Sowing the Gospel
The Parable of the Sower provides the key to understanding the other parables of Jesus. Its point is that the kingdom of God began to invade the present age with the proclamation of the kingdom of God by the “Son of Man.” He inaugurated the process, and ever since, the kingdom has been advancing throughout the earth though largely unnoticed by humanity.
And what is a parable? The Greek word commonly
rendered “parable” means “something that is thrown alongside, to cast beside” (Strong’s
- #G3850). It is a saying that is laid alongside something else for comparison
- an analogy.
Christ’s parables were stories drawn from
everyday life and often featured jarring images intended to grab his audience’s
attention. They illustrated one or two points of comparison. His parables most often
concerned the “kingdom of God” - (Mark 4:1-9).
In this parable, the stress is on how the seed interacts with different types of
soil. The “Sower,” the “seed,” and the method of
sowing are the same for each soil type.
What happens to the “seed” once it
contacts the “soil” is the real point, and the “seed” falls on
four soil types - hardened, rocky, thorny, and fertile soil.
The description of harvests ranging from
thirty to sixty to a hundredfold is extraordinary. This is an exaggerated figure
designed to catch the audience’s attention. With his kingdom, regardless of how
insignificant its beginnings may be, the results will exceed all expectations.
MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM
The disciples asked Jesus why “outsiders”
receive his teachings in parables and without explanation, yet insiders receive parables with
explanations. Parables
serve to separate insiders from outsiders. They both reveal AND conceal
information. They are a blessing to some but bring judgment to others.
- (Mark 4:10-12) - “And when he was alone, they who were about him with the twelve questioned him as to the parables. And he was saying to them: To you, the mystery has been given of the kingdom of God, whereas, to them who are outside, in parables are all things coming to pass that they may surely look and yet not see, and surely hear and yet not understand, lest once they should return and be forgiven.”
Christ’s saying alludes to a passage in the
book of Isaiah - “Go! And say to
this people: HEAR ON BUT DO NOT DISCERN. SEE ON BUT DO NOT PERCEIVE, stupefy the heart of this
people, and their ears make heavy, and their eyes overspread, LEST THEY SEE
WITH THEIR EYES, and with their ears should hear, and their heart should
discern and come back, AND THEY BE HEALED.”
The contrast is between those who hear the parable and receive its explanation and those who do not. This is the pattern in his teaching ministry.
Some men react in faith to the good news,
but others are blinded by unbelief and reject it. The failure of some to
understand is a sign of divine judgment on their hardness of heart.
Jesus declared to his disciples that they
had been “given the mystery of
the kingdom of God.” The Greek noun rendered “mystery” does not
refer to something esoteric or mysterious, but to something hidden that is disclosed
(mystérion – Strong’s - #G3466).
The unveiling of the mystery is “given.” It cannot be acquired through
human effort or intellect. It must be received from God. The “mystery”
is revealed to those who follow him and hearken to his words.
The word “parable” occurs twelve
times in the gospel of Mark, and each time in a context of opposition to
Jesus. By means of parables, he reveals the “mystery of the kingdom” to
hearers, but he also exposes his opponents and their hardness of heart.
In Isaiah, the prophet received a
vision of Yahweh sitting on his throne when he heard his call to bring the
words of God to Israel. He was warned that the people would not heed his words,
and inevitably, judgment would follow. Yet a remnant of Israel did heed the
words of Yahweh.
THE INTERPRETATION
The parable concerns the process of the kingdom
expanding in the world, and how men respond to it. It is being implemented
through the proclamation of the gospel, first by Jesus, then by his disciples -
(Mark 4:13-20).
The proclamation of the kingdom by a ragtag
group of Galileans appeared weak to the human mind. But that small beginning initiated
something far larger. But the results could not be seen at the time the “seed”
was sown.
In the end, the proclamation of the gospel will usher in the long-promised reign and realm of God, including everlasting life for everyone who responds to it in repentance and faith.
The parable is about the four different ways
the word of the kingdom is received. The seed sown on the hardened soil meets
with no positive response. Some seed is received initially with enthusiasm but
then forsaken when circumstances become challenging. Some receive the seed, but
then it is smothered by the competing forces of this age. The seed that falls on
good soil represents the men and women who hear the gospel, respond to it with faith,
and then bear fruit.
Jesus faced outright rejection by some,
initial acceptance by others who were not prepared to pay the required costs, and
acceptance by still others who later recanted because of the deceitfulness of
riches. It is the same for every disciple who heeds the call and begins to sow
the good seed of the kingdom of God.