Parable of the Sower

Setting and Overview
The first parable of Matthew 13, and almost certainly the best known, is the Parable of the Sower. It is listed first in all three Synoptic Gospels and it is given a very detailed explanation in all three. While the parable itself and explanation do not provide a command (other than to listen carefully), there is certainly much instruction that should be recalled as it is read and considered in light of Jesus’ teaching in the chapters that precede.

Exposition
When Jesus sits down by the Sea of Galilee, the crowd understood his posture to indicate that he was getting ready to teach and they begin to crowd around him. In response, Jesus gets in a boat to allow for being seen and heard by more of the crowd. He then begins to tell them many parables, some of which we see scattered through the chapter. In the first, a sower sows seed, a familiar activity to virtually anyone in Palestine. While the ground was occasionally plowed first, it often was not, and the latter is likely the setting here. Jesus then describes the results in four different types of ground on which the seed fell. Because fields were not fenced off and people often walked around the sides, at places the ground was worn very hard. The seed that falls on that ground does not penetrate into the soil and is instead picked off by birds. Some soil had limestone located a shallow distance into the earth. At first this seed grew quickly, likely aided by how quickly the ground would warm. That seed could not put down deep roots to reach the water, however, and would die off when it got hotter. Other seed fell into ground that also contained roots or seeds of thorns, which were well adapted to thrive in that environment. As those thorns grew up around the plants, they would beat the plants out for resources and thus choke their growth. A final batch of seeds, however, would fall on good soil and yield an exponential yield of 30, 60, or even 100 times what was sown (a good but not extraordinary or unheard of result (Genesis 26:12.) Jesus concludes the parable with an exhortation to listen carefully.
Many in the audience would have recognized some of the symbolism in the parable. Sowing seed was a common illustration of the time for teaching, and in Jewish writings, God was usually the sower, the seed was his instruction, and the Jewish people were the soil (Isaiah 55:10-11.) It was also used in the Old Testament of God planting His people (Exodus 15:17.) Not all of the elements would have been understood, however, and so in verse 18, Jesus exhorts his disciples that have been given the blessing to understand more fully to listen carefully to the explanation that he is about the give. The word in each case is the word of the Kingdom, which would have denoted all that Jesus was teaching regarding the Kingdom (Matthew 4:17, 23, 5:3, 6:33, 7:21, 8:11.) So, the word included that Jesus himself was inaugurating the kingdom, that it was open to all who would obey and follow him, the benefits of the kingdom that following him entailed, and that those who rejected him would be excluded. Some would reject that word as perhaps intellectually curious, but not allow it to penetrate their heart. Others would initially respond with eagerness and joy, but as soon as things got harder would not have the commitment to endure. Still others would begin to grow but then would be distracted by worldly cares and wealth. The last group, however, would not only understand and accept what was being taught, but would produce fruit that reflected it.
Examination and Application
While the parable does not include a command to preach the word, we are elsewhere told that for people to call on Christ, the Church must be proclaiming the Gospel (Romans 10:14), so we should be reminded here to share the Word. Furthermore, it is a call to examine ourselves for how we receive the word (II Corinthians 13:5.) We can look to the Beatitudes to see a biblical model that would contrast with any who would fall away. Furthermore, we should be reminded here to continue to examine ourselves (Hebrews 3:12.) After all, two of the three sets that did not persevere to the end did accept the word at first. Finally, we should be reminded that this is not meant to be a solitary process. When professing Christians fall into danger, it is the responsibility of the church to seek to protect them spiritually (Hebrews 12:15-16, James 5:19-20, Jude 20-23.) The blessing shown here is that if we can seek to present every person in our local body as mature in Christ, then we can see a harvest through them far greater than what is planted.