This will be a look at the parable of the sower by reading “horizontally.” By that I mean looking at what each of the accounts has to say. There is another method, known as reading “vertically,” where you read what was happening before and after the passage as well and try to get a deeper context and meaning that way. Reading vertically also helps us to see the particular emphases of each of the Gospel writers. Both have their merits, and are best when used together. I chose the parable of the sower for this first article in what I would like to make a series, because it has become noticeably important in my life as of late.
In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus tells the parable of the sower, explains why He speaks in parables, and then explains the parable of the sower to His disciples. However, when we put each of them side by side, we see that the three renditions are not exact copies of each other. For example: all three mention a large crowd gathering around Jesus; but only Matthew and Mark mention that this happened by the sea and that Jesus got on a boat and taught from it while the crowd was on the shore; and only Matthew mentions Jesus going out of a house before going to the sea. Some people would try to make the three accounts contradictory because details given in one or two of the accounts are left out in the other two or one. But it would only be contradictory if, following our example, Luke had said that Jesus taught somewhere other than the sea, but he does not tell us at all where Jesus was teaching. Instead of being contradictory, setting the three accounts side by side gives us a fuller picture of what was going on. It can also help us in our interpretation of the passage.
Let us take a look at what happens to the seeds as the fall on the different types of ground in each account, and see what we can learn from them. The first set of seed falls on the path. In Matthew and Mark, the birds simply eat it up, but in Luke it is trampled on and eaten up by the birds. The addition of trampling makes sense, because people walk on a path, and it brings a deeper understanding later when Jesus explains the parable. The second set falls on rocky soil, or the rock as Luke puts it. Matthew and Mark have the plant sprouting quickly, and then being scorched by the sun because the roots were not deep enough. Luke just says it sprang up and withered because it did not have moisture. Both are saying the same thing in a different way. Plants get moisture by having deep roots that can seek it out. In rocky soil, the roots will have a hard time growing deep enough to find moisture, because they have to navigate the rocks. The third set falls on thorny ground. All three accounts have the thorns coming up (Luke adds “with it”) and choking the seed, where Mark then adds that it did not produce a crop. The final set falls on good ground. Mark has the seed yielding 30, 60 and 100 times the amount sown. Matthew goes the other direction with 100, 60 and 30. Luke just says 100.
What about the reason why Jesus teaches in parables? All three accounts have the disciples of Jesus asking Him about the parables, but only Matthew has them asking specifically why He teaches in parables. In all three accounts, Jesus tells them that the “secret of the kingdom of God has been given to” them, and then He quotes a passage from Isaiah. Matthew has the longest quote, then Mark and then Luke, but they are all from Isaiah 6 with Matthew and Mark quoting verses 9 and 10, and Luke only quoting verse 9. All three accounts portray the idea that some people will understand, and others will not. I will talk a little more about this after the explanation of the parable.
When Jesus starts to explain the parable, Matthew and Luke simply start off with Jesus telling it to them. Mark, however, has Jesus saying “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any of the parables?” It could seem like Jesus is surprised or upset that they do not understand, but since He then proceeds to explain the parable, I believe these questions are meant to highlight the importance of the parable. All three accounts tell us that the seed represents the word of God, or the kingdom as Matthew puts it. For the seed on the path, Mark and Luke have the Devil coming and taking it away quickly, and Matthew adds in that they do not understand the word. This makes sense because paths are compacted ground, which a seed can penetrate on its own, and the trampling mentioned earlier by Luke would have the seeds being kicked around and therefore unable to take root. All three tell us that the seed on the rock ground represents those who love what they hear, but it would seem that they did not hear everything or only paid attention to what they wanted to hear, because hard times and pressures come, and their faith quickly wastes away. The seed on the thorny ground hears the word, has deep roots, but they are more worried about being comfortable in this life. Matthew and Mark speak of the seduction of wealth, Luke mentions being choked by riches and pleasures of life. Both have the same idea that they care more about wealth and material things, and so if they preach anything, it is very shallow and only what people want to hear, not what they do not want to. The seed on the good ground represents those who hear the word and bear fruit. Matthew says they hear and understand it, Mark says they hear it and welcome it, and Luke says they hear it with an honest and good heart. All three of these, understanding it, welcoming it, and having an honest and good heart, are important. Otherwise we understand it, but reject it or using it for dishonest means. Or we do not understand it, but because we welcomed it and have good and honest intentions, we end up spreading false beliefs.
What can we take from this? It is my understanding that we should look at ourselves and evaluate what kind of soil we are as disciples of Christ. Are there things that we do not understand? Are there obstacles getting in the way of our deeper faith? Do we worry about making ends meet? Are we producing a good crop? I think we are all a mixture of these types of ground, and we should be constantly working to remove the paths, rocks and thorns from our lives. Also, we need to evaluate those we are talking to about the kingdom. What type, or types, of ground are they? How can we help them become good ground? Jesus had mentioned that He spoke in parables so that some would understand and others would not. Does this mean then that we should not be “working the ground” so to speak? I do not believe so. There are passages in the Bible that tell us to seek God and use our minds. In this passage, it seems like the 12 disciples were the only ones who sought to understand the parable, but there are other times when He will explain a teaching to someone who is not a disciple (yet). Also, in my own experiences, there have been people who just will not believe, no matter what I do to explain it to them or to remove the obstacles that in their way. This is where the work of the Holy Spirit comes in, and if I lack anything, then He will make up for it, but even if I somehow lacked nothing, He may not open the eyes of that person.
