The Parable of the Sower (or Four Soils) (Matthew 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:1-15)

Part of Jesus’ vocation was a prophetic mission to warn the people of his generation that judgement was coming and that they needed to repent and follow him before it was too late. Far from being the fluffy bunny Jesus that wants to be your best friend, Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God was here, Yahweh was returning to Zion, give up your ways, embrace mine, or you will face the same disaster that your ancestors faced when they were driven into Exile by the Babylonians. This was a dire warning of an imminent threat and Jesus goes across the countryside proclaiming this word from God (Mark 1:15; Luke 5:1).

In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus is explaining the responses that result from this word of warning. This parable, in of itself, is both a story of warning and invitation. It is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels. Matthew follows Mark very closely; Luke’s is a shorter, simplified version of Mark. The following is based upon the Markan version, but I will note differences in Luke where relevant. The quotations from the parable are immediately followed by the explanations.

“Some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up.”

“When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.”

The first group of people hear Jesus warnings about the Kingdom and the coming judgement but the message falls of deaf ears. Such a road would have been a well-worn path, hardened by the continuous comings and goings of traffic. Luke adds that these seeds are “trampled underfoot”. Whether from a heart hardened by the travails of the world or just a stubborn temperament that refuses to heed both warnings and supplication, the prophetic word of Jesus makes no impact and the person is harvested by the evil forces of this world and not by God. There is a certain point in which one must realize that the truth is not going to make it through the thick-headed (Matthew 7:6).

“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. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.”

“In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.”

Here we have a second group of people who hear Jesus’ preaching about the arrival of the Kingdom of God and the call to repentance to avoid destruction. Unlike the first group who rejects the call, this group receives the message with great religious joy. However, their reaction to the Kingdom is only temporary. They fall away. What causes this falling away? The words used here are affliction (thlipsis) and persecution (diōgmos). The word thlipsis can be translated as tribulation. It is the same word that Jesus uses to describe the Great Tribulation found in Mark 13:19 and 24 and Matthew 24:9, 21, and 29. When Jesus is describing in his famous Olivet Discourse the signs of the times that will accompany the Destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans it is this same tribulation (thlipsis).The judgement for which Jesus is warning will itself cause people to ultimately reject his message. Similarly, persecutions for following Jesus will also cause people to fall away. Fear of persecution, fear of distress, fear of very real violence … these are factors that Jesus predicts will cause some of the hearers of his generation to fail in their faith (Matthew 24:9-10). The reason is a lack of sufficient grounding in the Faith. Theirs is a merely surface faith. In today’s language we would refer to these individuals as “cultural Christians”, those who are only connected to Christ and the Church because it is cultural “the thing to do” and not because it has any transformative effect upon their lives. So when problems arise, they fall away (skandalizō).

Now the word for “fall away” used in Matthew and Mark is skandalizō. It can mean fall away, stumble, and offend (see Matthew 5:29-30; 11:6 18:6, 8-9; Mark 6:3; 9:42-47; Luke 17:2). The question here is in what sense is it being used in this parable. Are those who wither away being described as falling away from saving relationship with God in Christ or are they simply stumbling as we all do and can stand themselves back up to resume their walk? Context would suggest that falling away is the better interpretation. The progression from non-responders to full harvest suggests such a step. Also, the imagery of withering plants seems a harsher reaction than simply not bearing fruit from the following soil. Otherwise, there is not much difference between soils two and three. In Luke’s account of the parable, he instead uses the word aphīstēmī which means “depart”, “draw away”, “withdrawal”, and “leaving”. This word definitely conveys the sense of complete falling away from a saving relationship with God in Christ (cf. Luke 13:27; Hebrews 3:12). Perhaps Luke wanted to dispel any ambiguity that the word skandalizō might bring.

“Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.”

“And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

The third group of hearers, unlike the previous, never appear to lose their salvation status. This group has heard Jesus’ prophetic message about the Kingdom of God and the warning of imminent judgement and they stay somewhat firm in the faith despite the upcoming tribulation and persecution. All good. However, where this particular group is found lacking is ever doing anything with their faith. They remain passive, unproductive hearers of the word, but not doers (cf. James 1:22). While Jesus called the people of his generation out of their bondage to sin, he did so in order that they might fulfill their purpose in this world. Instead, this particular group of hearers uses their freedom to pursue their own ends. Instead, these individuals are “choked” by the worries, riches, and pleasures of life. The word for “worries” here is merimna. It’s better translated as “anxiety”. I’ve commented upon this word before:

“[Jesus] says that there are those who hear the good news, have the foundation, but do not bear the true results of their faith because they are choked by the world. Jesus used the analogy of thorns that choke a plant, preventing it from bearing fruit. The world is constantly producing frustrations and distractions that inauthenticate our lives and prevent us from living out our faith fully. Merimna is used in Luke 21:34 when Jesus warned the people not to be distracted from the coming destruction of Jerusalem by Rome. Paul uses the term in 2 Corinthians 11:28 when describing the troubles and burdens he faced as an apostle. Along with the beatings, shipwrecks, pains, hunger, thirst, and other sufferings he experienced that sought to prevent him from preaching the gospel, Paul adds the anxiety that comes upon him ministering to the churches. Like his other sufferings, this anxiety sought to distract and prevent his Kingdom work. Peter uses merimna in his first letter when talking about suffering and submission (5:7). He quotes Psalm 55:22, saying, ‘Give all your anxiety to [God] for he looks after you.’ Essentially, this is the same teaching of Jesus when he tells his disciples to avoid fear but have faith in God who looks after you (Matthew 10:28-31).”

Note the connection with the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in Luke 21:34.

Along with riches (ploutos) and pleasures (hēdonē), these three factors are given as examples of the things that can choke, cripple, and stagnate the life of a follower of Jesus. These are distractions that take time, attention, energy, resources, and priorities away from the purposes for which a follower of Jesus was saved.

“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.”

“And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

The final hearers are those who accept the message that Jesus proclaims about the Kingdom and the coming warnings. They neither fall away nor become distracted by the age in which they live. These followers produce fruit. These yield a crop. Note that the harvest is plentiful.

Now note that the parable and its explanation is separated in all three accounts by a commentary on the importance of seeing and hearing the word of Jesus (Matthew 13:10-16; Mark 4:10-12; Luke 8:9-10). In the parable, the stress is upon man’s responsibility to hear the proclamation and behave accordingly (see Matthew 13:9 and Luke 8:21). And in all three commentaries, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10: “Keep on listening, but do not perceive; keep on looking, but do not understand.” This is a part of the prophet Isaiah’s commission to go preach repentance to God’s unrepentant people because destruction by Babylon is approaching. A related line is found in Jeremiah 5:21 also about the coming judgment. Again, a comparison is being made between Jesus’ warnings about the coming destruction by Rome and the previous destruction by Babylon. History is repeating itself. The prophetic word is one again going forth to warn about judgment, and both times the warnings are being met with rejection.

However, along with this rejection, there is an accompanying acceptance. While Israel will face destruction, a remnant will produce a harvest. And the eventual harvest will be great. The party will go on ahead as planned, but the original guests will not be there (Matthew 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24). While the faithless will be pushed into exile, the faithful will be called out into freedom. This parable recalls the Isaiah 55:10-13. A poem for the Israelites in Babylon, promising an end to Exile and a glorious future with God.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn bush the cypress will come up, and instead of the nettle the myrtle will come up, and it will be a memorial to the Lord, for an everlasting sign which will not be cut off.”

Seed to the sower. Words from God’s mouth. An end to the thorns. Jesus is drawing upon Isaiah both in his warnings and in his invitation to the people of his generation. Lack of repentance will end in destruction as it did once before; repentance will lead to salvation and a glorious future. This is a reverse of the curse of the Fall of Man that brought thorns and thistles to the ground frustrating human’s ability to work the earth (Genesis 3:18).

Though Jesus intended this parable as a description of his generation and the specific situation in which they found themselves, the principles and practices are easily applied to those who hear the Gospel today. General experience in the ministry bears this out. Human nature does not radically change. There will always be those who initially reject, those who eventually reject, those who do nothing with their faith, and those who do prosper, with varying degrees of success (Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20). The questions we must continue ask ourselves is where we fit within this parable?