The Parable of the Sower appears in all the Synoptic Gospels. Mark's version is the original and Matthew and Luke have incorporated it into their Gospels for their own theological purposes. In Matthew's narrative, it is placed after a series of controversies involving Jesus and the Pharisees (12) and before the account of Jesus' rejection in Nazareth (13:53-57). The Parable of the Sower itself forms part of a series of parables on the Kingdom (13:1-52), an outline of which appears below:
13: 1-9 ... The Parable of the Sower 13:10-17 ... Why Jesus Speaks In Parables 13:18-23 ... The Explanation of the Parable of the Sower 13:24-30 ... The Parable of the Weed and the Tares 13:31-32 ... The Mustard Seed 13:33 ... The Leaven 13:34-35 ... The Parables of Jesus: Parables Disclosing A Mystery 13:36-43 ... The Parable of the Weed and the Tares Explained 13:44 ... The Hidden Treasure 13:45-46 ... The Pearl of Great Price 13:47-50 ... The Fishing Net 13:51-52 ... Conclusion
Below is an illustration of how the parts of this section are inter-related. Click on the image for a larger view
The preaching of the Kingdom involves the use of parables, Jesus says (34-35) which should be understood and not only heard. The kingdom of God, after all, is like a hidden treasure or a pearl of great price that still needs to be sought. When accepted, it is like the mustard seed or the leaven that act from within in order to produce its effects. Jesus' cryptic statement, "Let those who have ears, hear", occuring twice (9.43) becomes a direct question in the end, "Do you understand all these?" (51). In these series of lessons about the Kingdom, the Parable of the Sower (13:1-23) sets forth the main principle of Jesus' ministry: the Kingdom of God is for all, but only those who will be "good" (cf. use of the adjective kalos, for the soil and the fish in v. 48), will take part in its blessings.
Matthew 13:1-23 can be divided into three parts. After a brief account of the circumstances of Jesus' proclamation (when, where, how, who, vv. 1-2), Jesus tells the parable of a sower who haphazardly sows seed (vv. 3-9). His disciples ask him why he speaks in parables and tells them that it is an integral element in his work, (vv. 10-17). Finally, he explains the parable to the disciples (vv. 18-23). The materials are arranged in such a way that the central part of the narrative consists of Jesus' explanation of the need to say things in parables while the outermost parts of the narrative are composed of the parable and its explanation.
Matthew 13:10-17 is paralleled by 13:34-45. Jesus explains why he speaks iin parables. Matthew 13:10-17 can be further divided into the following parts:
- vv. 11-13 The parables are for "them", while the mysteries of the kingdom are for the disciples
- vv. 14-15 A fulfillment quotation of Isaiah 6:9-10 (LXX)
- vv. 16-17 A macharism for the disciples
Jesus' explanation begins with an assertion that the parables are for the crowds, but not for the disciples. The statement alludes to Jesus' prayer of thanksgiving in 11:25-27
I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (RSV)
This privilege of the disciples is recalled in the macharism of vv. 16-17
Blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear (RSV)
Jesus speaks in parables to the crowds but in private, he discloses the mystery hidden in the parables. Thus the explanation of the parables in vv. 18-23. For the crowds, however, the parables remain a puzzle. A "mashal" is teacher's challenge to his pupils, functioning like a riddle that has to be "figured out". It requires some mental effort to get at its meaning. For those who have closed their hearts to Jesus, however, the parable becomes unintelligible. The quote from Isaiah 6:9-10 brings out this aspect of the parable.
In its original context, Isaiah 6:9-10 is Yahweh's commission to Isaiah whose words, purified by Yahweh himself (v. 7), will become a punishment on the unrighteous (v. 10). In the Greek Septuagint, verse 10 has been rendered so as to be understood as a judgment on a people which has become totally disobedient and unrepentant. Used in the context of Jesus' parabolic instructions, the passage from Isaiah brings out the function of Jesus' words in terms of a judgment: the way one receives His words define one's status vis-a-vis the Kingdom, either as a partaker of its blessings or not.
The macharism in vv. 16-17 is immediately followed by the explanation of the Parable of the Sower. In Mark, the explanation begins with the meaning of the seed (Mk. 4:14), the proclamation of the Kingdom. In Luke, the seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11). Matthew leaves this out and makes Jesus begin his explanation on the seed that falls on different types of soil. Matthew leaves out the meaning of the "seed", taking it for granted that the reader has understood it to be the gospel message. Note that this series of parables on the kingdom is given after the Twelve disciples have been sent out to mission (Matthew 10) to proclaim the kingdom and bring the experience of that kingdom in their work of healing.
The four types of soil that receive the seed describe the type of hearers in whom Jesus' message becomes fruitful. Three out of four types render the message ineffective; only one type gives witness to the message's fruitfulness. While all hear the message about the Kingdom, only a small percentage will actually show the effects of the proclamation in their lives.
The first type of soil are those who hear but do not exert an effort to understand. They render the message ineffective because of their lack of interest. Satan comes to take the message away and he is able to do that because they are under his sway.
The second type of soil are those who hear the message, receiving it with joy, but fall away in the face of difficulties. By giving up because of the difficulties entailed by the gospel message, they show that it has not taken root in their lives.
The third type of soil are those who hear the message but render it ineffective because of their anxiety. Early in Matthew's gospel, Jesus has exhorted his hearers not to be anxious about food and clothing or be worried about the morrow (6:24-34). It is thie same anxiety which makes Jesus' word ineffective in their lives.
The fourth type of soil is simply characterized by its fruitfulness. But we are led to understand that these are the hearers who seek to understand Jesus' words, who persevere in times of persecution and who are free from the anxieties and worries of the world. In this type of soil, the words of Jesus take root, flourish and bring forth fruit.
