I like the imagery style of evangelization because if we want to teach people about things which they do not understand, we must begin from things which they do understand. The parable begins with material which everyone understands because it is within everyone’s experience, and from that it leads on to things which those listening do not understand, and opens their eyes to things which they have failed to see. The parable opens people’s minds and eyes by beginning from where they are and leading them on to where they ought to be. 

            A bountiful harvest depends on the kindness of God by blessing the farmer with rains and a good soil. But after God has given the farmer these, it beholds on the farmer to employ a strategic farming method so that (s)he can achieve his/her end goals. How some farmers sow their seeds have played a role in their poor harvest. For a farmer to enjoy a bountiful harvest, (s)he needs to work hard with a strategic method. The preacher/evangelizer like a good farmer should employ the right evangelization technique, if he is to achieve good end results.

            The parable has a double impact: it is designed to for those who hear the Word, but it was equally designed to have an impact on those who preach the word. Not only was it meant to say something to the listening crowds; it was also meant to say something to the inner circle of the disciples. The future of  Jesus’ ministry depended on the disciples who would travel all over the world to preach the word (sow the seed). The majority of them did not fail. Today we are Christians because of the great works of the disciples of Jesus who brought the faith to us.

            With Covid-19, priest(s) and other ministers of God’s word should employ varied effective means of evangelization. All Christians should remember that before we built churches, the early Christians made great use of “Domus Ecclesia” (household churches). We should make good use of “Small Christian Communities” in this period of observing Covid-19 protocols. God will not fail us for he encourages us especially in the first reading when he states: “the Word that goes forth from my mouth shall not return to me void, but shall do my will.” And it will produce not merely a portion of what God’s plan intended, but rather “achieves every end for which I sent it.” Let us all play our roles in the spread of God’s word. Be a farmer; be a preacher.