But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred

 

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat on it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 

    'Seeing they may see and not perceive,

    And hearing they may hear and not understand;

    Lest they should turn,

    And their sins be forgiven them.'"

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it become unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

- Mark 4:1–20 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus called the Twelve to become His apostles, they all went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.  Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

 

 And again He began to teach by the sea.  And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat on it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.  Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:  "Listen!  Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it.  Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away.  And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop.  But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  Once again we note that the text tells us Jesus began once more to teach by the sea, an affirmation of the growing numbers of people who are coming to hear Him preach.  This time it is described as a great multitude -- so many, in fact, that He must sit in a boat to preach to people on shore.  It is in this context that Jesus begins to teach in parables.  This first parable (also the first to be given in the other Synoptic Gospels) is the Parable of the Sower.  Let us note Jesus' words to the crowds:  "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"  It is an allusion to the words of the prophets of old, which Christ will repeat in private to His disciples. 

But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable.  And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"  Here Jesus quotes from the Old Testament prophets to indicate the reason for this new way of teaching by speaking in parables (see Isaiah 6:9-10; Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2).  These same concepts are repeated in Matthew 13:14; Luke 8:10; John 12:40; Romans 11:8.  My study Bible explains that the mystery is the reality of the presence of the Kingdom itself, revealed in Jesus and perceived by faith.

And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable?  How then will you understand all the parables?  The sower sows the word.  And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown.  When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.  These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time.  Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.  Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it become unfruitful.  But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit:  some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."  My study Bible explains that discipleship requires both that we have a personal relationship with Christ and that we understand what He teaches.  It adds as commentary on Christ's explanation of the parable that the gospel of God's Kingdom is powerful, but our heart response determines its fruitfulness in our lives.

It's makes particular sense that as those who come to hear Jesus expand in numbers, He begins to speak in parables.  Moreover this first-given parable of the Sower also makes sense in this context, for in recent readings we're told that He has just appointed the Twelve, who will be sent out as apostles, with the message of the Kingdom.  They are the ones who will be like the seeds of the Sower, spread out and planted in the world, as they also sow such seeds.  The calling and appointment of the Twelve is an important turning point in Christ's ministry, signaling the time is right to spread the gospel beyond the places Jesus has been with His message.  But let us note, also, that as the ministry expands in an extremely important way, at the same time opposition can be seen to Jesus (see yesterday's reading, above).  My study Bible explains that parables are stories in word pictures which reveal spiritual truth.  They are drawn from people's experiences in every day life; in this agrarian society, sowing and planting, watching crops grow and produce a harvest, are all images known and understood.  But parables are intended to teach us about the kingdom of God; as my study Bible puts it, to give us glimpses of the One whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Hence, Jesus speaks of mysteries, and in particular regarding those people "with ears to hear."  These truths are not evident to all; and even among those who perceive, there are differences and degrees of understanding.  Parables were widely used in Jewish culture, but Jesus makes them central to His teaching and brings them to a profound level that continues to be explored in understanding and to challenge us to grow in our own depth of perception and faith.  While He explains the meaning of this parable to His disciples, we can clearly see that experiences of various types may be common to each of us:  there are times when we hear the word and it immediately goes by the wayside, other times when we fall away with a little challenge, and still others when we stumble when we face opposition or tribulation.  Which of us cannot relate to the notions of the thorns that choke the word:  the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in? My study Bible also comments that parables challenge the hearer and call for faith to perceive the mysteries of the Kingdom.  Insight into this Kingdom, importantly, does not come solely through an intellectual understanding of the parables.  It says that spiritual enlightenment is communicated through faith in the Person, words, and deeds of Jesus Christ.  Thus, parables are stories that work on levels deep in the heart, that speak to experience, and also tug at the places in our souls and spirits where we are open to more than we already think we know and can be led forward into the things that remain for us mysteries.  When we think of the word being sown, and Jesus Christ the Sower, who is also the Word Himself, let us consider that among those who listen are the Twelve.  They are newly chosen to be sent out to spread that word themselves, and yet they, too, need His explanation for the parable.  In terms of the present yield of their original planting and work, the numbers their word has reached are far more than thirtyfold or sixty or a hundred.  They are in fact incalculable to us now.  But we should remember that while we also encounter mysteries and need insight and understanding and deepening of our faith as do the disciples, we, too, are invited to join in to their work.  When Jesus reveals Himself to the Samaritan woman in John's Gospel, who then brings other villagers to Him, He tells the disciples that this saying is true:  "One sows and another reaps.’'  He says to them,  "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors" (see John 4:36-38).  Let us take in this parable and drink deeply of its mystery within ourselves, for we also are invited into this activity of the Kingdom, and to enter into labors that produce its fruits for all.

 

 

 

But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty

 

 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

- Matthew 13:18–23 

 

Yesterday we read that, after Jesus taught the crowds the parable of the Sower, the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"  He answered and said to the, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.  And in them the prophesy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:  'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull.  Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their  eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.'  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."  

 

  "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:  When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.  But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."  Today's passage is self-explanatory.  In some sense it is one of those rare occasions in which Jesus Himself teaches us the meaning of His own words.  This is very important, because it is consistent in the reporting this first parable all the Synoptic Gospels (see also Mark and Luke). 

One thing seems to be certain regarding the importance of this parable, and also the reporting of Jesus' explanation for it:  He is encouraging us to be persistent in our faith.  This parable, and Jesus' explanation, seems to be telling us that we may very well be in for a bumpy ride on our road of faith.  There will be things that can easily get in the way of the Christ's word and its work in us.  Looking at this parable in the past, and especially Christ's explanation, it has seemed that each one of these stages Christ describes of the word being sown could be a part of one's own individual journey of faith at any time.  Sometimes our own lack of understanding brings frustration, and so we might be tempted to dismiss altogether the faith, as we're called to persist in something we might find hard to understand.  There may be other times when a particularly difficult time shows up in our lives, or possibly we find hostility in others to us because of our faith.  That's a great temptation to follow the crowd, and not that word that got planted in our heart.  And then there is the seed that falls among the thorns.  How many of us have been, at times, so consumed with the cares of our lives that we don't find time for our spiritual practice or for prayer?  All kinds of issues can crop up that take our time, our concern, our anxieties and stresses -- and wind up crowding out and choking the word within us.  Those times when we worry about paying bills, caring for children or spouse or another loved one, or maybe even just keeping up with the Joneses and all the demands the world might seem to make upon us.  It gets hard, at times, to remember the one thing that is needed (Luke 10:38-42).  But it seems to me that when I do take the trouble to make that time -- which I don't think I have -- a space seems to open up for prayer and make room for itself.  Prayer and calling upon God, reading the Scriptures, attending or reading a service, or otherwise taking time to pursue my faith seems to actually fulfill Christ's promise in that it makes the rest of the things that stress seem to go easier.  Taking time for the word strengthens me to cope with stresses, putting things in order, and giving me a fresh wind -- often supplying a new angle, a different and needed perspective on a problem.  So let us think today about all of these aspects that Christ says may crowd out the word within us, tempt us to leave it by the wayside or forego its call to us, and find the way to produce the spiritual fruits He asks for.  For it is this word, growing in us, that produces the fruits that are needful, that make our lives renewed with a quality which we can't find otherwise:  some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.