The Psychology According to Jesus in the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (Matthew 13:24-43)

Following the Parable of Sower (Matthew 13:1-23), which is the Gospel reading for the 15^th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A), Jesus goes on with another parable – the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat.

Another parable he put before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?’ He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he said, ‘No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:24-30, 34-43)

Jesus first spoke the Parable of Sower and taught that we are to be good steward of what God sow in us, being like the rich soil in the parable. As a sequence to this parable, Jesus continues on with another parable, the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat.

In this sequential parable of weeds and wheat, Jesus first tells that the seed, which God sow, is good. And, Devil, the enemy of God, plant weeds, while we are unaware or off-guard.

As I discussed in my last blog entry, “A Psychospiritual Lesson from The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) – A reflection of the 15th Sunday Gospel reading (Year A)” (July 18, 2014), the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9) tells that various conditions of our hearts can affect the way the seed God sow (i.e. the Word – Logos) grow in us. The four types of ground: hardened ground path, rocky ground with shallow soil, ground plagued with thorns, and rich soil, in the parable of the sower, are metaphors of changing conditions of our hearts, rather than different types of hearts.  Even though the condition of our hearts are as good as the rich soil of the parable now, it may turn into a condition like the ground infested with thorns, as we become anxious in the next minute. 

Viewing these four type of the ground in the parable of the sower as varying conditions of our hearts also reflects the truth of impermanence in the world, as taught both in Buddhism, through Samutta Nikaya N 35.43 vol. iv, 28 & Mahaa-Parinibbaana Sutta DN 16.1, and in Christianity, through Matthew 6:19-20; Matthew 24:35 & James 4:14-15. These Buddhism and Christian texts remind us that the physical and psychological realities are subject to constant changes.  This common truth of impermanence in Buddhism and Christianity is a humbling reminder that even a good heart, like the rich soil in the parable of the sower, can turn into less desired conditions for God’s seed to grow. Thus, besides the importance of non-attachment to earthly matters and even a good condition of our hearts, this teaching of impermanence encourages us to constantly monitor and work on our hearts’ conditions to provide and maintain a reasonable condition for God’s seed to grow in our hearts.

When we become attached to a good condition of our own hearts, out of our anxiety with the reality of impermanence, we slip into the inherent danger of complacence and overconfidence. It is when our hearts’ conditions begin to change into roky-ground-like and thorn-infested-ground-like conditions for the seed to die, or to become like the hardened-soil-path-like conditions for the seed to be taken away, in the context of the parable of the sower. To put this inherent danger of our attachment in the context of the parable of the weeds among the wheat, our complacency puts our hearts off guard and makes it easier for Devil to plant weeds.

Thus, following the parable of the sower, the parable of the weeds among the wheat, Jesus also reminds us of the importance of vigilance. The vigilant hearts is found upon acknowledging the reality of impermanence. It is also a form of practicing non-attachment virtue common both in Buddhism and Christianity.

As we must vigilantly watch our own hearts’ conditions, because of their impermanent nature and inherent vulnerability to change in conditions, we also need to stay on guard of our hearts so that it is difficult for Devil to plant weeds. But, in the domain of impermanence, our physical and psychological reality – the World, we are inherently weak due to the marks of Original Sin. Thus, weeds are part of our reality. In other words, as long as we carry the marks of Original Sin, the inherent weakness of our carnal and psychological reality, the weeds in the parable are something we have to deal with every day.

The parable of the weeds among the wheat is Jesus’ practical advice as to what we can do with the weeds growing in our hearts. And it is rather counterintuitive, because his advice tells not to pull the weeds immediately – though our guts urge us to weed them out on the spot.  

The irony is that the richer the soil is, the better not only for the good seed of God to grow there but also for weeds of Devil to grow as well. In other words, Devil will work harder in planting weeds in our hearts when our hearts condition is good – though we tend to think that it would be difficult for Devil to attack us if we keep our hearts good. Such a thought is the very kind of trap that Devil likes to wedge his influence in by planting weeds, because we make ourselves at greater risk when we think we are good.  This is why we must constantly remind ourselves of the impermanent nature of our hearts so that we make constant efforts to monitor our hearts conditions and do our best to keep them in good condition. Namely, keeping our heart in a good condition as the rich soil of the parable of the sower for the good seed is contingent upon our vigilance.

Because of the impermanent nature of our hearts, even though the good seed of God was growing well a minute ago for keeping a good condition, weeds may begin growing, making our hearts like the soil plagued with thorns as the weeds continue to grow.

In response to the problem of the weeds in our reality, Jesus’ counterintuitive advice through the parable of the weeds among the wheat is not to eliminate the weeds. In other words, Jesus is telling us not to react to the weeds out of our negative emotions, such as discomfort, fear, and anxiety. Remember, Jesus’ teaching is always contrary to what our brain’s limbic system, especially amygdala,  does, also as in the case with his teaching on anger (e.g. Matthew 5:39).

But why?

It is because Jesus wants us to understand that our typical intuitive emotional reaction can be the real weeds. The psychology that Jesus teaches with the parable of the weeds among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30), along with his teaching on turning other cheek (Matthew 5:39), transcends the psychology of the limbic system. Because the limbic system is rooted in our evolutionary psychogiological development, shared with other animal spices, the counterintuitive psychology of Jesus takes us to a much higher level so that we can attain salvation – transcending the “yoke” of the reality of flesh and emotions.

When we recognize certain objects, such as the weeds, our limbic system processes this sensory-perception information and sends certain emotional responses. Sometimes, these emotional responses are pleasant ones, triggering the dopamine circuit. But, if the sensory-perception information of the object is processed as unpleasant or threatening in the limbic system, then, catecholamine is infused into the blood stream from the adrenal glands, resulting in repulsive and even “flight or fight” kind of defensive behavioral reactions. But, the psychology that Jesus teaches with the parable of the weeds among the wheat and the principle of turning the other cheek is to overcome such biochemicals’ control over our behaviors – whether it is catecholamine or dopamine, which is actually deeply related to catecholamine.

The psychology of Jesus tells us not to simply feed into the limbic system’s biochemical signals of catecholamine – by telling us not to pull the weeds and to turn the other cheek instead of fighting back.

The catecholamine, as our limbic system reaction, to the weeds, can be the real weeds – the real threat, according to the psychology of Jesus in the parable of the weeds among the wheat.

Though it is meant to defend us from a threat, it can also harm us. This irony of psychophysiology can be explained through harmful side effects that catecholamine can cause. So, the real weeds – what really harm us – is not always necessarily what we perceive as a threat – the weeds. For us to realize this importance of Jesus’ psychology, we must make sure that we are not merely controlled by the limbic system and its biochemistry.

What we can learn from the psychology of Jesus in the parable of the weeds among the wheat is to assume that real weeds (threat) is our own anxiety and fear, stemming from the limbic system, biochemically loaded with catecholamine, rather than what we perceive and assume as weeds. But, if we fail to recognize this and let our fear and anxiety dictate us, we may pull what we perceive as the weeds and inadvertently harming the wheat – meaning, unintentionally hurting ourselves.

Because we are afraid that weeds grow fast and destroy the wheat, as the thorns in the parable of the sower will choke and kill the growing seed.

In Jesus’ teaching with the parable, this fear is what we need to work on, rather than the weeds. Interestingly, the weeds can be understood as a metaphor of our fears and anxieties, to understand the parable psychologically.

Have you ever regretted for acting out of fears and anxieties? If that is the case, then, you know the psychological lesson in the parable.

In the parable, the master explains why he told his servants not to pull the weeds. It is because pulling the weeds prematurely can result in inadvertently damaging the wheat. In fact, the wheat managed to grow all the way for harvest, even though the weeds also grew.

This tells that the good seed, which God sow, is not going to be damaged so easily. But, what can damage the good seed and its growth more than weeds in the field is the real weeds we make – our own fears and anxieties, which were addressed through a metaphor of the thorns in the parable of the sower.

Pulling the weeds out of fear and anxiety – against the master’s advice not to pull, is like condemning and harshly eradicating people and views with different or challenging viewpoints to us.

Think of inquisitions and persecutions.

The Christians have our own shares of this horrible acts out of our own fears and anxieties. In the name of “religious purity”, Christians have persecuted Muslims and other traditions deemed “heretics”.

Deeming different views as heretics out of our own judgement and persecuting them is like deciding which is weed and pulling it without consulting the master.

In the case of Christians persecuting Muslims when they emerged during the 6^th century in Arabia, now Christians are suffering from persecutions by Muslims as a consequence of this persecution against Muslims. Imagine, if Christians did not react to Muslims as if the servants in the parable would have reacted to the weeds without discussing with their masters, Christians and Muslim would have coexisted in harmony. In fact, how Christians know if Muslims are to be regarded as something like the weeds to be pulled out? 

Originally, Muslims did not regard Christians as the weeds. To early Muslims, Christians are like another kind of wheat. Imagine, if the 6^th century Christians had acted wisely, like the servants who did not pull the weeds but consulted their master, the field of God would have been richer as it would be blessed with both Christian wheat and Muslim wheat growing so well. But, because of the weeds now planted both in Christians and Muslims, these two kinds of God’s wheat have been treating each other as if they are the weeds to one another.

There are many kinds of the wheat that God sow. Let us not weed different kinds out just because they appear to be weeds in our own perceptions. Our perceptions can be clouded by the weeds in hear hearts. In the yogacara (vijnanavada) psychology of the Tantric Buddhism, it is called mano maana vijaana. It is a deep-seated perceptive element of our mind, affected by defilement (kleshas), resulting in deceiving us with an illusion. According to this Buddhist psychology in the Tantric tradition, mana maana vijaana is what keeps us in an illusion, making us think that it is a truth. Thus, it is mana maana vijaana that confuses us the reality of impermanence with our wish-driven, defilement-influenced illusions of permanence. It is also what puts us in irrational fears and anxieties, resulting in growth of weeds in our hearts, myopically judgement what is different as the weeds and react to them with persecutory actions.

A Psychospiritual Lesson from The Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:1-23) – A reflection of the 15th Sunday Gospel reading (Year A)

The Seed, the Sower, and the Four Types of the Ground

Now, what is to grow into the Kingdom, like the seed?

This also can be more than one possibility, as whatever God the Father sends to establish the Kingdom can be considered to be the seed. It means that the seed can be the Holy Spirit and Jesus, the Son. And, as popularly understood, it can mean the Word of God.  If Jesus is considered as the sower, then the seed can be his word, kerygma.

If we regard the seed as the Word of God, then, the seed itself can be the very one who sow it, to follow the logic of John 1:1-2 and 14, as the word (logos) was not only with God but also was God and became flesh, making his dwelling among us. This Johannine description of the divine nature of the word reminds that the Hebrew word, dabah, can mean both a word spoken and the one who speaks the word, as the word, logos, in John 1, has the dual meaning, the Word of God and God.  Therefore, the seed that grows into the Kingdom of God can be understood as the Word of God, which incarnated as Jesus, the Son, the Christ, who is God, and the Word he spoke. The seed in the parable has deep manifold meaning and is not limited to the word Jesus spoke.

Now, what did Jesus mean by these various grounds, where the seed is sown in the Parable of the Sower? In other words, who or what can be the recipients of the seed in the parable?

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus presents four different types of the ground, where the seed is sown: the path with hardened soil (Matthew 13:4), the rocky ground with shallow soil (Matthew 13:5), the ground infested with thorns (Matthew 13:7), and the rich soil (Matthew 13:8).  These metaphorically represent different conditions of the recipients of the seed – the Word, the Incarnated Word, who is Jesus, and his word, kerygma.

Of course, the recipients can be both us and the world. The four different types of the ground (path, rocky ground, ground plagued with thorns, and rich soil) in the parable correspond to various conditions of our hearts and the states of the world. These are not to profile different types of personalities and the societies.  Any person may experience various conditions of the heart, sometimes being like the path in the parable, while being like the rich soil in the parable other times. Likewise, the condition of any society can varies from being like the path in the parable to the rich soil in the parable.

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We tend to think that these four different kinds of the ground are different entities, representing

four different persons, who receive the word of God. But, given the agricultural practice in Galilee at the time of Jesus, these different types of the ground represents various conditions of the same heart, as the same fertile field can become a hardened path, rocky ground, and plagued with thorns – depending on how it is treated.

A path is formed in the same rich soil field as people walk frequently as the soil becomes firm as they step on repeatedly. Even it was once a soft and rich soil, it becomes a hard-ground path as it was always stepped upon.

The fertile soil may become a rocky ground if a rain storm carry rocks into the field, and thorns can grow in the rich soil, just as weeds can grow.

It all depends on what affects the soil, even the rich fertile farm soil can turn into a hard path, where the seed can be taken away by birds, or into a rocky ground, where the seed may grow fast but die soon because of its shallow soil, or into a ground infested with thorns, where the sprouts from the seed die from choking. And, this reality of a farm ground in Galilee at the time of Jesus reminded farmers of their need to take a good care of the farm soil to keep it always fertile and suitable for the seed to grow healthily.

Jesus used this farming metaphor to teach us that we need to work on ourselves – on our hearts, to keep the condition of our hearts always suitable for the seed, which is what God sow in us. It is because God want us to provide the seed He sow the fertile soil so that it will grow into the Kingdom of God – as a tiny mustard seed will grow into a great tree or a grain of wheat will grow into manifold harvest of wheat for the bread of life.

Sometimes, our hearts are like the hard soil path, not suitable at all for the seed to grow. Perhaps, it is when we reject God or let Devil snatch the seed that God sow by easily giving into temptations.

At times, our relationship with God become weak and superficial. On the surface, we may make ourselves look pious. But, we do not put our hearts committed to our relationship with God. In such a weak or superficial relationship with God, we are likely to commit apostasy, when keeping our faith no longer satisfy our own ego. Thus, the condition of the rocky ground can be a metaphor of our narcissistic take on our faith.

Our hearts may become plagued by growing and overwhelming anxieties. In such an anxious condition, we often find it difficult to keep our faith – our relationship with God. Doubt kicks in and tries to kill our hope, which is associated with faith (i.e. 1 Corinthians 13: 13), as thorns can choke and kill the sprouting seed.  Thus, the thorn in the Parable of the Sower represents our anxieties and other psychological conditions that can kill our faith and what it is related to, such as hope and love. When our anxieties become out of control, our relationships suffer as hope and love in the relationships begin to die.

Of course, the rich soil in the Parable of the Sower represents an idealistic condition of our hearts, free from anxiety. It symbolizes the willing hearts for the seed that God sow – whatever God bestow on us. It also represents a deeply committed relationship with God, because it is not our own ego, our own will that matters, but it is the will of God that matters most. Thus, as there is no anxiety in this, there is no narcissism, either. And, the roots that grow out of the seed indicates the degree of secure attachment with God, which is an indicator of the quality and strengths of our faith in God. As the further the roots from the seed spread, the stronger our faith become – because it means our trust-filled secure attachment with God. This is the kind of attachment that Jesus has with the Father (i.e. John 10:30).

We all go through these types of conditions of hearts, metaphorically mentioned as the four types of the ground in the Parable of the Sower. Our desire is to be what the rich soil represents for the seed that God sow in us. So, if we find ourselves to be in conditions other than this, such as not being receptive to God and what God offers, being superficial or narcissistic, or being so anxious, then, we need to work hard to turn our hearts’ conditions into an idealistic condition, like the rich soil.

If our hearts are too hardened to accept God or what God offers, as the hardened path does not allow the seed to sprout at all, we just need to till the earth, turning the hard soil into soft soil. Likewise, we can convert our hardened hearts into soft and rich hearts through the circumcision of the hearts. The circumcision of the hearts requires appropriate spiritual disciples, because, as Paul indicates in Romans 2:29, it can be done by the Holy Spirit.

When our hearts are too self-concerned or too anxious to let God and what He offers grow in our hearts and in our relationship with Him, then, we also need to prow some layers of our hearts to remove the “rocks” and “thorns” out of our hearts. For this, we also need suitable spiritual disciples.

One effective spiritual discipline to turn our unsuitable hearts’ condition for the seed into a suitable condition is the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Spiritual Exercises are also helpful to keep our hearts condition as good as the rich soil, because this spiritual discipline was developed through St. Ignatius of Loyola’s own struggles with his own hardened heart, like a pardoned path, with his own superficial and narcissistic heart, like a rocky ground, and with his own anxious heart, like a ground plagued with thorns.

So, the Parable of the  Sower invites us to examine our hearts’ condition at this moment and work on whatever the necessary spiritual disciplines to turn and to keep our hearts conditions suitable for the seed to grow and takes its roots, just as the rich soil in the Parable does.

Below, I show a spectrum of these different hearts’ conditions, corresponding to the four types of the soil that Jesus uses in his Parable of the Sower.  We need to constantly assess our hearts with this spectrum so that we can take appropriate actions to turn our hearts to an ideal condition for the seed and to keep this way. 

The numbers in the spectrum indicate degrees of the strengths of faith. It suggests the likelihood of the secure attachment with God, symbolized with the probability of the seed to germinate and takes its roots, because the roots represent the secure attachment with God – an indicator of the strengths of faith. These numbers also reflect the degree of the growth of seed, as well as the extent and durability of the roots growing from the germinated seed, as the growth of the roots can be understood as a metaphor of the degree of attachment to God or Jesus.

The secure the attachment with God we develop, the greater extent the germinated seed spreads its seed. And, the degree of this secure attachment with God – the extent of the roots from the seed – is an indication of the strength of the faith. That is why the seed on the rocky ground (1), which may sprout quickly but dies soon for its shallow soil, is a symbolic representation of a weak attachment to God – weak faith. Likewise, the seed on the ground plagued with thorns, also metaphor of the weak faith because it lets anxieties (thorns) choke to death, preventing it from spreading its roots wide enough to overcome obstacles (anxieties – thorns).

←	0	1	2	3	→
Separation from God	Path (13:4)	Rocky ground (13:5)	Thorns (13:7)	Rich soil (13:8)	Secure attachment with God
Ego-centric , narcissistic	No faith, very little faith	Superficial faith	Weak faith – prone to be plagued with anxieties and doubts	Mature faith	God-centered, altruistic

So, I did not limit the interpretation of the seed in the Parable of the Sower to the Word of the Lord. Below, I suggest two possibilities, including the word, for understanding what Jesus could have meant by the “seed” in the parable.

The Seed as the Word

Perhaps, you have read or heard that the seed in the Parable of the Sower means the word of God that Jesus spoke – kerygma. And, it has been a popular interpretation.

The Father in heaven sent the Son, Jesus Christ, to sow His word through the teaching of Jesus. Thus, Jesus has been sowing the seed in us throughout the history. And we are called to provide a good soil for the seed to grow and take its roots so that the seed will bear manifold fruits for harvest.

So, you can imagine Jesus sowing the seed when he preached. Can you see Jesus planting the good seed during the Sermon of the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and how the seed being received in each audience there?

The sacred scripture, the Word of the Lord, written by human hands as inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the holy book of the sacred seed. Even though Jesus does not sow his word in our hearts as he did to the crowds and the disciples, he continues to do so through the Holy Spirit and the word in the scriptures, which has been written as inspired by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus said, “receive the Holy Spirit” to the frightened disciples in the Upper Room (John 20:22), he was also sowing the seed into the hearts of the disciples – even though these were hearts hardened with fear and some skepticism.

The Seed as the Holy Spirit, the Divine Sperm, for Jesus

Now, with this contextual understanding, we know that the seed in the Parable of the Sower is the good seed in the Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat. Thus, the seed can be understood as a grain of wheat. In fact, when Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12:24), he refers himself as a kernel of wheat, as this sentence was said by Jesus to predict his own death to bring salvation.

In this interpretation of mine, the seed, as a grain of wheat, can be what is to become Jesus, the “divine sperm”, sowed by the Father in the World. As Matthew 1:18 reports, Mary was impregnated not by virginal intercourse but by the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit, as a will of the Father for the Kingdom of God. Given Jesus’ self-identified Christological description in John 6:35, 51 and Matthew 26:26, Jesus as the bread of life (pan de vida), being made out of harvested wheat, the sacred seed sowed in Mary a seed of “wheat” to be made into the bread of life.

Obviously, Mary was the rich soil for this seed, as her immaculate body let this sacred seed grow healthily in her womb to bring the bread of life, Jesus Christ, to this world. And, the ultimate result of nurturing the sacred seed that the Father planted in Mary’s fertile and pure flesh is the Kingdom of God, on earth, as it is in heaven! The Sacrament of the Eucharist, Corporis et Sanguinis Christi, which is the bread of life, Jesus Christ, who states, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst” (John 6:35).

Bread is made from harvested wheat. As the Jewish festival, Shavuot (Jewish Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks) suggest, a festival of harvest values the first harvest. Given John 12:24 and 1 Corinthians 15:23, Jesus is the bread made with the first harvest, as the wheat that make Corporis et Sanguinis Christi is the first fruits out of the grain of wheat that once fell on the ground and died.

 

Vincent Van Gogh "The Sower" (1888)

………..

Whether we regard the seed as the word, which became Jesus (John 1:14), or the Holy Spirit, these are sent by the Father in heaven (i.e. John 6:39, 20:21,14:26). Thus, both the word and the Holy Spirit can be understood as the seed that Jesus refers to in the parable. What is important to us is what we are doing with the seed that God sow with us – in particular, with our hearts.

Are we the good fertile soil for the seed to grow? Or, are we too hardened to let the seed sowed or plagued with obstacles for the seed to grow, because we are so self-concerned and too anxious?

If we find ourselves not being like the fertile soil, then, we need to work on ourselves with necessary spiritual disciplines, just as farmers need to prow and till the soil so that even unsuitable soil conditions can be converted into a suitable condition for the seed to grow and take its roots deeply – in order to yield abundant fruits and crops for harvesting. And the harvest time is when we sure find ourselves in the Kingdom of God. 


After all, we are called to be good steward of the seed that God sow. 

Rest is Not Just Rest, if Offered by Christ – A Comparative Exegesis of Matthew 11:25-30 to Luke 5:1-11 and Matthew 13:1-9

Have you wondered why your honest diligent efforts are not bearing any fruit, finding yourself in ever growing frustration?  Have you ever felt as if the harder you had worked to improve the situation, the worse it became? 

Perhaps, it is like catching nothing in spite of hours of efforts to catch fish. You have exhausted all possible fishing techniques. Yet, no catch at all.  Imagine how frustrated and tired you could be, if you had to go through such a situation.

According to the Gospel of Luke, 5:1-11, an accomplished fisherman of Capernaum, Simon, whom Jesus calls Peter upon giving the key to the Kingdom of God (Matthew 16:19), had this kind of frustrating experience with his efforts. 

Simon and his fellow fishermen were fishing very hard all night. So, they would have expected to net many fish. But, in spite of their diligent efforts, they caught no fish.  Imagine, how frustrating it could have been to Simon and other fishermen.

This is where Jesus appeared and told Peter where to put the net, resulting in a great catch!  

Listening to and following what Jesus invited to do sure relieved Simon and his fellow fishermen from hours of frustration, which have worn them out.

………………………………………….

The Gospel reading for the 14^th Sunday (Year A), Matthew 11:25-30, can be put in the context of a frustrating life situation, like what Simon had with no catch in spite of his efforts in Luke 5:1-11. A common factor between Matthew 11:25-30 and Luke 5:1-11 is about a relieving effect of accepting what Jesus offers. In the former Gospel narrative, it is rest, followed by his yoke, and in the latter Gospel story, it is an advice, followed by an invitation to become fishers of men.

The 14th Sunday Gospel story, Matthew 11:25-30, follows the narrative of Jesus’ criticism of unrepentant cities on the coasts of the Sea of Galilee (the Lake of Gennesaret) , Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (Matthew 11:20-24).  Jesus cast harsh words on these cities of Galilee for their pride, which prevents them from repenting, making reference to God’s condemnation upon Tyre and Sidon, as well as, Sodom, in the Old Testament.

Following this narrative, Jesus praises the Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for keeping what Jesus offers and their effects hidden from the wise and learned – but revealing them to children (Matthew 11:25).  What this corresponds to the story of Simon’s futile efforts of fishing in Luke 5:1-11 is that his pride and sins kept him from catching any fish. However, Simon was able to let his pride down in response to Jesus’ offer of fishing advice. So, he accepted the advice and lowered the net.

The Simon’s lowered net upon accepting Jesus’ fishing advice symbolizes Simon’s pride giving its way to humility. Thus, fish was no longer hidden from Simon, as his net became full of fish. Furthermore, he himself recognizes his own sinfulness, feeling that he was not worthy of being benefited from Jesus and what he offers (Luke 5:8). Yet, Simon did not reject Jesus and what he offers out of his feeling of unworthiness.  In fact, he accepted what Jesus offers – an advice of not letting his heart troubled and accepting his invitation to become a fisher of men, by following his way (Luke 5:9).

Simon’s experience in Luke 5:1-11 parallels Matthew 11:25-30, as Simon’s pride and sinfulness in the former Gospel narrative corresponds to the pride and sinfulness of the wise and learned in the latter Gospel narrative.  What the Father hide from the wise and learned (Matthew 11:25) to Simon in Luke 5:1-11 is fish. And, as Simon’s pride became transformed into his humility, symbolized with his lowered net, accepting Jesus’ advice (Luke 5:5), the Father no longer hide fish from Simon, for he has spiritually grown from being “wise and learned” into a “child”.

In Matthew 11;25, Jesus invite children (Matthew 11:25), who can understand the truth in Matthew 11:27 (No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom he chooses to reveal Him, as no one knows the Son, until Simon confesses that Jesus is the Son in Matthew 16:16) to receive what he offers. In this context, Jesus offers rest and his yoke to those who are as humble as children. In Luke 5:1-11, Jesus invited Simon to become humble by putting his net lower and offered fish to fill the net. And, Jesus also invited Simon to accept a “new yoke” by asking to follow his way and become a fisher of men, rather than sticking to the “old yoke” of being a proud fisherman of Galilee, subject to nature’s whim. 

Putting down his pride, symbolized with the lowered fishing net, to Simon in Luke 5:1-11, the Father began to reveal what was hidden from him, not only fish but rather the divine power vested in Jesus, as he began to show his humility – his ability to become a child. And, the Father furthermore revealed the fact that Jesus is the Son only to Simon, who has lowered his pride (Matthew 16:16-17). This was how Simon’s life-long transformation began, from a proud fisher man in Galilee, to whom the Father was hiding what the Son can offer, into not only a fisher of men but also the rock upon which the Son builds his Church.  This transformation was cemented on Pentecost, the infusion of the powerful Holy Spirit as described in Acts 2:1-12.

The above exegesis of Matthew 11:25-30 in comparison to Luke 5:1-11 suggests that the rest that Jesus offers in Matthew 11:28 to those who are weary and burdened is not simply a physical and emotional respite. Rather, it is something that transforms our lives completely, as what Jesus offered to Simon in Luke 5:1-11 led to his permanent life transformation.  And, this transformation comes with healing, as symbolized with rest.  But, if we have pride like the wise and learned do, then, we find it difficult to understand and appreciate Jesus’ offer of rest in Matthew 11:28. Also, our pride in ourselves makes it difficult to take the yoke of Jesus, which is to love, as said in John 13:34-35, reflecting God, who is love (1 John 4:8). 

Clinically, our own pride puts us at a greater risk of becoming weary and burdened, as Simon might have felt during these night hours of no catch despite his hard efforts of fishing.  Jesus explains this clinical problem of pride in Matthew 11:25 – a life without the Son and what he offers.  In fact, our pride may cut us from God, making us more individualistic and narcissistic. The greater our pride is, the less we appreciate God and the covenant with Him. 

In the Old Testament, there are so many episodes on how human pride and wisdom can push us out of God’s covenant and how such a life outside the covenant can turn into. Those who live with their own pride and wisdom live in growing weariness and under increasing burdens. If they choose not to return to the covenant with God, through reconciliation, then, they would eventually perish under the weight of their own weariness and burden. But, those who turn their hearts back to God through reconciliation will live a good life in the covenant. 

After so many pride-driven breakaways from God and His covenant, as described in the Old Testament, God incarnated Himself as human through Jesus, the Son, to reach out to us more intimately, in order to save us from the hellish consequences of drifting away from Him with our own pride.  That is why Jesus invites us to him, stating:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Jesus’ invitation to a life in him – a life in the covenant with God – also means to live a life according to the new yoke of Jesus, the new commandment  (mandatum novum) in John 13:34, to love one another, as he loves us. Thus, the rest that Jesus offers in Matthew 11:28 is not simply a physical and psychological rest but rather a life in Christ, a life of love. And, it is what Jesus invites us to learn from him.

In order for us to seek and receive the rest that Jesus offers – a life in Christ, leading to transformation and salvation, we must begin our efforts of overcoming our ego by lowering our pride, as symbolized with Simon’s lowered net (Luke 5:5). As in the case of Buddhism’s goal, we must resolve our ego in order to enjoy a life in Christ completely. Thus, the rest that Jesus offers in Matthew 11:28 can also be understood in light of anatman of Buddhism teaching.  A life in Christ is fully found in the psychospiritual state of anatman.  For this, Paul puts it so well:

"For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God. "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:19-20).

In attaining a life in Christ, he is also found in us. This state is a secure attachment with Christ. The law that Paul refers to in the above is the yoke that makes us weary, as it is a product of our own pride and wisdom.  In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus invites us to replace this burdensome yoke with the new yoke he offers to live a life in him and to let him in us. 

In anatoman, there is no pride. It means that there is nothing hidden from Christ, the Son, and what he offers. In this state, we are awaken (buddha) to the truth in Christ and in what he offers. It is where we find “rest” in him and take the” new yoke” he offers, as we live a life of love. And, it is our life in the secure attachment with God through Christ. 

To benefit from this, we need to let go of our ego and whatever the ego creates, including pride and burdensome yoke – the law that chokes us with constant anxieties. 

A life free from distressing anxieties is the rest that Jesus offers in Matthew 11:28. But, it is also a life under Jesus’ mandatum novum in John 13:34, as it is a life of agape. Thus, it is a life of anatman, a life without ego and what it brings, such as defilements (kleshas).  In such life, the seed that Christ saw grows better and bear abundant fruits, to appreciate Matthew 11:25-30 (the 14^th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A)  in conjunction with Matthew 13:1-9 (the 15^th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year A) . 

Christ has saw good seed in each of us. Let us not kill the seed with our weary and burdened hearts, as our pride-driven consequences, such as distress and anxiety, will choke the seed, just as the seed fell among thorns will die (Matthew 13:7).  In the rest that Jesus offers (Matthew 11:28), our hearts becomes the rich soil where the seed grows into many fruits (Matthew 13:8) – just as Simon’s net caught so man fish upon accepting Jesus’ advice  (Luke 5:5-6). Let us accept what Jesus offers us – the rest, so that our hearts become the rich soil for the seed, and  the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, which are the seed that God want us to grow into bountiful fruits, in reflections of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)! 

Rest that Christ offers is not just rest for a respite.  It is what transforms our hearts into the rich soil to grow the seed that Christ saw.