The Parable of the Sower
(Mk 4.1—9, 13—20; Lk 8.4—8, 11—15)
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 Let anyone with ears listen!”
Matthew 13:18-23 (NRSV)
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 (Year A July 10-16) is the parable of the sower and its explanation (Mark 4:1-9, 13-20, Luke 8:4-8, 11-15).
Matthew begins with a transitional cliché, “that same day,” which has no chronological significance, leaving the house, and sat beside the sea of Galilee. The largeness of the crowd led to him putting on a boat. He sat down, the traditional position of a teacher with students. The people stoon on the beach. He told seven parables, two of which will be unite to Matthew, while the others are also in Mark. The use of threes in oral performances of this parable functioned as an aid to memory and served to stabilize the structure of the parable.
In Matt 13:4-8 (Mark 4:3-9, Luke 8:5-8) is the parable. A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away. Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
The parable addresses a situation of doubt occasioned by ineffectual preaching, hostility, and increasing desertions. We must not miss the eschatological point of the parable, as it begins with sowing and moves quickly to the harvest, God bringing forth the promised triumphant end. Much of the labor seems and fruitless. The sower is not overly cautious, throwing seed everywhere, expressing joyful confidence there will be a harvest despite the losses.[1] He keeps sowing his seed, believing growth will come. The wise farmer knows that not all the seeds will fall on fertile ground, that not all the sprouted seeds will grow to fruition. It is hard to understand why so much of the work of the farmer is in vain.[2] The farmer also knows, however, if he sows abundantly, he can overcome expected losses. In that sense, it could provide encouragement for the one who sows but does not bear fruit. Jesus himself could reflect upon his ministry with some resignation to reality and also gratitude for the response of some.[3] The time has come when the gains of the whole process will be realized.[4] As applied to the ministry of Jesus, he keeps sowing the word of the rule of God, even though it lands on religious people who wonder if he is possessed (12:22-24), on disciples who struggle to understand him (16:21-26) and on at least one young rich man who cannot part with his possessions to follow Jesus (19:16-22). The response to the ministry of Jesus ranged from hostility to a lack of response. However, some seeds fell on good soil, some 100 bushels, some 60, and some 30, although the average good harvest would yield 10 bushels of wheat for every bushel of seed planted. There were already signs of an abundant harvest. The word of the rule of God is fruitful. The point is the surprising and outlandish results, which could only be the result of divine activity. God will cause an abundant harvest in the end. The sower will not sow in vain, for Jesus is Victor, even if the victory is not self-evident. [5] Such an eschatological interpretation of the parable has the merit of focusing on the abundant harvest. Despite the obstacles, the success of the preaching of Jesus is assured. We as listeners are to have the same careless abandon as those who follow Jesus. We are to speak the gracious and judging word without calculating its potential for success. Everything depends upon what God will do.[6]
Discipleship may well be that wonderful adventure in sharing in the confidence of the farmer. Yes, the world remains fickle, resistant, and hostile. In the short term, this means willingness to fail. It also means focusing upon hope and resilience. It means deep trust that that by the grace of God at least some of our work will bear fruit. Listen to the story of the Sower and learn that Jesus is incredibly generous in the way that he shares the word of the kingdom with all the people of the world. Listen and learn that God's Word is incredibly fruitful, and that a great harvest is guaranteed. Listen and learn that the coming of the rule of God is not something that we can control. Everything depends on what God will do.
In verse 9 (11:15, 13:43, Mark 4:9, Luke 8:8b, 14:35b) is a proverbial saying from common lore invoking the image of good ears. Those who have ears, let them hear. Those who hear have responsibility to receive the word and let it produce fruit. The Word goes out as the one message and summons to humanity, has concern with the hearers of the Word, and the strangeness of the truth to the world as shown in the response to the Word. What we have here is reception, acceptance, appropriation, and comprehension. Beyond hearing and understanding is true knowledge that appropriates and does.[7]
Matthew 13: 18-23 (Mark 4:13-20, Luke 8:11-13) presents the interpretation of the parable. The interpretation shifts our attention to the soil, with the message that we can all be good soil, people who hear the word of the rule of God and understand it. We need to resist turning the interpretation into a judgmental parable concerning the hearer of the word (τὸν λόγον), the only occurrence outside Luke where it occurs on the lips of Jesus. The encouragement here is to be active listeners to the word of the rule of God.
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom (thereby identifying the seed) and does not understand (συνιέντος) it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. The unstable will fall away from what they have previously received, but who have done so in a superficial way that leads to their destruction.[8] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands (συνιείς) it, referring to those who acknowledge God's rule and power over all. This is a traditional Hebrew concept of ''understanding,'' (in verse 18 as well). In this case, such understanding is necessary from the beginning of the illustration (to insure initial rootage of the seed) and at the conclusion of the tale (where the degree of ''understanding'' apparently determines the abundance of the harvest). The good soil reveals itself: who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” A proper understanding must escort and attend a divinely orchestrated harvest of overabundance. This interpretation is a secret only because most people do not realize that God’s creative Word has come into the world in the simple parable of Jesus and is awaiting their response.
We as readers are to listen to the story and learn its lesson. One way to do so is to consider the different soils. This interpretation of the parable shifts our attention as readers from the Sower to the Soil. In fact, you could even call it "The Parable of the Four Kinds of Soil." When the emphasis is on the Soil, the message is that we should all be good soil -- people who hear the word of the rule of God and understand it. Jesus promises that the person who does so "bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.". When you hear the word of the kingdom, do not be like the path which is susceptible to the evil one who "comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart." Do not be the rocky ground in which a plant "has no root, but endures only for a while." And do not be thorny soil, in which "the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing."
Such an interpretation must acknowledge that soil is passive. It simply sits and receives the seed. It cannot choose to be good soil.
If we are not careful with the interpretation that focuses on the soil, we can turn the parable into a form of judgmentalism upon the hearer of the word. For that reason, we travel a better path if we focus on the persistent and confident farmer.
Application
We as readers are to listen to the story and learn its lesson. One way to do so is to consider the different soils. The interpretation of the parable shifts our attention as readers from the Sower to the Soil. In fact, you could even call it "The Parable of the Four Kinds of Soil." When the emphasis is on the Soil, the message is that we should all be good soil -- people who hear the word of the rule of God and understand it. Jesus promises that the person who does so "bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty" (v. 23). When you hear the word of the kingdom, do not be like the path which is susceptible to the evil one who "comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart" (v. 19). Do not be the rocky ground in which a plant "has no root, but endures only for a while" (v. 21). And do not be thorny soil, in which "the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing" (v. 22).
Such an interpretation must acknowledge that soil is passive. It simply sits and receives the seed. It cannot choose to be good soil. Jesus encourages his hearers to listen (verse 3). He stresses at the end that those who have ears to hear must hear (verse 9). Jesus is encouraging us to be active listeners to the word of the rule of God.
O Lord, our hearts are open
To so many kinds of things,
To hates and hurts and happiness
That earthly living brings.
Sometimes we'd like to close them
with a hard protective coat
Like stone, so when the angers come,
No way would we take note.
At times we're very busy
With activities and such
So hurts and disappointments
Will not bother us so much.
Lord, help us learn to live
So we may keep an open mind,
That each of us may keep
An open heart to all mankind.
But most of all, O Lord of life,
Please open up our hearts
To be the place where grows the seed
Of love your Son imparts.[9]
If we are not careful with the interpretation that focuses on the soil, we can turn the parable into a judgment upon the hearer of the word. For that reason, we travel a better path if we focus on the persistent and confident farmer. The ear catching part of Jesus' original parable is not that some seeds flourish while others wither and die. The stunner in this story is the overabundance of yield that this farmer enjoys from those seeds that do prosper. Jeremias has commented that an average first century farmer might expect a good harvest to yield 10 bushels of wheat for every one bushel of seed planted. However, here Jesus calls for yields of tremendous proportions 30, 60, even 100-fold increases. Yet, before the end, the farmer will see losses. The farmer is persistent in sowing the seed, even with soil resistant to the growth of the seed. The farmer has the confidence of an over-abundant harvest.
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[6] Juel, Donald H. "Encountering the Sower." Interpretation, July 2002. 277, 282.
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[8] Stahlin, TDNT, VII, 349.
[9] Poem by Andrew Daughters, A Gospel Treasury
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