{"id":20687,"date":"2026-07-27T14:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T20:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/?p=20687"},"modified":"2026-07-27T14:36:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T20:36:01","slug":"in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1963","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newagedevelopments.org\/blog\/2026\/07\/27\/in-the-words-of-jesus-part-1963\/","title":{"rendered":"IN THE WORDS OF JESUS\u2013Part 1963"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ON LOVE; PART MDLXXII<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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FIRST IS THE GREAT COMMANDMENTS: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these<\/em>” (Mark 12:29-31). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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WHAT THEN IS LOVE? In a general sense love is benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. While this IS from an older definition of Charity, which IS rendered in the King James Bible from the same Greek word agape<\/em> which IS generally rendered as Love, we should amend our own definition here to include the idea that in the reality of Love a man will accord to ALL men ALL things that he would accord to himself and to say that Love IS our thoughts and attitude of the equality of ALL men regardless of their outward nature or appearance…that ALL ARE equally children of Our One God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PLUS THE EVER IMPORTANT AND HIGH IDEAL TAUGHT TO US BY THE CHRIST: “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them<\/em>” (Matthew 7:12).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We ended the last essay with a question of our own in regard to a saying that IS found in the three synoptic gospels is similar form. As we said, the first part appears to tell us the same idea that the Master offers us as He speaks of measure<\/em>; in Matthew’s Gospel this IS framed as “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance<\/em>“. For us this seems rather clear but the idea loses its clarity when the complete saying IS read. Additionally, Mark’s version, while quite similar, IS preceded by Jesus words on measure <\/em>as they relate to hearing<\/em>. We tend to separate the idea of hearing <\/em>from the idea of measure<\/em> as they seem to be distinct statements but we should repeat the three versions along with some commentary as we endeavor to understand the Master’ words. First however we repeat the whole of the Master’s words from our last discussion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them<\/em>” (Matthew 13:9-17).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In Matthew’s Gospel our subject idea IS found along with Jesus’ explanation of the way that the mysteries <\/em>ARE revealed to His disciples and NOT to the general public; specifically the Master says “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath<\/em>” (Matthew 13:11-12). These words ARE in the middle of the Master’s explanation where He first tells us that the mysteries <\/em>ARE understood ONLY by disciples and then, afterwards, He says “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand<\/em>” (Matthew 13:13). In our Chronological Harmony of the Gospels our subject idea IS broken out from the whole and listed separately along with the similar sayings from Mark and Luke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Mark’s Gospel our subject idea IS found after the Master’s explanation of the Parable of the Sower; there we read “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath<\/em>” (Mark 4:23-25). It IS NOT the order in which these ideas are presented in the three gospels but rather the context in which they ARE found that we ARE exploring. Here the idea of hearing <\/em>IS presented before the Master’s words on measure <\/em>and, as we can see, the King James Translators see these words together, separated by a colon which signifies that the words that follow explain, illustrate, or expand on what came before it. It IS the translators however that introduced the colon into the Master’s words. In previous posts we have sought to define the idea of measure <\/em>apart from that of hearing<\/em>. Before we get too confused here let us look at the three presentation of the idea of measure<\/em>, an idea that IS of great importance in our spiritual walk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • In Matthew we read “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again<\/em>” (Matthew 7:2). Here the translators see the idea of judgment <\/em>as related to the idea of measure<\/em>; again using the colon to separate the thoughts. However, IS it even logical to assume that the idea IS that judgment <\/em>will “shall be measured to you again<\/em>“<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • In Mark we read “Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given<\/em>” (Mark 4:24). As we discuss above the translators see this as a single thought. The idea here IS more complex than above as the idea of hearing <\/em>IS also included with the idea of measure<\/em>; however, if we parse this correctly perhaps we can better understand the intent. The reality here IS included in the preceding words saying “there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear<\/em>” (Mark 4:22-23). As we discussed in the last post, the Greek word akouo <\/em>means much more that just what enters into the ear and this despite the lack of clarity in the biblical definitions of akouo<\/em>. As a final entry regarding akouo <\/em>Thayer’s offers us the idea that the word can mean: to perceive in the soul the inward communication of God; to be taught by God’s inward communication; to be taught by the devil<\/em> 9<\/sup>. With this we should try to see that the idea that “unto you that hear shall more be given<\/em>” has reference to this idea of God’s inward communication<\/em> or, better communication with one’s own Soul. Combining this with the preceding words cited above and we then see that while hearing <\/em>in a part of this, it IS NOT hearing <\/em>that shall be measured <\/em>proportionately but what we hear<\/em>. The example IS that “there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested<\/em>“….ALL can be revealed “by God’s inward communication<\/em>“. There IS much at play in these three verses. Perhaps, aside from the idea of measure<\/em>, the intent IS to teach proper discernment of what we hear<\/em> and see from the world and from our own Souls.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • In Luke we read “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again<\/em>” (Luke 6:38). Here the idea of giving <\/em>IS presumed in the idea of measure <\/em>and while this may be the point of the first part, sans the idea of men<\/em> and the meaning of bosom<\/em>, the idea of measure <\/em>IS indeed a separate statement that explains the first part. The idea of giving <\/em>has been hijacked by the church and taught to be in regard to the giving of tithes, offerings and charity. John Gill explains this saying: Give liberally of your worldly substance to indigent persons, as you have an opportunity, according to your ability, and as cases require: and it shall be returned again to great advantage; with great recompense, either in temporals or spirituals, or both<\/em> 8<\/sup>. The idea of this type of giving <\/em>IS covered in previous verses as commandments; the Master says “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again<\/em>” and then “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great<\/em>” (Luke 6:30, 35). In Matthew’s Gospel these ideas ARE combined in the Master’s saying “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away<\/em>” (Matthew 5:42). Luke then turns to ideas of Love<\/em>, mercy <\/em>and judgment<\/em>, condemnation <\/em>and forgiveness <\/em>before giving us the Master’s words that we ARE discussing. In each of these ideas the Master attaches reciprocal ideas and it IS this that carries over into our subject verse. Luke tells us, as a more complete thought, to “love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again<\/em>” (Luke 6:35-38). Applying the idea of giving <\/em>in the final verse to these ideas can help us to understand the first part without any idea of tithes, offerings or charity in financial terms. Then, if we can see that the idea of measure<\/em>, IS related to these things, we can better understand the Master’s intent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    From our perspective the idea of measure <\/em>IS the singular idea that we should take from these sayings in the three gospels. The relationships established by combining this with ideas of judgment<\/em>, hearing <\/em>and giving<\/em>, while important, ARE NOT the main message as these ARE covered by so many other sayings in the gospels. The idea of measure <\/em>however IS NOT covered elsewhere save for our ability to see it in the Master’s words from Matthew’s Gospel that ARE our main discussion; words that ARE also found in the other synoptic gospels:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • In Matthew we read: “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath<\/em>” (Matthew 13:12). The Master says this after His first telling of the Parable of the Sower and before He offers further explanation; these words ARE included as a part of Jesus’ telling of the revelation <\/em><\/strong>of the mysteries <\/em>to His disciples. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • In Mark we read: “he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath<\/em>” (Mark 4:25). Mark shows us these words after both tellings of the Parable of the Sower and immediately after His words on measure <\/em>as we discussed above.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • In Luke’s Gospel we read: “Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have<\/em>” (Luke 8:16). Here these words ARE found after both tellings of the Parable of the Sower.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      To be sure, there IS a relationship between this saying in its various forms, the Parable of the Sower, and Jesus’ telling His disciples that it IS they that have access to the mysteries<\/em>. Mark IS the ONLY writer that includes the Master’s words on measure <\/em>along with the idea of “he that hath<\/em>” while citing His words just after His words on hearing<\/em>. Luke IS the ONLY writer that includes the idea of hearing <\/em>as part of the idea of “for whosoever hath<\/em>“. Both Mark and Luke then DO include the idea of hearing <\/em>as a reference point for the idea that “whosoever hath, to him shall be given<\/em>” while Matthew DOES NOT include the idea that we should “Take heed therefore how ye hear<\/em>“. Our point here IS ONLY to point out the similarities and the differences in the presentation of the synoptic writers and to set forth the relationship between these words concerning “he that hath”<\/em>, the Parable of the Sower, and the Masters telling us that it IS disciples that have access to the mysteries<\/em>. While the idea of measure <\/em>IS more scattered in the writings of these apostles, this idea of “he that hath<\/em>” IS NOT and we should note that the first part of these sayings contain the same reality of measure <\/em>along with the more obscure idea of “whosoever hath not<\/em>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Let us begin here with the relationship between Matthew’s version and the Parable of the Sower and here we should note that in Matthew’s Gospel the idea that “For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath<\/em>” appears after the first telling and before the Master’s explanation. To best understand this we need to again analyze the Parable of the Sower which begins with “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up<\/em>” (Matthew 13:3-4). The Master later explains this saying “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side<\/em>” (Matthew 13:19). Relating this to our subject saying we should be able to see that this person who IS equated to the “way side<\/em>” IS among those that “hath not<\/em>“; here the idea IS rather clear. In the Master’s explanation we read that one DOES hear <\/em>the word <\/em>and we should try to see that how this hearing <\/em>occurs IS NOT the issue. We ARE told that the hearer “understandeth it not<\/em>” and while the idea of understanding IS rather universally used, this word, suniemi<\/em>, IS also rendered as consider<\/em>. Strong’s tells us that the meaning of suniemi <\/em>IS: to put together, i.e. (mentally) to comprehend<\/em> while listing consider, understand, be wise<\/em> 9a<\/sup> as possible renderings. For us the idea of considering <\/em>works better in this context as if one “understandeth it not<\/em>” what sense IS there in “then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart<\/em>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      With consideration <\/em>there IS a twist that tells us that the man “heareth the word of the kingdom<\/em>” but fails to consider <\/em>it; fails to act upon whatsoever revelation <\/strong><\/em>he may have had, perception <\/em>if you will. We should remember here that the Greek word akouo <\/em>that IS rendered as heareth <\/em>IS defined by Thayer’s as: to perceive in the soul the inward communication of God<\/em> as we discuss above. We should note as well that Thayer’s secondary meaning for akouo <\/em>IS: to attend to (use the faculty of hearing), consider what is or has been said<\/em>9<\/sup>.This idea then that “whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath<\/em>” can take on a meaning that IS directly relatable to this first part of the Parable of the Sower depicting “the way side<\/em>“. We should see here that this man hears <\/em>the word<\/em>, it has some impact upon him as he perceives <\/em>it, but he ignores it in the busyness of Life and it IS then removed from his consideration <\/em>and forgotten, satisfying the saying that “from him shall be taken away even that he hath<\/em>“. Can we see the point here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The next part of the Parable of the Sower tells us that “Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away<\/em>” (Matthew 13:5-6). The Master’s explanation of this part IS “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended<\/em>” (Matthew 13:20-21). Here there IS understanding<\/em>, here the man DOES consider <\/em>what he has perceived <\/em>of the word<\/em>; a KEY word here IS lambano <\/em>which IS rendered as receiveth<\/em>. Strong’s defines lambano <\/em>as: to take (in very many applications, literally and figuratively (properly objective or active, to get hold of<\/em> 9a<\/sup> and this puts the entire idea in a different light. This man takes <\/em>his revelation <\/strong><\/em>of Truth from his hearing<\/em>, perceiving <\/em>IS better, the word <\/em>and puts it to use in his life where he “dureth for a while<\/em>” as the Master shows us. Now this man DOES NOT continue <\/em>in the word <\/em>that he has taken to heart<\/strong><\/em> and here the idea of offended <\/em>IS misplaced. Strong’s defines skandalizo <\/em>which IS rendered as offended <\/em>saying: to entrap, i.e. trip up (figuratively, stumble (transitively) or entice to sin<\/em> 9a<\/sup>; there IS NO offense <\/em>in this definition and the idea of stumbling <\/em>may work best in this context. Can we see here that this man accepts the word<\/em>, takes <\/em>it to himself, and continues <\/em>for a while but then stumbles<\/em>; in the defining idea of entice to sin<\/em> we can see a view of this stumbling<\/em>. The causes for this stumbling <\/em>can be found in the proper understanding of the rendered ideas of “tribulation or persecution<\/em>“. Both can be understood in terms of personal conflict and attributed to returning to one’s carnal thoughts and behaviors as the better choice or being under pressure from one’s peers and perhaps relatives. Regardless of the reason we have a man that “heareth the word<\/em>“, takes <\/em>it to himself and lives in it, “dureth for a while<\/em>“, but then has second thoughts and returns to his heretofore carnal way of Life. Here we can easily see the idea that once this man returns to his carnal Life “from him shall be taken away even that he hath<\/em>“. What did he have? He heard <\/em>the word <\/em>and “and anon with joy receiveth it<\/em>” and “dureth for a while<\/em>” in the Truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The next part of the Parable of the Sower depicts the man as being “among thorns<\/em>“; we read the Master’s words saying “And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them<\/em>” (Matthew 13:7). We must remember here that the man IS the seed<\/em>. Jesus explains this parable to saying “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful<\/em>” (Matthew 13:22). While this part IS rather similar to the last, there ARE some important differences which ARE NOT clearly elucidated in any of the gospels. Matthew and Mark offer us similar ideas but Luke gives us a bit more to try to understand the intent. In Luke the Master’s words say “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection<\/em>” (Luke 8:14). In both parts two and three we have the man that hears <\/em>the word<\/em>; in the second part it IS clear that he “dureth for a while<\/em>” in the word <\/em>before losing interest and returning to his carnal ways. Here, while we have NO clear understanding, we can KNOW from Luke that he DOES “go forth<\/em>” and, from the idea that he IS “among thorns<\/em>” we should try to see that the seed <\/em>IS able to grow. This latter idea we get from the Master’s first telling where the idea that “the thorns sprung up<\/em>” shows us some growth. The point here IS that there IS an establishment of the word <\/em>in this man’s heart <\/em><\/strong>before the thorns<\/em>, the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches<\/em>“, rise up and “choke the word<\/em>“. While Matthew and Luke tell us that the man “becometh unfruitful<\/em>” Luke shows us that there was some fruit <\/em>produced in this man but that he could “bring no fruit to perfection<\/em>“. In this third part we have a more spiritually progressed man, a man that had a greater measure <\/em>of the Truth and that despite this he DID NOT have enough of a measure <\/em>to endure, to “bring…. fruit to perfection<\/em>“. This man has more to lose than did the man in the second part; this man had in fact produced some fruit <\/em>from his relationship with the Lord. ALL of this fades away however in the Truth that “from him shall be taken away even that he hath<\/em>” as when he allows the “cares and riches and pleasures of this life<\/em>“, he suddenly “hath not<\/em>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In these three parts of the Parable of the Sower the Master IS showing us the reality of Life, that in the call to spiritual Truth that men face, they seldom endure. Some hear <\/em>the Truth and it makes little or NO difference to them as the continue in their carnal ways. Others hear <\/em>the word <\/em>and it has some effect, they “with joy receiveth it<\/em>” and they “dureth for a while<\/em>” before they fall back into their carnal lives. Still others hear <\/em>the Truth and they “go forth<\/em>” as men that have the word <\/em>instilled in their hearts <\/strong><\/em>and they DO produce some fruit <\/em>but can “bring no fruit to perfection<\/em>” before the “cares and riches and pleasures of this life<\/em>” overwhelm the Truth and they fall back into their carnal ways. We should try to understand here that this hearing <\/em>comes upon us most often as sparks of revelation <\/strong><\/em>from our own Souls. These sparks can be the result of something we actually hear <\/em>or read but this IS NOT necessarily so. The Soul, our Christ Within, IS constantly prompting the carnal mind to listen and to perceive the higher Truths that the Soul imparts to the carnal minds of men. What the Master IS showing us in these three stages of Life IS that Repentance <\/em><\/strong>IS a difficult chore and that even when we may believe that we have Truly Repented <\/em><\/strong>we can fall back before our Transformation <\/em><\/strong>has the necessary effect on our lives. In each stage we should try to see how the idea of measure <\/em>works out; in each there IS a degree of progress that gives one a measure <\/em>of the Truth that he IS seeking. In each part the man DOES have some degree of progress and if we can look upon these cumulatively we can see the reality that “he that hath, to him shall be given<\/em>“. Through this each has some degree of progress, some measure <\/em>if you will, ONLY to lose it when he ceases to pursue the Truth and falls back into carnal life. Can we see the idea of “from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have<\/em>” in the Parable of the Sower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      We began this discussion because the way that the three synoptic writers ALL chose to include these words saying “he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath<\/em>” (Mark 4:25) along with the parable indicating that there IS a relationship between these ideas. Most often, the ideas of the Parable of the Sower ARE covered separately in the churches and the most general idea of it IS that: The Parable of the Sower teaches that while the gospel message (the seed) is universal, its spiritual effectiveness is determined entirely by the condition of the recipient’s heart (the soil)**.<\/em> Few incorporate the idea that it IS the disciples that will understand the parable while the general public falls under the Master’s words saying that His words ARE given “to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand<\/em>“. Few understand the first part of this saying where the Master tells His disciples that “Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God<\/em>” (Luke 8:10). In this lack of understanding most ALL of the church puts themselves in the place of disciples presuming that they KNOW the mysteries <\/em>and the meaning of this parable. This IS yet another function of the deception<\/strong> than men suffer under James’ words saying “be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves<\/em>” (James 1:22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While the idea of measure <\/em>IS clearly stated for us in the other sayings that ARE scattered through the synoptic gospels, they ARE also related to specific ideas in the text. Our position has been to see the main reality of “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you<\/em>” as a separate statement despite its being enclosed within another thought. As we said in recent posts on this matter, the idea of measure <\/em>IS offered in a separate form from the other thought; be it hearing <\/em>as in Mark, judgment <\/em>as in Matthew or giving <\/em>as in Luke, the main idea stands alone. In these words “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you<\/em>” as well as “he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath<\/em>” we have the hope of, expectation <\/em>is the better word, spiritual progress in this Life in this world. Without this understanding there IS ONLY the idea of immediate conversion that IS perhaps based on the story of Paul on the road to Damascus. This IS NOT the Way however and, as we recently discussed neither was this the way for Paul. Yes Paul DOES have an encounter with the Truth, a sudden realization <\/em><\/strong>if you will, but he DOES NOT immediately become a disciple nor DOES he immediately KNOW the Truth. We should remember that after Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus, his Repentance <\/em><\/strong>to be clear, he spends the next three years accomplishing his Transformation<\/em><\/strong>. It IS the same for everyman; first comes the motivation to change, then comes that change we call Repentance <\/em><\/strong>and then our own individual period of Transformation<\/strong><\/em>. This IS the Way and at each stage the reality of measure <\/em>IS at play; the greater the measure <\/em>of our effort to Repent <\/strong><\/em>and Transform<\/em><\/strong> the greater our ability to DO so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      We discussed the first three parts of the Parable of the Sower; in each part the man involved IS somehow motivated to Repent <\/strong><\/em>and begins his Transformation<\/strong><\/em>. It IS his Transformation <\/strong><\/em>that is halted by the experiences noted in each part. In the first part Transformation <\/em><\/strong>ceases because the attempt at Repentance <\/strong><\/em>failed; the decision to change was NOT strong enough to endure and the ‘seed<\/em>‘ was never Truly planted….it fell on “the way side<\/em>“. We should understand here that Transformation <\/strong><\/em>DOES begin whensoever we Repent <\/strong><\/em>and in the case of “the way side<\/em>” the ‘seed<\/em>‘ of Transformation <\/strong><\/em>was never Truly planted. In the second part, the man’s Repentance <\/em><\/strong>IS more successful, the seed<\/em>‘ IS planted albeit “into stony places<\/em>“; this man begins his Transformation <\/em><\/strong>but IS unsuccessful because “yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while<\/em>“. We should see here how that Repentance <\/strong><\/em>and Transformation <\/em><\/strong>work together; while he may have begun to Transform<\/em><\/strong>, he “dureth for a while<\/em>“, the conviction that led him to Repent <\/strong><\/em>was NOT strong enough to force that change away from carnal living. In the third part there IS yet greater success; this man’s Repentance <\/strong><\/em>holds and his Transformation <\/em><\/strong>IS progressing to the point where he sees the fruits <\/em>of his endeavors. His longing for his carnal Life however IS stronger and “the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches<\/em>” overwhelm the spiritual realities that led to Repentance <\/em><\/strong>and he fails, he resorts back to his carnal Life. In each part the idea of measure <\/em>IS at play; in each part the man succeeds by the same measure <\/em>by which he tries to Repent <\/strong><\/em>and Transform<\/em><\/strong>. In the first part there IS little measure <\/em>in Repentance<\/strong><\/em>, in the second there IS somewhat more and in the third the man actually produces some fruit<\/em> reflecting some degree of Transformation<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Again we should try to see that in these first three parts of the Parable of the Sower the first part of our saying, “he that hath, to him shall be given<\/em>” and the idea that “with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you<\/em>” ARE at play. In each there IS some effort that results in some measure <\/em>of success. For those who represent “the way side<\/em>“, the word <\/em>was “was sown in his heart<\/em>” which IS a positive effect of Repentance<\/strong><\/em>. A positive result IS also seen in the idea that “with joy receiveth it<\/em>“; this man “dureth for a while<\/em>” as his attempt to Repent <\/strong><\/em>and Transform <\/em><\/strong>IS more enduring. Finally we have the man who “becometh unfruitful<\/em>” and here we should note that to become so one must have been fruitful<\/em>; Luke frames this as that this man brings <\/em>“no fruit to perfection<\/em>” (Luke 8:14) which also implies that there was some imperfect fruit<\/em>. Here there IS the greatest progress among the ideas that the Master cites which ultimately fail. However the first part of our saying DOES apply here, there was effort and there was progress according to the Master’s words “he that hath, to him shall be given<\/em>“. It IS in the ultimate failure that we see that second part of our saying as upon this failure “he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath<\/em>“; here the man resorts to his carnal ways and while he may be motivated to try again, in this time he has lost whatsoever he had gained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The contrast that the Master draws for us in this parable IS found in His showing us both the failures and the ultimate success of the man that IS equated to “the good ground<\/em>“. The Master tells us “he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty<\/em>” (Matthew 13:23). There IS NO failure here there IS ONLY the success of bearing fruit<\/em>. We should note the idea of measure <\/em>in the way that, while they ALL “bringeth forth<\/em>” fruit<\/em>, that their their success can be measured<\/em>: “some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty<\/em>“. Should we put the Master’s words to use here we could see that the measure meted<\/em> by those that produced “an hundredfold<\/em>” IS greater that the measure meted<\/em> by those that produced sixty<\/em> and those that produced thirty<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While we can take much from the Parable of the Sower and come to understand the relevance of its four parts, the greater reality IS found outside of the parable itself. Two things ARE of importance; first there IS the reality that it IS the disciple that has access to the mysteries <\/em>which we can clearly see in His words saying “it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given<\/em>“. The idea here IS twofold: it IS the disciple that has access to the mysteries<\/em> and the reality of the disciple IS shown to us in the man who IS “the good ground<\/em>“. Here we should see that NOT ALL disciples ARE equal, that some will have greater measure <\/em>than others and access to deeper mysteries<\/em>. The second IS this same point: measure<\/em>. Throughout the four parts we should see that there IS a sense of measure <\/em>in each; men fail at different points based upon the measure <\/em>that they achieved and men succeed at different points based upon the measure<\/em> that they achieved. While the idea of measure <\/em>IS NOT mentioned in the parable save for the allusion to it in His words “he that hath, to him shall be given<\/em>“, it IS our measure <\/em>that IS among the most important points of the parable. Perhaps here we can see a reality in the definition of the word parable <\/em>which Vincent shows us as: Of a word or discourse which is enigmatical or obscure until the meaning is developed by application or comparison<\/em> 4<\/sup>. Of course a parable <\/em>can have many meanings as here in this Parable of the Sower but the idea of measure <\/em>IS NOT among those that ARE commonly discussed. We did NOT get to our trifecta <\/strong><\/em>in this essay so we repeat it here as we try to see the idea of measure <\/em>in these words from the Master. We read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n