1.
The Parable of the Sower
or
The Parable of the Soil
In this series I am
writing about two parables. I don’t mean to infer from my title
that this parable is actually two, just that it is known by two
names. First I will discuss the parable of the sower, then in future
posts I will discuss this parable in relation to the parable of the
hidden treasure.
The parable of the
sower is told in three gospels, commonly called the synoptic gospels,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The parable of the hidden treasure is found
only in Matthew. As we look at the parables I would like to
demonstrate a principle of biblical interpretation (hermeneutics)
that I call Scripture Best
Interprets Scripture. “Use the Bible to help interpret
itself. Interpret difficult passages with clear ones. This is
sometimes called the law of non-contradiction. Because the Bible is
God’s word, and God is true, the Bible will not contradict itself.”
i
So let us begin. For
sake of space I will leave you to read the parable for yourself. I suggest you read it from all three of
the gospels. It is the same parable but each gospel author tells it
with some slight differences. It is my thinking that these
differences clarify rather than confuse, more views give us a wider
perspective. I will highlight some of these along the way.
All three gospels
begin “a sower went out to sow”.
The first
condition is that the seeds fell along the path
and then the birds devoured them. Not unusual; birds like seed. I
remember feeding pigeons as a
young boy. I was fascinated by the power I held in my hand. These
birds would normally never come near me but as I began to scatter
seed they came from everywhere and some were even so bold as to land
on my head and arm. So is the intended meaning that a farmer should
take care not to waste the seed or is it to show how to attract
birds? Hmmmm? Lets keep reading.
The second
condition we are told is rocky ground without
much soil. Luke tells us that the soil “had no moisture” So what
happens to seeds under these conditions? They spring up but have no
depth so when the sun is hot they wither away. Again as a young boy
at my school’s science fair, I had to present a science project.
Mine was radish seeds/sprouts, my experiment was something like this. I learned the basics of germination. In order for
seeds to grow, they need moisture and light (but not too much). The
moral? A lack of moisture plus a hot sun kills the seedlings. So
wouldn't a farmer avoid this situation? You bet, farmers clear the rocks
from their fields.
Third
condition is some seeds fell among thorns and
“the thorns grew up and choked them.” Have you noticed anything
yet? Perhaps a progression? First birds eat the seeds, this is rapid
they don’t even get to germinate. Then the rocky ground prevents
the seedlings from developing after germination but at least they
sprouted. Here the thorns are choking the plants. This takes a little
more time. I planted strawberries about five years ago. Overall they
are doing good. I made one small mistake though. I thought I was
doing the right thing. I used my lawnmower clippings as mulch. It
worked great the first couple of years. I thought I was keeping the
weeds down and it
did for a time. But slowly the Bermuda grass clippings I was placing
in my strawberries for mulch took root. Now it is a yearly battle to
pull the Bermuda grass out. The
grass is choking my strawberries! I am not a very good farmer.
The
fourth condition
is what every farmer wants, the seeds fell on good
soil
and produced crops. So
what does all this mean? Jesus’ disciples had the same question.
Mark’s version of the disciples asking Jesus about this
is informative for interpreting parables
“How then will you understand all the parables?” Luke and Matthew
record for us that Jesus intends for the disciples “know the
secrets of the Kingdom” so shouldn't we pay attention to what
Jesus is about to tell them?
i
Lesson 6: Principles of Biblical Interpretation,
https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-6-principles-biblical-interpretation,
last accessed 4/26/2017
