Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 4:14
The sower soweth the word.
14. The sower ] This is applicable to (i) Christ, who “ came forth from the Father and was come into the world” (Joh 16:28); (ii) His Apostles; (iii) all who go forth in His Name, and with His authority. For other comparisons of the relations of the teacher and the taught to those between the sower and the soil, comp. 1Pe 1:23; 1Jn 3:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
See the notes at Mat 13:18-23.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
14. The sower soweth the wordor,as in Luke (Lu 8:11), “Nowthe parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Butwho is “the sower?” This is not expressed here because if”the word of God” be the seed, every scatterer of thatprecious seed must be regarded as a sower. It is true that in theparable of the tares it is said, “He that soweth the good seedis the Son of man,” as “He that soweth the tares is thedevil” (Mat 13:37; Mat 13:38).But these are only the great unseen parties, struggling in this worldfor the possession of man. Each of these has his agents among menthemselves; and Christ’s agents in the sowing of the good seed arethe preachers of the word. Thus, as in all the cases about tobe described, the sower is the same, and the seed is the same; whilethe result is entirely different, the whole difference must lie inthe soils, which mean the different states of the humanheart. And so, the great general lesson held forth in thisparable of the sower is, that however faithful the preacher, and howpure soever his message, the effect of the preaching of the worddepends upon the state of the hearer’s heart. Now follow thecases. See on Mr 4:4.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The sower soweth the word. Though our Lord thought fit to give the above gentle rebuke to his disciples for their dulness; yet he condescends to favour them with an interpretation of the above parable, which here begins: by this it appears, that the seed in the parable, before delivered, and which fell on different sorts of ground, is the word of God, which was preached to hearers of different dispositions: the word is the word of life and truth; the word of peace and reconciliation; the word of faith and righteousness; the word of salvation; the word which publishes and declares all these to be in and by Jesus Christ.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The sower soweth the word ( ). Not put thus clearly and simply in Mt 13:19 or Lu 8:11.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
The sower soweth the word. More precise than either Matthew or Luke. Compare Mt 13:19; Luk 8:11.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) ”The sower,” (ho speiron) The one sowing,” or he who sows, who in this parable was the Son of man, who came to seek and to save, Luk 8:11; Luk 19:10.
2) “Soweth the word.” (ton logon speirei) “He sows the word,” the word of God, the life-giving word, as good seed, with life and hope, as expressed for every minister and follower to emulate, Ecc 11:1-6. It is to be sown, distributed, or shared in hope, with assurance, Isa 55:11-12; 1Pe 1:23. The one who scatters good seed increases, profits by sharing it, Pro 11:24.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
“The sower sows the word.”
This is the clue that makes the meaning of the parable clear. What is sown is God’s word to man. This includes the message that ‘the Kingly Rule of God is at hand’, and that by faith they can repent and come under His Kingly Rule. The initiator is in the first place God. It is He Who in the Old Testament sends forth His word to bring about His purpose. But He sends out and provides seed for the sower (Isa 55:10). Thus the sower is the One to Whom He has given His word, and who is to follow in His steps. Here it is especially Jesus by implication, but as well includes John the Baptiser, together with Jesus’ own followers, for once He has trained them they too will be given the seed and will sow the word. Compare how the work of Jesus as the Servant of God is to be continued in His followers (Act 13:47). But the main emphasis is certainly on the fact that it is God’s word that is being sown. It is on the fact that God’s word is now among them as never before. The message is all the more poignant in that it could already be seen as having occurred in the ministry of John, and to some extent as having failed to some degree. True there had been great response in many, but in many more the early enthusiasm resulting from his ministry had already died down.
The discerning listener would have been reminded of Isa 55:10. ‘For as the rain comes down, and the snow, from heaven, and does not return there, but waters the earth and makes it bring forth and bud and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth, it shall not return to me void, but it will accomplish that which I please and prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’ In these words Isaiah depicts the whole process of the growth of grain, the rain and snow from heaven, the watering of the earth, the bringing forth of grain and fruit, the sower who receives and sows the seed in order to continue the process, and the eater who eats what is produced from it. By comparison with Isa 44:2-5 this could then be related to God’s activity in sending forth His Spirit to change the hearts of men. God’s word is the prime source and the prime emphasis is on the fruitfulness produced by the activity of God, and the sower sows as a result and continues the work. Then He likens it to the going forth of His word which directly accomplishes His purposes. Thus the sower is one provided with seed to assist in the carrying forward of the purposes of God.
The discerning among Jesus’ hearers were well aware that a great work of God was going on in Jesus. That is why they had come to listen to Him. And they did not need to be reminded of the need for heavenly rain to water the seed. The need for rain to produce fruitfulness was to them a constant fact of life and had been illustrated spiritually in John’s baptism. But there was also need for a sower, and Jesus is now saying that the time for the sower to go forth to continue the work of God has come, a sower taking forth the word of God.
‘The word.’ Compare Mar 2:2; Mar 7:13. To Jesus ‘the word (logos)’ refers to the true message of God, both to His own message of the nearness of the expected Kingly Rule of God (Mar 2:2 with Mar 1:15) and to ‘the word of God’ as found in the Scriptures (Mar 7:13). Indeed to Him they were both one word. However, the stress in the parable (as in Isaiah) is not on the sower but on the going forth of the word, and that the word that is going forth is the word of God (Isa 55:11). And then the stress is on the hindrances to its reception because of the condition of the ground, which represents the condition of the hearts of men, and what results for those who truly receive it. The sower, though necessary, was secondary. The going forth of the word and the condition of the ground that received it were primary.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Explanation of the Parable.
Jesus now provides the explanation for the parable. It should be noted how smoothly it fits in without there being anything of a mechanical nature in the interpretation which would be the hallmark of later allegorical interpretation. This method of parable followed by explanation follows Old Testament precedence. See for example Eze 17:1-24; Zec 4:2-14. It was also a feature of the Rabbis. It was thus typically Jewish.
Analysis.
a
b “And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown. And when they have heard Satan comes immediately and takes away the word which has been sown in them” (Mar 4:15).
c “And in the same way these are they who are sown on the rocky places who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. Yet they have no root in themselves but endure for a while. Then when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble” (Mar 4:16-17).
b “And others are those who were sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things, entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful” (Mar 4:18-19).
a “And those are they that were sown on the good ground, such as hear the word and firmly receive it, and bear fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold” (Mar 4:20).
Note that in ‘a’ the sower sows the word, and in the parallel it produces abundance of good grain. In ‘b’ Satan snatches the word away and in the parallel the word is choked. Centrally in ‘c’ we have the example of the false confession that does not stand the test of time, the ‘easy belief’ that does not result in any real change. Compare Joh 6:66.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The explanation of the parable:
v. 14. The sower soweth the Word.
v. 15. And these are they by the wayside, where the Word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the Word that was sown in their hearts.
v. 16. And these are they likewise which are sown in stony ground; who, when they have heard the Word, immediately receive it with gladness;
v. 17. and have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time; afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the Word’s sake, immediately they are offended.
v. 18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the Word,
v. 19. and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful.
v. 20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the ‘Word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty-fold, some sixty, and some an hundred. It is Christ that sows the seed of His Word, even today, by the preaching of the Gospel. But the hearers of the Gospel may well be divided into four classes, according to the soil of their heart and the treatment which the Word receives at their hands. These are the chance or occasional hearers, those that forget. They are the wayside men, those in whose case the seed falls along the way. Some of these may even become regular attendants at church. But the seed of the Word remains lying on top of their hearts, it does not penetrate even the crust of their sensibilities. Here, as Christ says, it is Satan himself that takes the Word away from their hearts. The second class are the over-enthusiastic hearers, that have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. The Lord here identifies them with the seed rather than with the soil, though both factors act together. They are the rocky-ground men. With a change of pastors, or due to some other cause, they suddenly, all unexpectedly, accept the Word with great joy. Their interest in matters pertaining to the Church is most gratifying. But the soil of their heart is not prepared for a lasting faith. They are influenced by the weather, both literally and figuratively. They mold their Christianity according to the times. As soon as danger signals appear along the horizon, the temperature of their zeal is reduced to a point where it no longer is of any use. Tribulation and persecution they cannot stand; it makes them lose all interest in the Church and her business. The third class of hearers of the Word are rather promising, at first glance. They hear the Word, even diligently and attentively; their intention is to be worthy Christians. But they permit other plants, dangerous weeds and thorns, to rise up in their hearts. The cares and worries of this present time engross their attention more and more. The fallacy of riches, the idea that the mere possession of money will render happy, takes hold of them. And finally, the desire for the other pleasures which the children of the world enjoy with such apparent satisfaction and happiness gradually blinds their hearts to the true values in life. Faith struggles for a while to maintain its position in the heart, but it fights a losing battle, it remains without fruit. But to the last class belong those Christians that have been sown into good soil, where the soil of the heart has been prepared in the proper manner by the thorough plowing of the Law and by the gentle, merciful rain of the Gospel, where the seed may sprout and grow unhindered, until the full ears speak of the’ rich harvest. There is a difference, of course, according to the gifts and opportunities of the individual Christian, some will yield fruit only in comparatively small measure, while others are rich in good works, but the fact of the yield is the same in all these cases. It is a searching sermon that is contained in this parable of the Lord’s, and all Christians should take heed to remember the lesson: The seed that did not sprout at all; the seed that sprouted, but did not grow; the seed that sprouted and grew up, but bore no fruit; and finally the seed that came up to the expectations of the Lord
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mar 4:14 , in effect, states that the seed is the word.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
word, Greek. logos. See note on Mar 9:32.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mar 4:14. the sower) Christ is the sower. Peter, Paul, and others, sow the seed of Christ, and are servants of Christ.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Mar 4:14-20
3. THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE
Mar 4:14-20
(Mat 13:18-23; Luk 8:11-15)
14 The sower soweth the word.–The seed is the word of God. (Luk 8:11.) The sower is, primarily, Jesus himself, but subsequently the apostles, and as the ages roll on, all those who seek to plant in human hearts the word of God. [The first and essential point of likeness between the word of God and the seed is that the seed, the germ of the fruit to be produced, is enclosed in it. Without the seed no fruit can be produced in the material world. The fruit must correspond to the seed. “And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth.” (Gen 1:11.) The law of God is that seed must produce its like. So when in the field the man who had sown wheat found tares, he knew other seed had been sown. “An enemy hath done this,” he said. In the word of God is enclosed the germinal principle of spiritual life. Without that word no spiritual fruit can be borne. The fruit borne from that seed must correspond to the seed. If plants grow or fruit is borne in the kingdom of God that is not in the word of God, it is because other seed has been sown there, and it is an enemy of God that sows other seed than the word of God.] Sower, learn this lesson. It is your duty to sow. Sow only the word. Sow not mingled seed. Give to perishing souls only the living word. It is God’s power to save. (Rom 1:16.)
15 And these are they by the way side,–In the plains of Palestine you may see miles of verdure without a fence, yet with different ownership. Instead of fences are wayside paths, narrow and hard trodden. On these, with broadcast sowing, some seed will fall. The modern drill would have deprived us of this part of the parable. (It is not improbable we drill too much in our modern church work.) The seed lay hard and round upon this smooth, hard surface, and the watchful birds, as soon as the farmer’s back was turned, caught at them, and they were gone.
where the word is sown; and when they have heard, –Heard only. Just with the ear. The word lies on the surface of their hearts. When truth is heard and not fully received and practiced, it will, sooner or later, lose its power over the heart. No matter how full the reservoir is, if not replenished, it will finally become dry from evaporation.
straightway cometh Satan,–Could Jesus have spoken these words without recognizing, and teaching his disciples to recognize, the personal existence of Satan? “Satan” means adversary. That he is quick to act is seen by his coming immediately.
and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them.–Luke (Luk 8:12) says: “From their heart.” How is not specified. He has a thousand ways of brushing away the slight surface impression that may have been made upon the heart of a careless hearer. The heart is the spiritual soil in which the sower sows the word of God. God has always operated upon the heart of man. So does the devil. The religion produced by the spiritual seed, the word of God, is in the heart, and therefore, preeminently a heart religion. Luke (Luk 8:12) says: “That they may not believe and be saved.” The devil recognizes that the word of God produces faith, hence, snatches it away as quickly as possible. The human heart is the battleground. Here God and the devil meet for the conflict.
[Many, under the evil influences and surroundings of life, hear the word. It is not honored or cherished, overrun by sinful influences and indulgences, given no chance to germinate, and is plucked out of the hearts by the evil one. He uses his servants to do this. Sometimes he uses the man’s own appetites or his own wicked associates, and sometimes he finds a child of God that he can pervert and use to pluck the good seed out of the heart in which it is not cherished. The word plucked out of the heart cannot save. Jas 1:21 : “Receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” He admonished that we must not be forgetful hearers, but “doers of the word.”]
16 And these in like manner are they that are sown upon the rocky places,–The rocky places were spots where the underlying rock formation cropped up near the surface. We have seen places where the underlying limestone formation was sometimes many feet, and not very far off, only a few inches below the surface, and sometimes on the surface. Places where the soil is thus very shallow are meant by rocky places.
who, when they have heard the word,–Please observe, all the classes have heard. They stand on common ground in this. “Take heed therefore how ye hear.” (Luk 8:18.)
straightway receive it with joy;–Hearing the gospel, and considering the pleasures and advantages of salvation, they are for the moment highly pleased without counting the cost. (Luk 14:25-33.) Their joy is not the joy flowing out of genuine repentance and from a real changed heart. Their emotions are touched for the time being, hut the gospel does not reach their moral nature, and their will and character are unchanged. They are moved by the winds of popular excitement or enthusiasm, but there is no new life. Joy is a characteristic of shallow as well as of deep natures.
17 and they have no root in themselves,–They are wanting in the true principles of true religion, such as humility, love, repentance, faith and change of heart, and therefore rootless. They are destitute of that spiritual life which “is hid with Christ in God.” (Col 3:3.) They are not “rooted and grounded in love.” (Eph 3:17.)
then, when tribulation or persecution ariseth–Providential dealings and chastisements. It takes these to separate the wheat from the chaff.
because of the word,–The truths of the gospel always create opposition and put the adversary to work.
straightway they stumble.–Stumble and fall away because this was not an obstruction they expected in their heavenly career.
[Matthew (Mat 13:21) says: “Yet bath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth”–or led into sin. [This class represents the excitable, the light-minded, those lacking in depth and strength of character, so who readily receive, but cannot persist in a begun course. They hear, are easily aroused, act quickly, show great zeal for a time, run well while things all prosper and seem to be full of promise. But when the ebb tide in religion comes, as come it must, they grow weary, become faint at heart, turn aside, and walk with God no more.]
18 And others are they that are sown among the thorns;–The thorny ground was neither hard nor shallow. It was good deep, rich ground, but the roots of thorns were lurking in the ground. They were not removed. They grew rapidly –more so than the wheat–and became so rank that they choked and smothered it till it brought no fruit to perfection. Practically the result was the same as before–nothing but leaves.
these are they that have heard the word,–All these classes are hearers. All are to be found in the public church meetings. All have heard, but says James, “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deluding your own selves.” (Jas 1:22.) In this case the heart is like the plowed ground but poorly prepared. The soil is deep and rich, but the thorn roots have not been grubbed out. They are convicted that they are sinners, show signs of sorrow and repentance, and pass through a form of obedience; but the heart is divided between these and cherished sins and the soul and body are not wholly given to the Lord.
19 and the cares of the world,–Overanxious cares about worldly things–those that divide the heart between them and God. (Jas 1:6-8.)
and the deceitfulness of riches,–This is another altogether. The business or the profession has been made successful, the home is bought, the money is amassed. Such intense application is no longer necessary, but the man now possesses the golden key that unlocks a hundred avenues of enjoying life and employing time. There is no more time for Christ and religion than before. Still it is self, or that broadening of self which we name family, which engrosses time, and thought, and activity, instead of Christ, and no fruit is produced.
and the lusts of other things entering in,–Luke (Luk 8:14) says: “As they go on their way they are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life.” The golden key is possessed that opens these avenues. The phrase “pleasures of this life” does not indicate that the Christian is to have no pleasures. God never intended that his children should be deprived of the good and perfect gifts that he has bestowed upon man. It is not a sin for a Christian to be happy. Such “pleasures” as destroy spirituality, and deaden religious sensibility, and wean from Christ, are, of course, forbidden.
choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.–By the contact and pressure of the thorns–the above-mentioned evils–the word is choked and smothered so it can bear no perfect fruit. Luke (Luk 8:14) says they “bring no fruit to perfection.” The unfruitfulness of the seed represents the unfruitfulness of those receiving the word of God.
20 And those are they that were sown upon the good ground;–These are they who, after having received the word, develop a Godly life. The good ground is the human heart well prepared by casting out all evil motives and purposes, to receive the word honestly, and to give it full opportunity to grow–a heart that submits itself to the full power and influence of the gospel, unchecked by the cares and anxieties of worldly things–a heart fully under the showers and summer suns of the grace of God–a heart spread wide open, like a broad luxuriant field, to the rays of the morning and evening dews, ready for the reception of the truths of God. A heart thus prepared is a rich mellow spiritual soil in which the spiritual seed can take deep root and grow because it has full room for development. The good ground is of no better inherent quality than the others, but in a different condition, and the condition our own making.
such as hear the word,–They have had no advantage over others in this respect. The others all heard but paid no heed to the message.
and accept it,–Before this comes the “understandeth” or “considereth, payeth attention” of Matt. (Mat 13:23), and after it the “hold it fast” of Luke (8:15). The order is hear, heed, accept, hold fast. Luke adds: “In an honest and good heart.” The meaning of the adjectives is to be ascertained by remembering that the phrase expresses a condition different from all the preceding states. One was hard, stubborn, unreceptive; this, then, is soft, yielding, receptive. The second was shallow and frivolous with hardness beneath; this is deep and thoughtful. The third was full of germinal weeds, this is comparatively free. This we understand from the conditions of the parable to be the significance of the “honest and good heart.” The seed does the work. Understanding the word involves giving it close attention. The understanding arises from attention.
and bear fruit,–Luke adds “with patience.” Where all these exist spiritual fruit must follow. Spiritual fruit is anything in the name of Christ (that is, by his authority) that conduces to God’s glory or our fellow man’s good. They continue to bring forth fruit. It is not a mere religious spasm through which they have passed.
thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.–Both Matthew and Mark add here the three grades of production. Not all are capable of producing the same amount of fruit, but it is the same kind–spiritual and good. The marked difference in the capacity of men is thus indicated by a threefold division.
The good and honest hearts which bear fruit and heed, and accept, and hold fast, are by no means equal in their ability to bear fruit, and God will hold them responsible only according to that ability. If thou canst only bear thirty, bear thirty and receive God’s blessing. If thou canst bear a hundred, thank God for thy glorious capacity, and bear them, but think not to deceive God with the thirty which might have been a hundred. Every faithful Christian may find comfort and encouragement in this feature of the parable.
[The heart is the inner man. The heart thinks, fears, hopes, loves, hates, believes. The heart is the soil into which the word of God, as the seed, is sown. It embraces the perceptions, emotions, and volitions–the whole inner man. The heart must have clearness of understanding, depth of feeling, and strength of purpose to continue to the end, despite difficulties and trials, to bring forth fruit unto perfection–not brilliancy, but an earnest, thoughtful mind. Sincerity of feeling and singleness of purpose must be cultivated to make the heart good and honest. These qualities of heart can be cultivated, and are much under a man’s own control. When a man cultivates the habit of honest inquiry that he may know the truth and do it, cherishes a love for what is right and true and good, and then continually follows the purpose of doing what is right, his heart will become an honest and understanding heart. To practice these things will make the heart honest and understanding. Persons that will take these characters of the heart here presented by Jesus, and in the light of them study their own hearts, may understand the things needed, and may cultivate their hearts and make them good.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
sower: Mar 4:3, Isa 32:20, Mat 13:19, Mat 13:37, Luk 8:11
the word: Mar 2:2, Col 1:5, Col 1:6, 1Pe 1:23-25
Reciprocal: Mat 13:18 – General Mar 4:26 – as
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5
Jesus loved his dis- ciples, and notwithstanding their apparent dullness he wished to give them the information they desired. The sower soweth the word is very brief, but it indicates that the things that happened afterward were no fault of the sower. As seed remaining on the surface of the ground would soon be picked up by the birds, so if men do not take the good seed into their hearts, Satan will have a chance at it and will soon take it away with his many subjects of worldly interests.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 4:14. Peculiar to Mark, though involved in the other accounts.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Here our Saviour applies himself to interpret and explain the foregoing parable: the seed is the word, the sower is the preacher, the soil is the heart and soul of man.
Some hearers Christ compares to the highway ground, in which the seed lies uncovered for the want of the harrow of meditation.
Others to stony ground, in which the word has no root. No root in their understandings, in their memories, wills, and affections: but they are instantly offended, either at the depth and profoundness of the word, or at the sanctity and strictness of the word, or else at the plainness and simplicity of it.
Again, some hearers our Lord compares to thorny ground: worldly and covetous desires are as thorns choking the good seed: they shadow the blade when sprung up, keep off the influences of the sun, and draw away the fatness of the soil from the seed.
All these mischievous effects have thorns among the seed. And the like ill effects have worldly affections and covetous desires in the soul of man, rendering the seed of the word unfruitful and unprofitable. But the good Christian hears the word attentively, keeps it retentively, believes it steadfastly, applies it particularly, practises it universally, and brings forth fruit perseveringly.
Learn, 1. That no hearers are in Christ’s account good hearers of the word, but such as bring forth fruit answerable to their hearing.
2. That a person may be a good hearer of the word in Christ’s account, if he bring forth the best fruit he can, though it be not in so great a proportion as others do.
As some grounds bring forth thirty, some sixty and some an hundred-fold; in like manner do all sincere hearers of the word. They all bring forth fruit, though not all alike; all in sincerity, though not all equally, and none to perfection.
It is Theophylact’s note on the place: “How small is the number of good men, and how few are saved! For only the fourth part of the seed fell upon good ground and was preserved.”
Others observe a gradation here: the seed sown in the highway comes not up at all; that on stony ground comes up, but increaseth not; that among thorns increaseth, but bears no fruit; only that seed which fell on good ground brings forth fruit unto perfection.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Verse 14
That is, the sower represents the preacher of divine truth.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
“14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with [their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed [are] your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see, and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have not heard [them]. 18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth [it] not, then cometh the wicked [one], and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth [it]; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
14 The sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in themselves and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake immediately they are offended. 18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, somethirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
As you read this portion it is not hard to envision the Lord speaking and as he speaks he motions to the groups that He is speaking to. “These are they by the way side” – can you just see the Lord sweeping his hand toward the Jewish leaders direction. “These are they likewise which are sown on stony ground” – again sweeping His hand toward another group, possibly a portion of the disciples that have asked the question. “These are they which are sown among thorns” – again sweeping gesture toward another portion of the group. “These are they which are sown on good ground” – a sweeping hand to indicate the apostles and any others that had believed.
If this be true, would not there be a lot of people considering their stance before Christ – were they true believers, or just followers for the benefit of the miracles and teaching. I would think there was a lot of soul searching going on. At the same time I must wonder if the apostles didn’t have a great feeling knowing that their Lord and Master accepted them as complete and devoted believers.
The obvious question arises, were all these but the final group lost, or were some saved that became lost? If you look at the passage alone, you could come to the final conclusion that they were, but if you look at the whole of Scripture it is hoped that you would come to the conclusion that the doctrine of eternal security is the Biblical truth rather than the heresy of lost salvation.
Years ago an aunt of my wife dropped in for a visit and being a Seventh Day Adventist doctrine soon came into the conversation. My wife stated our belief in eternal security and the aunt replied “You don’t believe in that damnable heresy do you?” The topic was dropped and we returned to family talk.
The first group is definitely lost. The Lord of this world, Satan the great deceiver, deceives this group. He destroys any vestige of the Word in the lost person’s life. As to the middle two groups it is difficult to decide whether they be lost or saved. It would seem easiest to view them as believers that accept the Word, that begin to grow but are not sufficiently grounded (rooted) or are choked out by the thorns. Joh 15:1-27 is clear that some of the branches are taken away but that the fruitful ones remain so that they continue to bear fruit. This picture seems to fit these two groups. They are people who hear and then respond and are saved, yet later on are sidetracked by lack of growth or the cares of the world and are not fruitful.
The last group of course is those that hear, respond, accept and grow into fruitfulness. This is the group that God is primarily interested in for the furtherance of His work here on earth. The middle two groups are of interest to God but they fail to bear fruit for their Lord and as a result are not helpful to the harvest of souls through time.
This should concern those believers that fail to produce fruit of some sort for the Lord. These may be taken from this life early if they do not produce for the Lord. This fruit need not be souls but should be some sort of fruit for the Lord be it soul winning, teaching or ministering in some manner for His work.I assume the main point of this parable is not that there are several groups of people, but that there are the lost and the saved and within the saved category are some that are fruitful for their Lord. The following parable would indicate that this is true. It suggests that once a candle is lit it should be useful and give forth light, not be hidden somewhere. It is also evident that the two parables teach that fruit is the expected result of the life of the redeemed. You may not have much fruit, or you may have a lot, but fruit seems to be the result. This after all is part of the basis of our judgment seat of Christ experience, the burning of wood, hay and stuble and the emergence of the rest from trial by fire.
21 And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick? 22 For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad.
Well, in our own world this might not relate as well as with Christ’s world. I seem to remember when I didn’t want to go to bed and when I was made to do so as a child I would take my flashlight with me along with a toy or two, prop up the covers with my knee and play awhile with my light hidden from view. Christ must have been speaking to adults in this context most definitely.
Christ used a little humor here I would think. Who in their right mind would put a lit candle under a basket or under a bed where fire would most likely be the result? Of course the parable is speaking to the hiding, but the safety is an added reason to let your candle be placed on the candlestick so that it can be of use.
The point of Christ’s statement about the candle relates to the hearing but not understanding issue of the previous thought on the purpose of parables. The light is made to be shown forth not hidden, or the Word of God is given to man to be made manifest to the world, not hidden within the church walls. Though the lost do not accept the Word and as a result do not understand it is not the Word’s fault but the lost person’s fault. The truth of Christ’s teaching is to bring light to the world, but also to hide it from the lost that reject it out of hand.
A little application might be appropriate here. It is of interest that something as small as a seed or the light of one candle would be used to picture the believer and his works. Maybe it is the Lord’s way to show that it isn’t OUR individual work that is important to the plan of God but the cumulative work of all those that produces God’s desired accomplishments in the world of our time. One plant is not going to do much to feed the hunger of the world, nor is one candle going to light the cities of the planet, but the combined crops of the farms across the world will feed the world, the light of billions of candles can light our way and the fruit of millions of believers can change the earth for the God that we serve.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
Jesus did not give His disciples several hermeneutical principles by which they could understand the parables. He gave them a sample interpretation as a pattern that they could apply in understanding other parables.
The seed represents the word or message of God that the sower proclaims. People make a negative or a positive response when they hear this message. They may make a negative response for any one of three reasons. Regardless of the reason, a negative response proves unproductive in their lives. A positive response, however, will produce spiritual fruit, but the fruit will be in varying amounts depending on various factors.
"Each of the three fruitless hearts is influenced by a different enemy: the hard heart-the devil himself snatches the seed; the shallow heart-the flesh counterfeits religious feelings; the crowded heart-the things of the world smother the growth and prevent a harvest. These are the three great enemies of the Christian: the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph 2:1-3)." [Note: Wiersbe, 1:123.]
Some interpreters want to know which soils represent believers and which unbelievers. This was not Jesus’ point in the parable. Both believers and unbelievers need to welcome the word gladly rather than allowing its enemies to make it unfruitful.
The word that Jesus was sowing was the good news concerning the coming messianic kingdom. The people He addressed gave these characteristic responses. However these are typical responses that have marked the proclamation of God’s Word throughout history, among believers and unbelievers alike. Mark’s original readers would have found encouragement in this parable to receive the Word of God as good soil and to beware of the enemies that limit Christians’ fruitfulness.
"Words may be sound and lively enough, but it is up to each hearer to let them sink in and become fruitful. If he only hears without responding-without doing something about it and committing himself to their meaning-then the words are in danger of being lost, or of never coming to anything. The whole story thus becomes a parable about the learner’s responsibility, and about the importance of learning with one’s whole will and obedience, and not merely with one’s head." [Note: Moule, p. 36.]
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
elete_me Mar 4:14-20
CHAPTER 4:3-9, 14-20 (Mar 4:3-9; Mar 4:14-20)
THE SOWER
“Hearken: Behold the sower went forth to sow: and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it. And other fell on the rocky ground, where it had not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing; and brought forth, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. And He said, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear…
“The sower soweth the word. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; and when they have heard, straightway cometh Satan, and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them. And these in like manner are they that are sown upon the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, straightway receive it with joy; and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway they stumble. And others are they that are sown among the thorns; these are they that have heard the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And those are they that were sown upon the good ground; such as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.” Mar 4:3-9; Mar 4:14-20 (R.V.)
“HEARKEN,” Jesus said; willing to caution men against the danger of slighting His simple story, and to impress on them that it conveyed more than met their ears. In so doing He protested in advance against fatalistic abuses of the parable, as if we were already doomed to be hard, or shallow, or thorny, or fruitful soil. And at the close He brought out still more clearly His protest against such doctrine, by impressing upon all, that if the vitalizing seed were the imparted word, it was their part to receive and treasure it. Indolence and shallowness must fail to bear fruit: that is the essential doctrine of the parable; but it is not necessary that we should remain indolent or shallow: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when the Epistle to the Hebrews reproduces the image of land which bringeth forth thorns and thistles, our Revised Version rightly brings out the fact, on which indeed the whole exhortation depends, that the same piece of land might have borne herbs meet for those for whose sake it is tilled (Heb 1:7).
Having said “Hearken,” Jesus added, “Behold.” It has been rightly inferred that the scene was before their eyes. Very possibly some such process was within sight of the shore on which they were gathered; but in any case, a process was visible, if they would but see, of which the tilling of the ground was only a type. A nobler seed was being scattered for a vaster harvest, and it was no common laborer, but the true sower, who went forth to sow. “The sower soweth the word.” But who was he? St. Matthew tells us “the sower is the Son of man,” and whether the words were expressly uttered, or only implied, as the silence of St. Mark and St. Luke might possibly suggest, it is clear that none of His disciples could mistake His meaning. Ages have passed and He is the sower still, by whatever instrument He works, for we are God’s husbandry as well as God’s building. And the seed is the Word of God, so strangely able to work below the surface of human life, invisible at first, yet vital, and grasping from within and without, from secret thoughts and from circumstances, as from the chemical ingredients of the soil and from the sunshine and the shower, all that will contribute to its growth, until the field itself is assimilated, spread from end to end with waving ears, a corn-field now. This is why Jesus in His second parable did not any longer say “the seed is the word,” but “the good seed are the sons of the kingdom” (Mat 13:38). The word planted was able to identify itself with the heart.
And this seed, the Word of God, is sown broadcast as all our opportunities are given. A talent was not refused to him who buried it. Judas was an apostle. Men may receive the grace of God in vain, and this in more ways than one. On some it produces no vital impression whatever; it lies on the surface of a mind which the feet of earthly interests have trodden hard. There is no chance for it to expand, to begin its operation by sending out the smallest tendrils to grasp, to appropriate anything, to take root. And it may well be doubted whether any soul, wholly indifferent to religious truth, ever retained even its theoretic knowledge long. The foolish heart is darkened. The fowls of the air catch away for ever the priceless seed of eternity. Now it is of great importance to observe how Jesus explained this calamity. We should probably have spoken of forgetfulness, the fading away of neglected impressions, or at most of some judicial act of providence hiding the truth from the careless. But Jesus said, “straightway cometh Satan and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them.” No person can fairly explain this text away, as men have striven to explain Christ’s language to the demoniacs, by any theory of the use of popular language, or the toleration of harmless notions. The introduction of Satan into this parable is unexpected and uncalled for by any demand save one, the necessity of telling all the truth. It is true therefore that an active and deadly enemy of souls is at work to quicken the mischief which neglect and indifference would themselves produce, that evil processes are helped from beneath as truly as good ones from above; that the seed which is left today upon the surface may be maliciously taken thence long before it would have perished by natural decay; that men cannot reckon upon stopping short in their contempt of grace, since what they neglect the devil snatches quite away from them. And as seed is only safe from fowls when buried in the soil, so is the word of life only safe against the rapacity of hell when it has sunk down into our hearts.
In the story of the early Church, St. Paul sowed upon such ground as this in Athens. Men who spent their time in the pursuit of artistic and cultivated novelties, in hearing and telling some new thing, mocked the gospel, or at best proposed to hear its preacher yet again. How long did such a purpose last?
But there are other dangers to dread, besides absolute indifference to truth. And the first of these is a too shallow and easy acquiescence. The message of salvation is designed to affect the whole of human life profoundly. It comes to bind a strong man armed, it summons easy and indifferent hearts to wrestle against spiritual foes, to crucify the flesh, to die daily. On these conditions it offers the noblest blessings. But the conditions are grave and sobering. If one hears them without solemn and earnest searching of heart, he has only, at the best, apprehended half the message. Christ has warned us that we cannot build a tower without sitting down to count our means, nor fight a hostile king without reckoning the prospects of invasion. And it is very striking to compare the gushing and impulsive sensationalism of some modern schools, with the deliberate and circumspect action of St. Paul, even after God had been pleased miraculously to reveal His Son in him. He went into seclusion. He returned to Damascus to his first instructor. Fourteen years afterwards he deliberately laid his gospel before the Apostles, lest by any means he should be running or had run in vain. Such is the action of one penetrated with a sense of reality and responsibility in his decision; it is not the action likely to result from teaching men that it suffices to “say you believe” and to be “made happy.” And in this parable, our Savior has given striking expression to His judgment of the school which relies upon mere happiness. Next to those who leave the seed for Satan to snatch away, He places them “who, when they have heard the word, straightway receive it with joy.” They have taken the promises without the precepts, they have hoped for the crown without the cross. Their type is the thin layer of earth spread over a shelf of rock. The water, which cannot sink down, and the heat reflected up from the stone, make it for a time almost a hot bed. Straightway the seed sprang up, because it had no deepness of earth. But the moisture thus detained upon the surface vanished utterly in time of drought; the young roots, unable to penetrate to any deeper supplies, were scorched; and it withered away. That superficial heat and moisture was impulsive emotion, glad to hear of heaven, and love, and privilege, but forgetful to mortify the flesh, and to be partaker with Christ in His death. The roots of a real Christian life must strike deeper down. Consciousness of sin and its penalty and of the awful price by which that penalty has been paid, consciousness of what life should have been and how we have degraded it, consciousness of what it must yet be made by grace–these do not lead to joy so immediate, so impulsive, as the growth of this shallow vegetation. A mature and settled joy is among “the fruits of the spirit:” it is not the first blade that shoots up.
Now because the sense of sin and duty and atonement have not done their sobering work, the feelings, so easily quickened, are also easily perverted: “When tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway they stumble.” These were not counted upon. Neither trouble of mind nor opposition of wicked men was included in the holiday scheme of the life Divine. And their pressure is not counter-weighted by that of any deep convictions. The roots have never penetrated farther than temporal calamities and trials can reach. In the time of drought they have not enough. They endure, but only for a while.
St. Paul sowed upon just such soil in Galatia. There his hearers spoke of such blessedness that they would have plucked out their eyes for him. But he became their enemy because he told them all the truth, when only a part was welcome. And as Christ said, Straightway they stumble, so St. Paul had to marvel that they were so soon subverted.
If indifference be the first danger, and shallowness the second, mixed motive is the third. Men there are who are very earnest, and far indeed from slight views of truth, who are nevertheless in sore danger, because they are equally earnest about other things; because they cannot resign this world, whatever be their concern about the next; because the soil of their life would fain grow two inconsistent harvests. Like seed sown among thorns, “choked” by their entangling roots and light-excluding growths, the word in such hearts, though neither left upon a hard surface nor forbidden by rock to strike deep into the earth, is overmastered by an unworthy rivalry. A kind of vegetation it does produce, but not such as the tiller seeks: the word becometh unfruitful. It is the same lesson as when Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
Perhaps it is the one most needed in our time of feverish religious controversy and heated party spirit, when every one hath a teaching, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation, but scarcely any have denied the world and taken in exchange a cross.
St. Paul found a thorny soil in Corinth which came behind in no gift, if only gifts had been graces, but was indulgent, factious and selfish, puffed up amid flagrant vices, one hungry and another drunken, while wrangling about the doctrine of the resurrection.
The various evils of this parable are all of them worldliness, differently manifested. The deadening effect of habitual forgetfulness of God, treading the soil so hard that no seed can enter it; the treacherous effect of secret love of earth, a buried obstruction refusing to admit the gospel into the recesses of the life, however it may reach the feelings; and the fierce and stubborn competition of worldly interests, wherever they are not resolutely weeded out, against these Jesus spoke His earliest parable. And it is instructive to review the foes by which He represented His Gospel as warred upon. The personal activity of Satan; “tribulation or persecution” from without, and within the heart “cares” rather for self than for the dependent and the poor, “deceitfulness of riches” for those who possess enough to trust in, or to replace with a fictitious importance the only genuine value, which is that of character (although men are still esteemed for being “worth” a round sum, a strange estimate, to be made by Christians, of a being with a soul burning in him); and alike for rich and poor, “the lusts of other things,” since none is too poor to covet, and none so rich that his desires shall not increase, like some diseases, by being fed.
Lastly, we have those on the good ground, who are not described by their sensibilities or their enjoyments, but by their loyalty. They “hear the word and accept it and bear fruit.” To accept is what distinguishes them alike from the wayside hearers into whose attention the word never sinks, from the rocky hearers who only receive it with a superficial welcome, and from the thorny hearers who only give it a divided welcome. It is not said, as if the word were merely the precepts, that they obey it. The sower of this seed is not he who bade the soldier not to do violence, and the publican not to extort: it is He who said, Repent, and believe the gospel. He implanted new hopes, convictions, and affections, as the germ which should unfold in a new life. And the good fruit is borne by those who honestly “accept” His word.
Fruitfulness is never in the gospel the condition by which life is earned, but it is always the test by which it proves it. In all the accounts of the final judgment, we catch the principle of the bold challenge of St. James, “Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.” The talent must produce more talents, and the pound (dollar) more pounds (dollars); the servant must have his loins girt and a light in his hand; the blessed are they who did unto Jesus the kindness they did unto the least of His brethren, and the accursed are they who did it not to Jesus in His people.
We are not wrong in preaching that honest faith in Christ is the only condition of acceptance, and the way to obtain strength for good works. But perhaps we fail to add, with sufficient emphasis, that good works are the only sufficient evidence of real faith, of genuine conversion. Lydia, whose heart the lord opened and who constrained the Apostle to abide in her house, was converted as truly as the gaoler who passed through all the vicissitudes of despair, trembling and astonishment, and belief.
“They bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and an hundredfold.” And all are alike accepted. But the parable of the pounds shows that all are not alike rewarded, and in equal circumstances superior efficiency wins a superior prize. One star differeth from another star in glory, and they who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the sun for ever.