Most of the kingdom parables are found in Matthew 13 and parallels. The parable of the sower and soils is first because it helps set the stage for the following parables about the growth of the kingdom.
This parable is found in all three gospel accounts. All versions have the same overall structure:
A. The Parable
B. Comments about the reason for parables in general
A'. Explanation of the Parable
Since we have already discussed Section B as part of the Introduction to the Parables, we will now concentrate on the parable itself and its interpretation. Snodgrass calls it a 'parable about parables.' because it contains several parables in one and because it gives a model interpretation by Jesus himself to help us approach other parables that are not explained. This parable is also found in the Gospel of Thomas.
It should be noted that there are minor differences in wording between the three accounts. For example, Luke adds that seed on the wayside was trodden under foot. And only Mark adds that seed among thorns didn't die but yielded no fruit. And finally, there are different numbers given in the three accounts for the amount of crop increase. For convenience sake, we will follow Mark's account.
Mark 4:1-2 This parable is an appropriate one to tell a mixed multitude since it summarizes the various responses that will be made to his words.
Verse 3a This is a call to truly understand what is being said. It is interesting that Jesus rarely taught on how to speak, but often on listening. The word “listen” points to seriousness and solemnity; it demands total attention to and involvement with the words that follow. It emphasizes that the meaning of the story may not obvious; it must be thought about. “He who has ears, let him hear” can be paraphrased, “Take care how you hear” and indicates that a person's attitude toward the word is not necessarily fixed for all time. As one commentator said, “We may be all four types [of seed] at various points in our lives. We listen to same song at different times in our lives but have different attitude.”
Verse 3b Surprisingly, after such an introductory warning, the opening sentence is rather mundane. Imagine it today in words such as "One day a woman got in her car and went to work."
Verse 4 The physical picture is fairly clear, but it should be pointed out that at the time in Palestine the normal practice was to sow the seeds on the unprepared ground without caring what the soil was like underneath and then to plow it all under, including the thistles, right up to the paths. This picture seems to indicate that we should not try to figure out beforehand whether a person is necessarily properly prepared to hear the Word, but just spread it anyway – only time will reveal the results. As a personal example, years ago I thought I was witnessing in a fairly clear manner to a fellow worker, but the Word only sunk in later when he attended a religious retreat. And afterward he said he couldn't even remember me having talked to him about Christ at all.
Verse 5 This is not soil filled with rocks, but a rocky limestone formation just below the surface – common in Galilee, and in central Texas where I live. The rocks beneath captured the heat of summer and released it in November and December, causing early growth.
Verse 6 This is not sunrise but the heat of midday. This idea is also expressed in Psalm 129:6 -- "May they be like grass on the housetops, which withers before it grows up."
Verse 7 “Choked is a strong word, more like "strangled." This physical picture is of a young plant deprived of sunlight, moisture and nourishment. Newly growing roots had to compete with those (of thistles) already established.
Verse 8 The Greek literally says “seeds” denoting some individual seeds in this case, unlike the singular “seed” used in vv. 5 and 7 which denotes "seed" in general. Seeds are the subject of the verb “brought forth” (This indicates that it is not the soil that causes the increase, but the seed itself).
Trench says that 100-fold harvests were not unheard of. Another commentator says 10-fold is more common in a good year. Where it grows well, the increase of crop can be quite high so we don't necessarily have to view this as miraculous growth. Note the difference between the three Synoptic accounts at this point:
Mark: 30, 60 and 100-fold increase
Mark's version pairs this parable with two others involving the growth of the kingdom here on earth without any negative connotations involving the Final Judgment. This is consistent with the sizes of the crop given in Mark 4:8, listed in ascending order.
Matthew: 100, 60 and 30-fold increase
Matthew places this parable right before the one concerning the wheat and tares. Since that story concerns the at the Last Judgment, some people feel that the decreasing size of crops here is to show that many appear to accept the word and join the church, but that large number will be pared down on Judgment Day. Alternatively, Davies and Allison suggest that Matthew changed the order of the numbers in Mark's original account to fall in line with the later experienced failure of preaching.
Luke: 100-fold increase
Finally, in Luke's version, there is only one other, short parable (of the lamp) paired with the Sower Parable. Its theme is the revelation of previous mysteries only to those who listen. So this time, instead of stressing the final separation of the saved and damned (as in Matthew), there is now an emphasis on the divisions that will occur here on earth between those who hear and those who refuse to hear. There is no emphasis on the growth theme, as echoed by the fact that only one figure for crop increase is given in verse 8.
Which account is the most authentic? It is useless to to try and answer that question since (1) the Gospel writers are known to sometimes group sayings thematically instead of in the order which Jesus originally told them in, and (2) there is the very real possibility that Jesus told the same story in multiple settings to make slightly different points each time depending on the audience.
Verse 9 Jesus ends the parable as he started it. This phrase occurs elsewhere in the Gospels and eight times in Revelation.
Parable Explained (verses 13-20)
The fairly detailed explanation shows that this parable is close to an allegory in nature. That is the reason it is suspect in the eyes of liberal scholars who feel it was manufactured by someone in the early church who did not realize that a parable only has one point. However, (a) one can't put the definition of parable into a box, and (b) it is not a true allegory because there is no explanation of who the sower is (God, Jesus, evangelists, missionaries), what the seed is, the function of plowing, and the sun and water, etc.
Verse 13 Jesus' words sound harsh but as Matthew Henry says, “Those who would improve in knowledge, must be made aware of their ignorance.”The Greek in this verse uses two different words for “understand” – the first means to know by intuition and the second to know by experience.
Verse 14 The word has gone out everywhere, not just on fertile ground.
Verse 15 This reads a little strangely in the Greek but the meaning is obvious. “Those” refers to believers (symbolized by the soil in the parable itself, but by the type of seed in the explanation); the Word is seed sown in man and men are seed sown by God. This ambiguity is another reason why the parable is not an allegory. As Gundry puts it, “If the seed doesn't represent both the word and the hearers, it makes no sense.”
The same idea is found in the apocryphal book II Esdras (9:30-33) from a late 1st cent. AD: “You said, 'Hear me, Israel; listen to my words, race of Jacob. This is my law which I sow among you to bear fruit and bring you glory forever.' But our fathers who received your law did not keep it; they did not observe your commandments. Not that the fruit of the law perished; that was impossible, for it was yours. Those who received it perished, because they failed to keep safe the good seed that had been sown in them.”
Although Satan is doomed by the coming of Christ, he is still present in the world to oppose the Church. But the emphasis should not be on Satan as if he had omnipotence over our lives.
Verse 16 Trench: “He [the hearer of the word] has exposed his heart as a common road to every evil influence of the world, til it has become hard as a pavement.” Or “in one ear, out the other.”
To me it looks like the description of an emotional person who gets wildly excited at first, but who has no root to sustain him. (Which is not at all to say that emotional people are weak in faith)
Verse 17 In a true believer, tribulations only strengthen one's faith.
Verse 17b “to give up or fall away”-- the Greek word is derived from a stick with bait to trap an animal; it could be translated “they are trapped.” "Superficial" is the best word to describe these listeners.
Verse 19 anxieties – see I Peter 5:7-8 (pairing anxiety and Satan), II Corinthians 11:28 (but not all anxiety is necessarily evil; it depends on where it draws one's thoughts)
Arnold Bennett tells the story about his conversation with a lady who had read a self-help book and was trying to change her life for the better. “I'm going to concentrate.” “On what?” “Oh, lots of things.” Imagine if the distractions of the world were great in 1st century Palestine, what about today?
It is interesting that both “good” or “bad” circumstances can draw a person away from God. In either case, it is worldly influences. These examples are given matter-of-factly, not as a warning or necessarily for encouragement. That is just the state of affairs (Anderson)
Verse 20 Who are these people? Luke-- “But the seed on the good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Matthew-- “the man who hears the word and understands it.”
“Fruit” in this verse may mean spiritual growth within an individual or those who are won by his witness.
major interpretations:
Allegorical: by Ulrich Mell (German theologian): the farmer is an early church missionary, birds are a threat of extinction to disobedient Christians, thorns are people who can't control their desires, the rocky ground refers to Peter.
Snodgrass lists various opinions in the literature on how the parable should be viewed, which he stresses are not necessarily mutually exclusive:
pastoral: encouragement in the face of failure
historical: the reason Israel has rejected her Messiah
theological: the effectiveness of the proclaimed word
prophetic: the productive seed is the remnant of Israel that will believe
ethical: the responsibility of the audience in truly listening to Jesus' words
He feels there are three main points:
The kingdom involves a proclamation about God and His purposes and actions.
The kingdom presents a challenge for people to reorient their lives.
The kingdom is presently at work and is established as people respond appropriately.
As with the Parable of the Prodigal Son, one can prejudice the interpretation by the title one gives it. “Naming a parable is tantamount to interpreting it.” (Snodgrass)
A. PARABLE OF THE HARVEST Eschatological, emphasizing the fullness of the harvest. The purposes of God cannot be negated by man's disobedience. The kingdom will come. Pro: The parables that follow are about growth of kingdom, Con: Jesus' explanation hardly mentions the growth.
B. PARABLE OF THE SOILS Emphasizes the responsibilities and spiritual state of the hearers of the Word; then as now, we have to be attentive to God's word.
C. PARABLE OF THE SOWER A picture of Jesus' experiences (fits in with question below on context in Mark) OR Encouragement to the disciples regarding their ministry.
D. PARABLE OF THE SEED Emphasizes the coming of the word of revelation to mankind, not the reception or results.
Conclusion: In fact, the entire nature and history of the Kingdom is described in this parable; there is no need to choose from the above.
Another convenient way to view the three unproductive soils is to compare them with the three enemies of man--the world, flesh and the devil or to the three aspects of human personality: intellect, emotion, and will. The packed soil represents attacks by the devil, shallow soil represents temptations of the flesh, and the thorny soil represents influence from the world. This evil triad is in opposition to the Trinity and is also found in Christ's three temptations in the wilderness and in Ephesians 2:1-3. The three soils can also be compared to the three aspects of human personality which may be missing in the hearer of the word: intellect (packed soil), emotion (shallow soil) and will (thorny soil).
It is also possible to treat this story, as does Snodgrass, as four short, separate parables that have been joined together. Thus, we should be able to derive a different meaning out of each part of the parable.
The pathway, hard, packed-down soil: Pharisees, those who already have their mind made up, those who have had negative experiences with Christians, those who have intellectual objections to believing, etc. How do you salvage seed that ends up here? (a) roto-till the soil or (b) don't waste your time trying to salvage them (casting your pearls before swine).
Satan is the one who prevents them from accepting the Word because these people have been brainwashed. Paul talks about them in II Corinthians 4:4: “They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.” Former director of the British and Foreign Bible Society Tom Houston (CT, May 29, 1981) points out: “Clearly, it will take more than the technical skills of communication to convince this kind of hearer.” Is apologetics the answer?
Houston explains that the pathway represents other thoughts and ideas to which we are constantly being exposed. These interfere with us accepting the truth of the message. Much of Jesus' ministry was a confrontation with those who only heard the parts of His message that had immediate interest to them. They were obsessed with spiritual, economic, social or political power, and they were consumed with their own religious systems and prejudices. Houston's response to this type of opposition is a positive one: ask them why they reject the Good News and then state the message as an answer to their position.
Key themes: intellect, devil
Rocky, shallow soil: Initially enthusiastic believers who are are mainly emotional in their acceptance of the word but do not have the will or encouragement to grow. The Gospel accounts are filled with descriptions of the emotional responses of the crowds who heard Jesus (they praised him, were impressed with him, marveled at his eloquence, were filled with anger or fear, etc.). Holland wisely notes that these are all crowd responses, not individual ones. “The heat in which these seeds germinate is group heat. The moisture that is eventually lacking is the on-going support of other people.”
To combat this problem, it is necessary to truly disciple new believers the way Jesus did. Add extra nutrients, water more often so that roots will be established.
Another aspect to this syndrome is seen in the periodic furor whipped up by modern prophets of the imminent coming of Christ to take us away from all our problems on earth within our lifetime. This may generate enough excitement to bring new believers into the fold, but the question to deal with is what to do with the disappointment and cynicism that sets in when the “Rapture” doesn't materialize soon enough for these hearers. Hal Lindsay was once asked by a reporter what would happen if his various predictions didn't come to pass as he taught. Sadly, Lindsay's response dealt only with the effect it would have on his own personal reputation, not the effect it might have on the faith of his followers.
Key themes: emotion, flesh
Thorny ground: Those who lead a double life; they have one foot in the church and the other in the world (worldly Christians). Luke's version identifies three areas that hold these believers back from being productive in their faith: worries, riches and pleasures. Elsewhere in Luke, the word “worries” is used only in a home setting (12:22-30; 10:38-42). Houston: “Putting Jesus before family without question is the only way to avoid the bitter fruit of immature Christianity. Riches are seen by Jesus as being a major barrier to a growing faith, as witnessed by his conversation with the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-30). Luke uses the Greek word from which we get “hedonism” when he talks about pleasure here. Houston calls this “unregulated leisure.” How do we combat this? Yank out the weeds, put weed killer on them.
Key themes: will, world
Good soil: Genuine seekers who realize the lack in their life and wholeheartedly embrace their new faith. Keep it watered, fertilized and weeded. In describing this category of people, Luke uses the phrase “a good and obedient heart,” which was a commonly expressed goal of the Greek philosophers. Houston – “It implies a moral discontent with what we are, and a wholehearted commitment to something better.”
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments