The Parable Of The Sower

MATTHEW 13:3-9

The passage [13:1-23] has to be understood within its wider context of chapters 11-12. These two chapters relate in some detail the failure of Jesus’ ministry to effect repentance in corporate Israel. The key issue is responsive or non-responsiveness to the message of the kingdom. In the context of Jesus’ ministry the parable serves to explain why it is that the ‘good news of the kingdom’ meets with such a varied response as we have in Chs.11-12.

Jesus used parables to ‘get under the skin of the people’. The parable is a mirror: it shows people where they stand. It is held up to the faces of Jesus’ hearers! The “Sower” is not identified but the broader Matthean context encourages one to think of Jesus: “He that sows the good seed is the Son of man” [13:37]. The “seed” is identified with the “word of the kingdom” [13:19]. The four groups are all described as those who “hear the word” [13:19, 20, 22, 23]. The farmer scatters the seed, which falls in various places. It is noteworthy that in Palestine it was common for the sower to sow his seed first and then plough it in.

PORTRAIT OF THE KINGDOM

The Journey

a. The Roots

The people of God have their roots in Abraham and in those redeemed from Egypt by Moses: “we have Abraham as our father…” [Joh.8:39].

§ Mount Sinai: “I will bring you to me to be my people…” [Exo.6:6-7].

b. The Journey

History has brought them into the rest of the Promised Land: “if Joshua had given them rest…” [Heb.4:9].

§ Their rebellious history brought them to the banishment to Babylon: “as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will watch over you to destroy you…” [Deu.28:63].

§ In the providence of God, they returned from Babylon: “that says of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundations shall be laid” [Isa.44:28].

§ Present location: that were brought from Babylon unto Jerusalem” [Ezr.1:11].

The Promise of God

The promises of God have not yet been realised:

§ They are waiting for the promised return of Yahweh to Zion: “Behold the glory of the Lord came from the east…” [Eze.43:2].

a. The Seed & The Remnant

The “seed” as the remnant is a metaphor is a metaphor for true Israel: “the tenth shall return…” [Isa.6:13].

The true Israel: “the holy seed shall be the substance thereof” [Isa.6:13]. * The quotation that shows this passage was central to this parable: “by hearing you shall hear and not understand…” [Mat.13:14; Isa.6:9-10].

b. The Seed & The Word

i. The Promised Return

The promised return from exile: “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returns not thither, but waters the earth…” [Isa.55:10].

The fruit: “and makes it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater” [Isa.55:10].
The new creation: “Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off” [Isa.55:13].

ii. The Word of the Kingdom

The word of the kingdom in the true return from exile: “So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth…” [Isa.55:11].

An effective word: “it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” [Isa.55:11];

The Kingdom Forming

a. The King

The King’s arrival: “a sower went out…” [3:13].

ὁ σπείρων - “sower” [13:3], ‘one who scatters seed’; * Yahweh’s effective word: “so shall my word be…” [Isa.55:11].

b. The Kingdom Forming

The kingdom forming: “a sower went forth to sow” [13:3].

ἐξῆλθεν - “went forth” [13:3], aorist active, ‘to go or come out from a place’;
Jesus’ self-consciousness: “Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God” [Joh.13:3].

i. The Preached Word

The kingdom was formed through the preached word: “went forth to sow…” [13:3].

σπείρειν - “to sow” [13:3], ‘the scattering of seed’;
The “seed” is the “word of the kingdom” [13:19].
Jesus preached the message of the kingdom: “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” [4:17]; “preaching the gospel of the kingdom…” [4:23];

Application

The sowing of seed, resulting in a crop that defies the thorns and briers, is a picture of Yahweh’s sowing of his word, and the result is the return from exile and, indeed, the consequent renewal of all creation.

At the heart if the story is the cryptic announcement that the time foretold by the prophets is at last coming to birth [NT Wright, 233].
The parable does not describe a chronological sequence, but different results from simultaneous sowings. Israel’s God is acting, sowing his prophetic word with a view to restoring his people, but much of the seed will go to waste, will remain the exilic condition, being eaten by birds (Satanic forces, or perhaps predatory Gentiles), or lost among the rocks and thorns of the exilic wilderness.
In Isaiah 6 we have an account of the ministry of Isaiah; this was to be a ministry of judgement and desolation.
On the other side of that will be the climax of Israel’s history and the revelation of God’s promised salvation. Then the “holy seed shall be the substance thereof” [Isa.6:13]. This is God’s promised deliverance now taking place around.
The “holy seed” is here now! The “seed” is being planted now! Salvation is for those who respond in the right way! (see 13:16-17)

THE PORTRAIT OF THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE

The Way

a. The Description

The ground on which the seed fell: “some seeds fell by the wayside…” [13:4].

ἔπεσεν - “fell” [13:4], aorist active, ‘go from higher to lower’;
παρὰ - “by” [13:4], accusative of place, ‘by, near’;
ὁδόν - “wayside” [13:4], ‘highway, road, street’; ‘path or street which carries ordinary traffic’;
Paths sometimes marked the boundaries of ownership.
But paths also evidently ran through the middle of fields: “at that time Jesus went through the corn, and his disciples began to pluck the ears of corn” [Mat.12:1].
Inevitably, seed would fall “on” or “beside” these paths.

b. The Result

The end result: “the fowls came and devoured them” [13:4].

πετεινὰ - “fowls” [13:4], ‘wild birds’;
ἐλθόντα - “came” [13:4], aorist active participle, ‘to move forward or up to’;
κατέφαγεν - “devoured them up” [13:4], aorist active, from katá, an intensive, and esthíō, ‘to eat’; ‘to swallow, devour’;

Application

Since there was no soft soil in which the seeds might sink, they remained where the birds could reach them and they were speedily devoured.

The Stony Ground

a. The Description

i. The Stony Ground

The ground was rocky: “some fell upon stony places…” [13:5].

ἔπεσεν - “fell” [13:5], aorist active, ‘go from higher to lower’; * τὰ πετρώδη - “stony places” [13:5], ‘often defined as a thin soil layer with bedrock or larger rocks just underneath’;
These are areas in which the limestone bedrock lies close to the surface: there is insufficient depth of soil to sustain growth.

ii. The Shallow Soil

There was little soil: “where they had not much earth…” [13:5].

γῆν πολλήν - “not much earth” [13:5], ‘soil’; ‘extent or quantity’;

b. The Result

i. Initial

The initial results: “forthwith they sprung up…” [13:5].

εὐθέως - “forthwith” [13:5], ‘immediately’;
ἐξανέτειλεν - “spring up” [13:5], aorist active, from ek, ‘out’, and anatéllō, ‘to rise, spring’; ‘to spring up out of a place as the ground’; ‘spoken of plants, to shoot forth, sprout up’;
βάθος γῆς - “no deepness” [13:5], ‘distance beneath the surface’;

ii. Temporary

A temporary picture: “but when the sun was up…” [13:6].

ἡλίου - “sun” [13:6], ‘day, daylight’;
ἀνατείλαντος – “was up” [13:6], aorist active participle, ‘to cause to rise’;
ἐκαυματίσθη - “scorched” [13:6], aorist passive indicative, ‘to burn, harm by heat’;

iii. The Root

There was no root: “because they had no root…” [13:6].

μὴ ἔχειν ῥίζαν - “had no root” [13:6], ‘the fundamental part of the plant or tree from the very surface, down into the ground’; >>> ‘without which it cannot trap moisture of the ground’; ****
ἐξηράνθη - “withered” [13:6], aorist passive indicative, ‘to shrivel up’; ‘to become dry’;

Application

The Thorns

a. The Description

The kind of soil: “some fell among thorns…” [13:5].

ἔπεσεν - “fell” [13:5], aorist active, ‘go from higher to lower’; * ἐπὶ - “among” [13:7], ‘on’, accusative emphasising motion or direction;
ἀκάνθας - “thorns” [13:7], ‘thorn plant, bush’; ‘a rapidly growing bush

i. Biblical Usage

The Bible uses the idea of “thorns” with some interesting applications:

The new perversity of nature consequent on man’s: “Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field” [Gen.3:18];
Uncultivated land: “And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it” [Isa.5:6].
The surrounding enemies: “And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD” [Eze.28:24].

b. The Result

The end result: “the thorns sprung up and choked them” [13:7].

ἀνέβησαν - “sprung up” [13:7], from aná, ‘up’, and baínō, ‘to go’; ‘to go or come up, to ascend’;
ἔπνιξαν - “choked” [13:7], aorist active, ‘to stifle, choke, strangle’;

Application

This marks an advance over the fate of the first groups. If seed on or beside the road never germinates, and if the seed on rocky soil springs up only for the briefest period, the seed among thorns grows some time before it is overcome. Thus the lifetime of the various seeds become greater as one moves towards the parables climax.

The Good Soil

a. The Description

The kind of soil: “some fell into good ground…” [13:5].

ἔπεσεν - “fell” [13:5], aorist active, ‘go from higher to lower’; * καλὴν - “good ground” [13:8], ‘value’; ‘moral character’; ‘fit for purpose’ [Gen.1:31].

b. The Result

The result: “and brought forth fruit…” [13:8].

ἐδίδου - “brought forth” [13:8], imperfect active, ‘to produce’; ‘to deposit’;
καρπόν - “fruit” [13:8], ‘produce from crop-bearing plants and trees’;
If the imperfect is used strictly, it means that the seed once sown kept on bearing fruit.

Application

THE PORTRAITS OF THE RESPONSE OF THE PEOPLE

The Non-Participant

a. The Personal Response

The immediate and ongoing response: “and understands it not…” [13:19].

ἀκούοντος - “hears” [13:19], present active participle, ‘to receive news of’;
μὴ συνιέντος - “understands not” [13:19], present active participle, from sún, ‘together or together with’, and híēmi, ‘to send or put’; ‘to comprehend, understand, perceive’;

i. The Hard-heartedness

The inability to understand is because of the hardness of heart: “this people’s heart is waxed gross…” [13:15].

ἐπαχύνθη - “waxed gross” [13:15], aorist passive indicative, ‘thick, gross, to make fat’; to do with ‘the hardening of unbelievers’;
βαρέως - “dull of hearing” [13:15], ‘heavy’; metaphorically ‘with difficulty’;
ἐκάμμυσαν - “closed” [13:15], ‘shut the eyes’; ‘refuse to learn’;

b. The Activity of the Devil

The enemy of the kingdom is ready to snatch the seed away: “then comes the wicked one…” [13:19].

ἔρχεται - “comes” [13:19], present middle or passive, ‘to move up to’;
ὁ πονηρὸς - “wicked one” [13:19], ‘wicked, worthless, evil’;
ἁρπάζει - “catches away” [13:19], present active indicative, ‘to snatch away’; ‘to seize’;
καρδίᾳ - “heart” [13:19], ‘the centre of man’; ‘mind, will, affections’;
ἐσπαρμένον – “sown” [13:19], perfect passive participle, ‘to plant seed’;

Application

The activity of the devil here works with, but does not absolve, those who have rejected the message.

It is because they have rejected the message that the evil one is enabled to snatch away the seed.

The Temporary Participant

a. The Initial Joy

At first this response seems to be an example of success: “anon receives it with joy” [13:20].

ἀκούων - “hears” [13: 20], present active participle, * εὐθὺς - “anon” [13: 20], ‘immediately’;
λαμβάνων - “receives” [13: 20], present active participle, ‘take hold, grasp’; ‘take possession of’;
μετὰ χαρᾶς - “with joy” [13: 20], ‘rejoicing, gladness’;

b. The Heartless Reception

The “seed” of the word has not dropped into the heart: “has no root in himself…” [13:21].

οὐκ ἔχει δὲ ῥίζαν - “has not root” [13: 21],
ἐν ἑαυτῷ - “in himself” [13:21],
ἐστιν - “endures” [13:21], present active indicative, ‘to be’;

c. The Spotlight

i. The Testing

As a result of association with the kingdom: “for when tribulation or persecution arises…” [13:21].

πρόσκαιρός - “while” [13:21], ‘temporary’; ‘lasting only for short season’;
θλίψεως - “tribulation” [13:21], ‘to crush, press, squeeze’; ‘to hem in’;
διωγμοῦ - “persecution” [13:21], from dió̄kō, ‘to follow, persecute, pursue, press toward’; ‘pursuit, particularly of enemies, persecution, hostile prosecution’;

ii. The Expectation

The nature of the kingdom in a hostile world inevitably brings persecution: “beware of men, for they shall deliver you up…” [10:16-23].

The favor of God: “Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you…” [5:10-12].
The final salvation: “but he that shall endure to the end shall be saved” [24:13].

iii. The Falling Away

The eagerness of the new discipleship is not matched with endurance under trial: “by and by he is offended” [13:21].

εὐθὺς - “by and by” [13:21], ‘immediately’;
σκανδαλίζεται - “offended” [13:21], present passive indicative, from ‘trap, stumbling block’; ‘to cause to stumble and fall’;

Application

The Distracted Participant

a. The Obstacles

The obstacles to believing: “the care of this world…” [13:22].

μέριμνα - “care” [13:22], ‘anxiety, worry, concern’; * αἰῶνος - “this world” [13:22], ‘age’; ‘era of time as a particular stage in history’;
ἀπάτη - “deceitfulness” [13:22], ‘deception, enticement’; ‘pleasant illusion’;
πλούτου - “riches” [13:22], ‘abundant, great implying value’; ‘wealth’;

i. The Danger

Jesus drew attention to the problem of anxiety and wealth in the Sermon on the Mount:

Anxiety: “take therefore no thought for the morrow…” [6:24-34].
Wealth: “lay not up treasures for yourselves on earth…” [6:19-21].
The teaching: “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” [6:19].

b. The Destruction

The destructive nature of the obstacles: “choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful” [13:22].

συμπνίγει - “choke” [13:22], present active indicative, from sún, an intensive, and pnígō, ‘to choke, suffocate’; ‘to choke or throttle and thus to suffocate’;
γίνεται - “becomes” [13:22], present middle or passive indicative, ‘to come into being, exist’;
ἄκαρπος - “unfruitful” [13:22], ‘not fruit bearing’;

Application

The True Remnant

a. The Receptivity

The receptivity: “hears the word and understands…” [13:23].

συνιείς - “understands” [13:23], from sún, ‘together or together with’, and híēmi, to send or put’; ‘to comprehend, understand, perceive’; b. The Fruit

The evidence of the life of the kingdom: “also bears fruit…” [13:23].

καρποφορεῖ - “bears fruit” [13:22], present active indicative,

c. The Proper Conduct

The life of proper conduct: “brings forth fruit…” [13:22].

ποιεῖ - “brings forth” [13:22], present active indicative, ‘to make, perform, work’;
The life is one conformed to the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount.

Application

“Fruit” is probably to be understood as the pattern of conduct described in the Sermon on the Mount; the living out of the kingdom of God here and now.

“Good soil” is recognised as good only when its fruitfulness has become evident.
Is this simply to stress an abundant harvest? Is this to stress that not all produce the same amount? Is this eschatological?

One cannot escape the fact that Jesus focuses so heavily on the possibility of short-term faith. This is a reminder that most who have determined to follow Jesus, including the apostles whom he has chosen, are still in the “possibility” or “probability” stage of the narrative. In some case their lives may no longer be determined by their possessions (e.g. 5:11, 28), but within the narrative even these followers have yet to be tested. Jesus’ parable leaves open the possibility that some will fall away, just as it furnishes the canons by which discipleship, or authentic hearing, can be measured.