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The Parable of the Sower

Let me first say that I am grateful for each person’s kind support of Sam and our family. But, while thankful for every giver, there are a few gifts that I would gladly do without! If the toy makes noise, then I am inclined to bury the present in the back of Sam’s closet, which serves as a kind of purgatory for all manner of musical stuffed animals and squawking electronic games.

On the other hand, certain gifts have special places of honor. His favorite books are prominently displayed in his nursery, right next to the rocking chair. And we have stacks and stacks of more books under coffee tables throughout the house, so that we can pull them out to read at a moment’s notice. I am aware this might involve a certain amount of projection on my part, particularly when I insist that these are Sam’s “favorite” toys. However, he genuinely loves the special ones, like the book about owls that includes pages with feathered eyebrows, shiny eyes, and sandpaper claws. He pats, pulls, and pokes these tactile images, and the only sounds emitted are his own contented coos and playful giggles.

One morning at church, a kind and thoughtful woman came to my office with the gift of a beautiful book called Plant a Kiss.13 The story involves a young girl who digs a hole in the ground and literally plants a kiss. After a period of waiting in which she diligently waters and cares for the kiss, it “sprouts” into a kaleidoscopic fountain of glittery bright colors. The girl collects this “fruit” into a red bowl and shares it with other children, far and wide. When the bowl is emptied, she returns and discovers that the magic of the kiss never runs out.

Once again, I may be accused of projecting my own values, in this case onto a biblical text, but this hopeful message reminds me of the famous Parable of the Sower. This teaching is a favorite of many faithful people and perhaps the parable that we most often hear in church, especially around children. We will shortly consider the validity of the popular interpretation that urges us to be like the good soil; but I believe the fundamental teaching highlights God’s fantastic grace from seemingly insignificant beginnings. So rather than consign the parable to the back of the closet by thinking we’ve already figured it out, let’s explore the texts anew with wonder like a child.

The Parable

Mark 4:2–9	Matthew 13:3–9	Luke 8:4–8
He began teaching them in many parables and said to them in this teaching: “Listen! Behold the sower who went out in order to sow. And in the sowing, some fell beside the road, and birds came and devoured it. And other seed fell on the rocky ground where there was not much soil; and immediately, it sprang up because the soil was not deep. And when the sun rose, it was burnt and, because it did not have roots, it was dried out. And other seed fell in the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it did not give fruit. But others fell in the good soil and were giving fruit after coming up and growing and bearing thirty and sixty and one hundredfold.” And he said, “Whoever has ears to hear, listen!”	And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Behold! The sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some fell beside the road and, after they came, the birds devoured them. Others fell on the rocky ground where there was not much soil; and immediately, it sprang up because the soil was not deep. And after the sun rose, it was burnt and, because it did not have roots, it was dried out. Others fell on the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them. But others fell on the good soil and were giving fruit, some one hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. Let the one who has ears, listen!”	He spoke through a parable: “The sower went out in order to sow his seed. And in his sowing, some fell beside the road and was trampled under foot, and the birds of heaven devoured it. And another fell down upon the rock and, after it grew, was dried out because it did not have moisture. And another fell in the middle of thorns, and as the thorns grew with it, they choked it. But another fell in the beneficial soil and, after it grew, produced fruit one hundredfold.” After he said these things, he called out, “Let the one who has ears to hear, listen!”

Encouragement and Exhortation

Before we consider each version in the Gospels, I briefly want to offer some introductory comments because the Parable of the Sower is arguably Jesus’ most well-known teaching; yet, our familiarity with this text may have more to do with each Gospel’s subsequent explanation than the actual parable itself.

In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus interprets the parable as an allegory, meaning that each fictional item in the parable has a real-life, corresponding element in the world (Mt 13:18–23; Mark 4:13–20; Luke 8:11–15). The seed is the Word of God; the birds that gobble up the seed are like the Devil; the rocky ground represents temptation; the thorns that choke the young plants symbolize the effect of material possessions. The good soil represents people who “understand” the Word (Mt 13:23) or “accept it” (Mark 4:20) or “hold it fast in an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15). Though each Gospel writer has a unique twist on the exact formulation the main teaching point, it is clear that each summary statement fulfills the same purpose in an allegorical interpretation: we are urged to become like the good soil. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this exhortation. But with the assistance of astute scholarship, we can discern other valuable meanings that may not have been previously appreciated.

Lamar Williamson recognizes two lines of interpretation: exhortation, which is the common view expressed above, and encouragement.14 In order to discern this second motivation, we must focus on the parable itself and resist skipping ahead to the allegorical interpretation. Williamson maintains that a sense of encouragement is found in the repeated contrast between small, discouraging beginnings and great, satisfying endings. Matthew follows Mark in stating that the three examples of seed that do not produce are then immediately followed by three degrees of increasingly abundant yield–thirty, sixty, and hundredfold (Mark 4:8; Mt 13:8). What’s more, the sower maintains a confident initiative despite the waste inherent in the ancient sowing practice of broadcasting seed over a large area. Farming in this fashion takes a lot of faith! Without denying the exhortation to become like the good soil, Williamson wants to nuance this interpretation: “What the listener is exhorted to hear is good news.”15 In other words, the parable is not only about doing the right thing, but also bears a message of grace. We can trust that God interacts with the world and, despite apparent setbacks, brings about the kingdom of heaven in increasingly fantastic ways.

Using Williamson’s dual emphasis of exhortation and encouragement, let’s now consider each Gospel and see if we can determine how different versions emphasize one motivation over the other.

Mark

In his lucid analysis, Gary Charles notes the importance of another parable unique to Mark, often referred to as the Parable of the Growing Seed (Mark 4:26–29). This, too, is about a sower; however, the emphasis is not on human action but the soil itself, which “automatically” brings forth the plant (Mark 4:28). We derive our English word, automatic, from the Greek word that describes how the earth produces the grain. Charles concludes, “The future of God’s reign will depend less on [our] efforts than on the mysterious and yet trustworthy ways of God.”16 Coming on the heels of the Parable of the Sower, this parable may well have been intended by Mark to re-frame the early teaching along the lines of encouragement by emphasizing God’s “automatic” grace instead of the use of physical effort or mental energy by humans.

As evidence of this claim, it is fascinating to note that Mark has Jesus tell the disciples right after the Parable of the Sower that they have been given the “secret” of the kingdom of God (Mark 4:10). This word could also be translated as “mystery” but the larger point is that, in Matthew and Luke, the disciples receive the secrets or the mysteries–the plural forms of the same noun (Mt 13:11; Luke 8:10). According to Williamson, the importance of this singular versus plural usage is that, in Mark, Jesus is the secret whereas Matthew and Luke are talking about other details concerning the kingdom of God: “[In Mark] Jesus communicates no privileged information about the kingdom. Rather, in the authentic speaking and hearing of the parables, Jesus gives the kingdom itself.”17 The kingdom is a gift from God brought about through Jesus, not only in his teachings but also his life, death, and resurrection. This grace is encouraging news indeed.

Matthew

Reflecting upon Matthew’s slight change to the singular “secret” found in Mark, one might then notice other distinctive features about other verses surrounding the parable. For example, this Gospel attributes the justification for speaking in parables to Isaiah and then expands the citation (Mt 13:13–15; Mark 4:12). Matthew alone has Jesus explicitly mention the “dull hearts” of certain people thereby re-emphasizing the contrast between those who “get it” and those who do not.18 We should suspect that such emphasis was intentional.

The adamant emphasis upon this insider/outsider theme is further highlighted by yet another parable found only in one Gospel; in this case, the Parable of the Wheat and Tares (Mt 13:24–30). Once again, we read about a sower and, in an obvious echo to the previous parable, we also hear about good seed. But now, an enemy comes secretly and sows “tares” or weeds among the wheat. Just as we found in relation to the Parable of the Sower, Matthew has Jesus explain the meaning of this second parable to his disciples in allegorical fashion: the sower is the Son of Man contrasted with the enemy who is the Devil; the wheat are the children of the kingdom in opposition to the children of evil (Mt 13:36–39). Especially in light of the final judgment, when both wheat and weeds will be gathered and the latter thrown into the fire, this is clearly a call to exhortation (Mt 13:40–43). Matthew even has Jesus repeat the exact same phrase as a concluding charge, “Let the one who has ears, listen!” (Mt 13:9; 13:43). As we would expect from a skillful editor, the close proximity of this second parable to the Parable of the Sower reinforces its primary message: be good soil . . . or else!

Luke

It would seem that Luke will break the tie between emphasis on encouragement (Mark) or exhortation (Matthew). On the other hand, this Gospel might reveal a new insight. Unlike the other Gospels, Luke prefaces the parable by mentioning certain women who were in the company of Jesus. Mary Magdalene will appear later, but neither this Joanna nor Susanna are mentioned again (Luke 8:3). It seems unlikely that Luke was merely dropping names if these women were so unrecognizable. Perhaps, then, they provide an interpretative lens for the parable itself.

These women and other unnamed companions had been cured of “evil spirits and infirmities” and were now using their resources to take care of Jesus and the rest of the disciples (Luke 8:2–3). Literally Luke tells us the women were “ministering” to the men. Since the parable immediately follows, are we to discern that these women represent the good soil? If so, this would be quite unexpected because women were considered to be inferior to men in the ancient world (that statement will be unpacked in a later chapter). For now, note that the correlation of these women with good soil would also be surprising, even shocking, because at least one of them had a notorious reputation among Luke’s community: Mary Magdalene was formerly possessed by seven demons (Luke 8:2).

A few verses after the Parable of the Sower, Jesus learns that his mother and siblings were requesting his presence. He responds, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it” (Luke 8:21). This has been interpreted as a harsh response, even a sign of disrespect; but I believe the previous Parable of the Sower sheds light on Luke’s intended meaning. The good soil is evinced, not by its prior condition, but by the results. As Williamson noted, “What the listener is exhorted to hear is good news.”19 Those who have been in difficult situations can take heart because they can live out their faith through ministry to others, like these women of Luke’s Gospel. For Luke, receiving God’s grace does entail a responsibility; but let’s not forget that the gift is extended to all people, including those we might not expect, like notorious women. Maybe like you and me.

Conclusion

Williamson maintains that it is misleading for an interpreter to suggest than a parable only has one message: “As metaphorical mode of communication, parables are open to multiple meanings.”20 So let’s be clear what we are not saying: Mark’s use of the parable is only for encouragement, while Matthew exclusively exhorts his audience. What we found to be true with Luke is essentially true for the other Gospels: both motivations are clearly present in each. Yet I believe that it is instructive to notice how these ancient editors nuanced the message one way or the other, presumably in order to motivate their original audience. Whether as a preacher, a Sunday School teacher, or a parent, we do the same with Jesus’ teachings. That does not mean that we can force the parables into saying whatever we want, but according to Williamson, entails a serious responsibility: “The art of the interpreter is to follow the lead of scripture by taking up these stories in ever-new situations, allowing them the freedom to speak with fresh nuances while assuring continuity with their meaning in the canonical context.”21 I would now like to offer such an example from my own experience.

Alongside My Son

Growth Stories

My greatest hope is that, despite evidence to the contrary, God is present and active in human history; in response to this divine initiative, I strive to be like the good soil in my daily life, including the relationships with my family. And so, there are elements of both human effort and divine grace, as encouragement and exhortation are not necessarily contrasted but ideally harmonized. Apparent contradictions blur together, as parents inspire hope and offer advice, thereby imparting both confidence and admonition to their children.

Speaking in terms of my life, a typical workday ends when I walk in through the back door, feed the dog, and read books with my son until Ginny comes home from the gym. While Sam is sitting in my lap, babbling away and patting a bright illustration, I often wonder what he is learning. What seeds are being planted and what lessons will produce fruit later in his life? Will he learn to trust in God’s grace, even if a situation appears hopeless? Will he keep trying, even if the results are frustrating? Will he remember that seemingly small and even insignificant actions can actually mean everything to someone in need?

These questions can lead to healthy exhortation; however, if one is not careful, the desire to nurture a child can be more like an anxious farmer stressed over his crop. When we first brought Sam home, I would get up, still half asleep, and frantically search the covers for Sam, convinced that I had left him in the bed and was smothering him. Of course, he was in the bassinet, sleeping blissfully unaware of his dad’s anxiety. “False alarm,” Ginny would whisper exasperatedly, as she tugged me back in bed.

I don’t think of myself as a “worrywart” so much as I worry about each of Sam’s warts! Ginny has to counteract my anxiety about red bumps on Sam’s arms (“Those are mosquito bites, not tumors”), his excessive drool (“He’s teething and does not have a hereditary disease”) and that suspicious build-up in his ear (“Come on, Andrew, it’s just ear wax!”).