Parable of the Sower

66 – Parable of the Sower; Matthew 13:1-10; Mark 4:1-10; Luke 8:4-8

Matthew 13:1 That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 And [a]large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.

3 And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 Others fell [b]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and *yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 He who has ears, [c]let him hear.”

Mark 4:1 He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2 And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, 3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9 And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, [a]let him hear.”

Luke 8:4 When a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the [a]air ate it up. 6 Other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out. 8 Other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, [b]let him hear.”

Footnotes (Matthew)

a. Matthew 13:2 Lit Many

b. Matthew 13:7 Lit upon

c. Matthew 13:9 Or hear! Or listen!

Footnotes (Mark)

a. Mark 4:9 Or hear!; or listen!

Footnotes (Luke)

a. Luke 8:5 Lit heaven

b. Luke 8:8 Or hear! Or listen!

Commentary

At the opening of this passage, we find Jesus once again entering a boat because He was unable to teach effectively when crowds pressed against Him. I pulled a couple of verses from the scripture reference section, as reminders of the way this preferred platform came about.

Mark 3:9 Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.

Luke 5:1 On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

Verse 3 tells us Jesus began to teach them in parables, and, although we have seen a few brief parables previously, this is effectively an introduction to this teaching method within Jesus’s ministry. “Whereas before, He had used parables to illustrate His messages, now they formed the basis of the message” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1199). Parables are a format that carry over from the Old Testament. “For example: Nathan’s parable of a rich man who took a small ewe lamb belonging to a poor man (2 Sam. 12:1-4); the wise woman of Tekoa’s parable of a widow whose two sons fought until one was killed (2 Sam. 14:5-7); and Solomon’s parable of the sluggard (Prov. 24:30-24)” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1718). The original Greek word for ‘parable’ comes from two words, meaning ‘beside’ and ‘to cast’. A parable differs from an allegory or fable, in that parables are true to life in every respect, whereas allegories or fables tend to personify animals or objects in order to illustrate concepts (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1275). “Thus, a parable is a rhetorical device to explain truth” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1242).

The visual images in the story at first seemed questionable to me because I couldn’t understand how a farmer so carelessly scattered his seeds onto places that didn’t seem likely were part of his field, but I found some information that was helpful. “The way side is the path trampled through the field. It was hard-packed and the seed found no root, thus the birds (demons? Vs. 19, wicked one(s)) snatched it away… The second category is called stony places or the rock ledge beneath a thin, shallow layer of soil. This thin crust would warm quickly causing the seed to sprout instantly but without adequate rootage or moisture… The third group of seeds fell among thorns which had not been plowed. The thorns (wild growth) choked out the crop. The good ground represents well-plowed and prepared soil capable of producing a large crop” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1199). These four types of soil could easily be found within the same field.

Jesus devised these parallels from practical experience of His own that was relatable to His audience. “Jesus may have continued His occupation even after He began to teach and travel. Rabbis (or teachers) of the day commonly spent anywhere from one-third to one-half of their time working (most likely with their hands) to provide for themselves. And while Jesus’ opponents, many of them rabbis, attacked Him on numerous grounds, they never accused Him of laziness or freeloading. Indeed, He was known to them as a carpenter” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1654). The Word in Life Study Bible argues that Jesus taught in parables in order to meet the people where they were and to give them a better opportunity to understand, through practical illustrations. However, when Jesus goes on to explain the parable to the disciples in private it seems pretty clear that part of His objective was to mystify the people, instead. In another article, The Word in Life Study Bible clarifies this by saying just because the parables have vivid illustrations doesn’t mean “they are always easy to understand. Even Jesus’ disciples were sometimes confused as to the meaning of His parables (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43).  Furthermore, Jesus sometimes spoke in parables to reveal truth to His followers but to conceal it from those who had rejected Him (Matt. 13:10-17; Mark 4:10-12; Luke 8:9-10). Thus He fulfilled the prophecy of Is. 6:9-10. Like a double-edged sword, His words cut two ways – enlightening those who sought the truth but blinding the disobedient” (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1718).

“Especially in His lessons on the kingdom Jesus employed these story illustrations and with two effects: to believers they disclose truth; to unbelievers they hide it” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1242). “Jesus used parables for at least five reasons. (1) To attract attention. They have tremendous interest value, and everyone likes a story. (2) To prevent hearers from being repelled too quickly by normal direct statements. (3) To stimulate inquiry and to teach. These stories could easily be remembered, and were thus good vehicles for preserving the truth. (4) To reveal the truth, as some could understand a story taught in parabolic form more easily than regular teaching. (5) To conceal the truth. Often a story would protect the truth from the mockery of a scoffer who could not understand the meaning. One’s spiritual condition frequently determined how much he would understand of what Jesus said” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1275).

“It should be noted, however, that parables did not always convert unbelievers who were often confused about their meaning. Tasker (p. 134) comments: “Jesus deliberately adopted the parabolic method of teaching at a particular stage in His ministry for the purpose of withholding further truth about Himself and the kingdom of heaven from the crowds, who had proved themselves to be deaf to His claims… from now onwards, when addressing the unbelieving multitude, He speaks only in parables (thirty-four in number) which He interprets to His disciples in private”” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1199). Below are some of the reference verses that further reinforce the concept of man’s weak inability to overcome his own bias.

Ezekiel 12:2 “Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Acts 28:26 Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”

In addition to Jesus’s purpose in protecting the truth, specifically the parable of the sower demonstrates Satan’s role in keeping people from internalizing the message of the gospel. In the illustration of the birds eating the seed before it has a chance to get into the soil, we can see the influence of Satan, removing the Word from view and preventing it from having a chance to flourish. This idea is underscored in 2 Cor 4:4, which says, “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” As we know from other biblical context, the god of this world refers to Satan, and this verse, combined with some of the previous insights above, begin to bring into focus the spiritual warfare that goes on all around us while we go about our lives.

On the positive side, Jesus makes a point of saying the plants could bear different amounts of fruit and still be successful plants. This is an encouragement to those who are manifesting their talents to different ends within the scope of their role in the body of Christ. He then closes this teaching session with the common exclamation, “He who has ears, let him hear,” which “aims at man’s tendency to ignore or make light of truth. The statement is another way of calling the listener to pay close attention” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1242). When I read it, I also get a sense He was reinforcing the idea that the ones who understand the story are the ones whose hearts are in the right place, whereas those who don’t understand should evaluate their motives for listening to Jesus teach.

See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2022/03/10/defense-of-parables/

Scripture References

Matthew 13:1

Matthew 9:28 After Jesus had entered the house, the blind men came to Him. “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” He asked. “Yes, Lord,” they answered.

Matthew 12:50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.”

Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus dismissed the crowds and went into the house. His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

Mark 2:13 Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.

Matthew 13:2

Luke 5:3 Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

Matthew 13:3

Mark 3:23 So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

Mark 12:1 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

Matthew 13:4

Luke 18:35 As Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting beside the road, begging.

Matthew 13:7

Jeremiah 4:3 For this is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your unplowed ground, and do not sow among the thorns.

Matthew 13:8

Genesis 26:12 Now Isaac sowed seed in the land, and in that very year he reaped a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him,

Matthew 13:9

Matthew 11:15 He who has ears, let him hear.

Mark 4:23

If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

Revelation 3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Mark 4:1

Mark 2:13 Once again Jesus went out beside the sea. All the people came to Him, and He taught them there.

Mark 3:7 So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,

Mark 3:9 Jesus asked His disciples to have a boat ready for Him so that the crowd would not crush Him.

Mark 4:36 After they had dismissed the crowd, they took Jesus with them, since He was already in the boat. And there were other boats with Him.

Mark 5:2 As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, He was met by a man with an unclean spirit, who was coming from the tombs.

Mark 5:21 When Jesus had again crossed by boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him beside the sea.

Luke 5:1 On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

Luke 5:3 Jesus got into the boat belonging to Simon and asked him to put out a little from shore. And sitting down, He taught the people from the boat.

Mark 4:2

Mark 3:23 So Jesus called them together and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?

Mark 4:11 He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside, everything is expressed in parables,

Mark 10:1 Then Jesus left that place and went into the region of Judea, beyond the Jordan. Again the crowds came to Him and He taught them, as was His custom.

Mark 12:1 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey.

Mark 4:8

Ephesians 2:21 In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.

Mark 4:9

Matthew 11:15 He who has ears, let him hear.

Mark 4:10 As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.

Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

Luke 8:5

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

Luke 8:8

Matthew 11:15 He who has ears, let him hear.

Mark 4:23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Mark 7:16 If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

Luke 14:35 It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile, and it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will grant the right to eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.

Revelation 3:6 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 3:13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Revelation 13:9 He who has an ear, let him hear: