Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost, Tone 4; The Holy Martyrs and Notaries Marcian and Martyrius (351)
Galatians 2:16-20; Luke 8:5-15
Read Galatians 2:16-20
Have you heard about the “Mosquito tone?” Originally developed in Great Britain as a method to keep teenagers from loitering around convenience stores, this tone is of a special frequency that only people under the age of 25 can hear. As we age, the microscopic fibres in our ears which allow us to hear naturally begin to break down, and the range of sound that we lose is the higher end first. While the highest note on the piano is 4 kHz, for example, the highest frequency that people under 25 can hear is 16 kHz, which means that the mosquito tone, at 17 kHz, is only heard by young people. Despite this knowledge originally being used by adults to annoy teenagers, a bright teenager recently discovered how to use this tone as a ringtone for calls and texts on his cellphone and it has since been downloaded millions of times! How many times have students’ cellphones notified them of a conversation that their teachers were completely unaware of?
Why does our Lord speak to the people in parables? Because the gospel requires a commitment to understanding. The level of confusion caused by the riddle of a parable will engage with those who are willing to wrestle with it, while at the same time “fall on the deaf ears” of those who simply do not want to commit. Those challenged by the parable will return hungrier and more eager to learn, while those simply looking for something cheap will continue on their way.
How do you hear the gospel in your life? Do you expect to encounter God’s actions and blessings in the world around you in your day-to-day living? The good news of the gospel today is that ears can be trained if we are committed. Soil can be fertilized if we don’t mind the work. Let us continue to strive with the end goal of God’s glorious yield in mind!