Parable of the Sower

1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” 10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. 11 He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables 12 so that, “ ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’” 13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

The Parable

verse 2: Jesus taught them many things by parables (The broad meaning of parable, then, can refer to any unusual or striking speech, any dark saying intended to stimulate thought.)

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Parable,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1608.

verse 3: a farmer went out to sow his seed (a farmer during their time scatters seed)

verses 4- 8: places the seed feel and the results

path = birds eating it

rocky places with shallow soil = sprouted quickly, scorched by sun, withered because it had no root

amidst thorns = thorns grew up and chocked the plants so that it did not bear grain

good soil = sprouted, grew, and produced a crop in multiples

The Problem

verse 9: “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (statement with the intentions of leaving the hearer with the responsibility of discerning and applying its meaning)

verses 10-12:

“secret of the kingdom of God”: secret (Greek transliteration: mysterion)—means its hidden not incomprehensible. Once something that was hidden is revealed, it becomes privileged information not a puzzle.

R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 196.

“secret of the kingdom of God is given to Jesus’ disciples but those on the outside everything is said in parables”— meaning Jesus will reveal them plainly to His disciples but it will still remain a mystery to outsiders

“see but never perceiving, ever hearing but never understanding, otherwise they might turn and be forgiven” (literary irony)— Isaiah 6:9-10 (commissioning of Isaiah), Matthew 13:13-15 (Parable of Sower); reading this literally, it may seem as if God does not want people to come to repentance. However, it convey people merely reject the message due to their hardened hearts. Hollenbach proposes this reading of the text

… so that they may indeed see but not perceive,

and may indeed hear but not understand;

because the last thing they want is to turn and have their sins forgiven!

R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 200.

Meaning of the Parable

verse 14: Farmer is Jesus and the seed is the word

verse 15: Some people hear the word, but people automatically reject it due to evil, whether its Satan or self.

verse 16-17: Some people hear the word, receive it with joy but have no root (doubt or not sure of choice they made). When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they fall away

verse 18-19: Some people hear the word but their loyalties are divided. Therefore, they cannot bear fruit because the other things sometimes take precedence God’s word, which effectively prohibits fruitfulness.

verse 20: Some people hear the word, accept it, and produce. They multiply in various degrees.

What does this mean for us?

1. That the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to the disciples of Jesus Christ. That is us! Therefore, teach it and disciple others.

2. The sobering reality of fulfilling God’s purpose is we will always encounter bad soil and good soil.

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