Matthew 13:1-9

Matthew 13:1-9 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I've spent a lot of time looking at this passage.  When I was in seminary, our Greek final consisted of translating this passage from the original Greek.  If you were to put it in front of me now, I'd be lucky to get two words correct!
  In my reflections, I often spend a lot of time trying to figure out what it means for me to picture myself as the sower, or as the environment receiving the seed.  I think I'm probably in the midst of the thorns, and there's a lot I could learn from this -- but think about what Jesus is teaching us.  Jesus is always trying to teach us something about God, and he's trying to make it accessible.  God wants us to know and understand him.  He wants us to wrap our minds around the divine mystery.  We can't, but God enters into our time and space so that we can better understand him and his love for us.  God reaches out, translates himself into our lives, so that we might love and serve him more fully, so that our lives may be better understood.  God doesn't want it to be hard for us -- Jesus tries to teach us how to live well.
  So when you get frustrated, remember that Jesus comes to serve us, so that we may better know and love God.