Bear fruit, hearing the Word of God. Matthew 13:1-9,18-23
INTRODUCTION
(1) On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. (2) Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. (3) And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. (4) And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. (5) Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, (6) and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. (7) Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. (8) But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. (9) Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
Bible Text
The Parable of the Sower.
Interpretation
(1) On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. (2) Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.
Jesus was teaching in a house, probably Peter’s
house in Capernaum, that was crowded with people. When his mother and
brothers came to see him, they could not reach him because of the crowd.
(Matthew 12: 46-50). By the time Jesus spoke to his family, more people
might have arrived. Since the crowd kept coming in, he found a better
way to communicate by sitting down by the sea of Galilee on a boat while
the crowd could sit on the mountain side of the shore. While on the
boat, the crowd would not press on to Jesus and crowd could be managed
well with enough visibility and breathing space. That was also a natural
sound-amplifying system of the time to address large assembly. People
could hear Jesus better as he was facing from the sea to the valley
where people stood. Though there was a large crowd, Jesus taught sitting
because the Rabbi sitting and the listeners standing or sitting was the
custom of the Jews during those days.
(3) And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.”
He spoke to them at length in parables
In the early part of his ministry, Jesus taught
without parables. Later, when the Pharisees confronted Jesus, he began
to teach in parables. The higher-class Jews who were against Jesus were
close minded. So, Jesus wanted to conceal the truth from them; while he
continued communicating truth to his disciples. He even explained the
meaning of some of the parables to his disciples. There was a time when
he did not say anything without using parables. (Mark 4:34). That was
why the disciples asked Jesus why he was speaking to the people in
parables. (Matthew 13:10).
(4) And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up.
(18) “Hear then the parable of the sower. (19) The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.
Jesus used the example of a farmer and his
experience in farming to illustrate the future growth of the church he
was going to establish. The seed came from a former plant of the same
species. The word of God that Jesus cultivated was based on the original
teachings of Moses to the Israelites. During the course of centuries the
later teachers had manipulated them and thus made them less fruitful. So
Jesus cleaned up the seeds and replanted them in the world with all
sorts of people.
The farming that Jesus presented is to be
understood from the background of the sowing during Jesus’ ministry.
Farmers sow the seeds abundantly without separating the path, rocky
area, or the thorny ground. They all represent different kinds of people
or their receptivity to the word of God.
The farmers had the experience of pigeons and other birds eating the seeds lying exposed on the path. The people walking across the field also crush the seed underfoot. The listeners who were indifferent to Jesus’ preaching and those who do not assimilate the word of God, could be easily manipulated by the enemies of Jesus. That was why, at the trial of Jesus, people cried out to Pilate, “Crucify him!, Crucify him!.” (Luke 23:20-23).
The birds that came and ate the seeds stand for the evil one that steals the seed. In Mark, Jesus’s interpretation is: “As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them.” (Mark 4:15). The same thing happened in the case of Eve. Though she had heard from Adam, God’s commandment not to eat from the two trees in the middle of the Paradise, Satan stole that word of God from her through his misguidance. In our lives, the evil one could deviate us from the church or religious life by working through our friends or people who propagate false views in social gatherings and social media.
(5) Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, (6) and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots.
(20) The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. (21) But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.
The rock with a thin layer of soil would contribute
the sudden germination and growth of the seed. However, it cannot grow
further because of the rock underneath and the hot sun above. If the
plants had more grip in the soil, they could withstand the heat of the
sun with the moisture from the soil. There are people who are
enthusiastic to listen to the word of God. They get receptive at first
and positively respond to it. However, when challenges in faith happen,
they will return to their previous stage.
Many people who had witnessed the miracles
performed by Jesus and many who were attracted by his teaching, had
followed him. However, when they heard him preaching about giving his
flesh to eat and blood to drink, they murmured among themselves. “As a
result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of
life and no longer accompanied him.” (John 6:66). During the triumphant
entry of Jesus in the Temple on the feast of his last Passover, most of
the crowd wholeheartedly welcome him singing “Hosanna in the Highest!”
and acknowledging him as the “Son of David.” However, almost the same
crowd, under the influence of the Jewish rivals of Jesus had denied him
in front of Pilate and preferred Barabbas in the place of Jesus and
pleaded Pilate to crucify Jesus.
During the period when the gospels were finalized,
Christians were under severe persecution by Jews and Romans. Many
Christians were persecuted and martyred because of their faith. Some
gave up their faith. This parable was a warning for those who were
wavering in their faith and hope of future glory for the persisting
Christians. In the modern world, some people lose faith when they face
crisis in life like sudden death in the family, financial crisis, or
terminal illness. Some others leave the church because of clergy
scandals in the church. Our faith should not collapse in the failure of
any apostle like Judas Iscariot. Instead, we should learn from their
failures and sanctify ourselves and the church.
(7) Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it.
(22) The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit.
Here is another scenario of how some seeds that
germinated were wasted. Though the land was prepared, there were seeds
or roots of weeds invisible and under the ground. They grew up along
with the good seed and chocked them. God is intolerant of facilitating
the bad to get along with the good. Before the entry of Israelites to
Canaan, God had advised them through Moses that they should completely
destroy the inhabitants of Canaan. They should not make any treaty with
them or show any mercy to them. Israelites were not allowed to
intermarry with the Canaanites “because they will turn your sons away
from following Me to serve other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will
burn against you, and He will swiftly destroy you.” (Deut. 7:4).
Jesus said: “No one can serve two masters: Either
he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the
one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24). The Bible has several
examples of leaders who failed because of interest in worldly things
more than God.
Solomon was a blessed king and the most wise man in
the world. However, he violated God’s commandments and married many
foreign women. “He had as wives seven hundred princesses and three
hundred concubines, and they turned his heart. When Solomon was old his
wives had turned his heart to follow other gods, and his heart was not
entirely with the LORD, his God, as the heart of David his father had
been.” (1Kings 11:3-4). Thus, the idol worship introduced by his wives
chocked the devotion of Solomon to the only one and true God.
Judas Iscariot wholeheartedly followed Jesus. Jesus
selected him as one of the 12 apostles. However, along with his
apostolic calling, Judas cultivated his desire for money. St. John
the Evangelist reports about Judas: “he was a thief. As keeper of the
money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.” (John 12:6). The
devil entered the heart of Judas to prompt him to betray his master for
money. (John 13:2). It resulted in betrayal of Jesus and unwillingness
to repent resulting in depression and suicide of Judas. Thus the greed
for money chocked the holy apostolic calling of Judas Iscariot.
Ananias and Sapphira
are other examples of entertaining greed for money along with their
faith that ended in failure. They sold their property and while
presenting the proceeds to the apostles, they kept some for themselves
in secret. Then Peter said, “’Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled
your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds
from the land?’ … On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died.”
(Acts 5:3-5).
(8) But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.
(23) But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”
The produce from the good soil was outstanding and
compensated all seeds wasted in non-fertile lands. The fertility of the
soil was different and so the quantity of the produce varied. The
hundred or sixty or thirty grains on one wheat plant is awesome result.
The hundredfold was an extraordinary and optimum result that could be
possible only with the intervention of God. For example, after a famine
in Canaan, Isaac the son of Abraham had such a result in the land of
Gerar, a Philistine town. Isaac sowed a crop in that region and
reaped a hundredfold the same year. Since the LORD blessed him. (Genesis
26:12).
The outstanding produce of the good soil was
because it was not a footpath of hard soil, not a stony area, and did
not allow thorny bushes to grow. Soil stands for the heart of the
Christian. We have to be spiritually free from hurdles of bad addiction
and overcome the hurdles of worldly anxieties and greed. We also should
be receptive to the word of God and nurture it in our heart and produce
its fruit through our actions of charity.
The old custom of cultivation in Palestine was plowing the soil after sowing the seed. There was much waste of seed involved. However, the result from the good soil was extraordinary harvest. So also, the word of God is preached in abundance. Some people might not pay attention to it, or some may receive it but ignore it later, or others might give up the faith when facing crisis in faith or life. However, the good hearted people will produce outstanding results depending upon their receptivity and positive approach to the word of God.
(9) “Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
This has been a phrase Jesus used at the close of
some of his serious teachings. It means that God has formed us with ears
to hear and ability to understand the commandments of the Lord by the
working of the Holy Spirit. We have to respond to that by obeying them.
This hearing is not just an external but listening with a good heart to
produce its fruit. Jesus used this phrase when the teaching was
important, not easy to comprehend, and to stir up the immediate
attention of the listeners for action.
1. Jesus went out from the house to a public place
to preach and the people gathered around Jesus to listen to him
attentively are lessons for the preachers and the faithful. Besides our
family prayers, Jesus expects us to go to our churches or retreat
centers to listen to the word of God.
2. The results of cultivation varied based on the
condition of the soil where the seeds fell. The sower and the seed were
the same for all areas. We have to evaluate what kind of soil is our
heart.
3. The footpath were the seeds were stolen by the
evil represent our heart hardened by interests that are contrary to the
ways of God. Is our heart unaffected when we hear the word of God? Does
the word of God motivate us to act?
4. Are the Christian values implanted in us by the
church are now being stolen by the false ideologies or false propaganda
of the social media or antichurch people? They are like the birds that
took away the seeds that fell on the path.
5. Do we have only a temporary impact from retreats
and inspirational preaching that we attend? Our faith should be founded
on Jesus, the rock. Any tribulation or persecution should not make us
collapse our trust in God. Abraham, Job, Jesus, and the martyrs of the
church should inspire us in keeping up our faith firm.
5. Solomon married foreign wives against the
commandment of God. His wives led him to idol worship that chocked his
fidelity to Yahweh. Judas and Ananias cultivated greed for money that
chocked their fidelity to Jesus. Is there anything that is chocking the
word of God in us?
6. The optimum produce of the good soil was because
it was not a footpath, not a stony area, and did not allow thorny bushes
to grow. Are we free from hurdles of bad addiction, worldly anxieties,
and greed? Let us be receptive to the word of God, nurture it in our
heart, and produce its fruit through our actions of charity.
7. We should not be disappointed when we hear the
downfall of the church in any part of the world or when failures happen
to some ministers of the word of God. Church has been challenged
throughout the past 20 centuries. However, let us be reminded that Jesus
is its head and he is in control. Ups and downs should help us to learn
and act for the betterment of the church.