Some of Jesus' parables are very specific, pinpointing a particular aspect of the

Gospel of the Kingdom. Others have a broader view, enlightening us as to some

process ongoing in the operation of the kingdom in the world, and yet others have
the full span of history in view. This is of the second type, providing light on a
process ongoing in the world and under the administration of the kingdom. Jesus
sometimes explained the meaning of a parable, and this is one of those that he
immediately interpreted for his disciples.

We present both the parable and Jesus' interpretation below, to which we append
comments intended to illuminate it further for you who inhabit the world of the
Twenty-First Century. Time has not changed the meaning of the parable, but
modern influences, faulty translation and transmission tend to obscure both the
parable and its interpretation. The comments are to counter these things and not to
amend the interpretation of Jesus, which is more than adequate.

All three of the synoptic evangelists included this parable, which means that all of
them considered it a very important part of the teaching of the Lord. The
presentation below, in parallel columns, of the parable as it appears in each gospel
provides additional insight as to the process by which it has been preserved. By
observing the differences in the telling by Matthew, Mark, and Luke we may draw
some very important conclusions. Also, the absence of certain words may also tell
us something important about the meaning. Now please examine the parable and
proceed to the commentary appended below.

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Matthew 13:1-9 Mark 4:1-9 Luke 8:4-8
1 That same day Jesus 1 Again he began to teach
went out of the house and beside the sea. And a very
sat beside the sea. large crowd gathered about
him, so that he got into a
boat and sat in it on the sea;
2 And great crowds and the whole crowd was 4 And when a great
gathered about him, so beside the sea on the land. crowd came together
that he got into a boat and and people from town
sat there; and the whole after town came to him,
crowd stood on the beach.
3 And he told them many 2 And he taught them many he said in a parable:
things in parables, saying: things in parables, and in his 5 A sower went out to
L teaching he said to them: sow his seed;
A sower went out to sow. 3 Listen! A sower went out to
sow.
4 And as he sowed, some 4 And as he sowed, some seed and as he sowed, some
seeds fell along the path, fell along the path, and the fell along the path, and
and the birds came and birds came and devoured it. was trodden under foot,
devoured them. and the birds of the air
devoured it.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky 5 Other seed fell on rocky 6 And some fell on the
ground, where they had ground, where it had not rock; and as it grew up,
not much soil, and much soil, and immediately it
immediately they sprang sprang up, since it had no
up, since they had no depth of soil;
depth of soil,
6 but when the sun rose 6 and when the sun rose it it withered away,
they were scorched; and was scorched, and since it because it had no
since they had no root had no root it withered away. moisture.
they withered away.
7 Other seeds fell upon 7 Other seed fell among 7 And some fell among
thorns, and the thorns thorns and the thorns grew thorns; and the thorns
grew up and choked them. up and choked it, and it grew with it and choked
yielded no grain. it.
8 Other seeds fell on good 8 And other seeds fell into 8 And some fell into
soil and brought forth good soil and brought forth good soil and grew, and
grain, some a grain, growing up and yielded a hundredfold."
hundredfold, some sixty, increasing and yielding
some thirty. thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a
hundredfold."
9 He who has ears, let him 9 And he said, "He who has As he said this, he called
hear." ears to hear, let him hear." out, "He who has ears to
hear, let him hear."

PARALLEL VERSIONS AND THE PROCESS OF

PRESERVATION
Examine the parallel utterances that introduce the parable in each of the synoptics
below, reproduced from above. Do you see differences? Yes! How to explain
them?

Matthew 13 Mark 4 Luke 8

3. A sower went out to sow. 3 Listen! A sower went out 5 A sower went out to sow
to sow. his seed;

Mark alone gives the Greek for the exhortation, Listen! Did Jesus speak the word?
If so, why did Matthew and Luke not include it? If not, why did Mark include it?
 We do not know. Is it important? This could be very important when considering
the meaning of the parable and especially the process of its preservation as this
opening statement sets the stage for the whole. What is certain is that we do not
know the exact words Jesus used. One could speculate that he told the parable
many times on different occasions, and that his words were somewhat different each
time. One evangelist then is influenced by one telling, the others by another. We do
not know.

It becomes more complex, because we see that the Greek of Luke introduced a word
that neither Matthew nor Mark thought to record: seed. Again, this may effect the
meaning and is very relevant to our understanding of the process of transmission.
Why did Luke alone include it? We do not know.

There are many such differences in these parables and throughout the gospels.
While we cannot certainly say in any case why there is a difference, my conclusion
is that they differ because those who heard Jesus speak remembered it differently
when the time came for them to write or to repeat what they had heard. There were
omissions, and also inclusions, by the evangelists due solely to faulty memories.
That is the reason we have four gospels -- so as to get the full picture, one that any
one writer would not provide. But these differences do not alter or detract from the
message of Jesus, provided we listen to all of them to get the full testimony. We
have differences in the texts because of imperfect transmission.

Our English versions of the New Testament contain yet another category of
differences, those due to imperfect translation. We observe a cardinal example from
this category involving the word seed. If you refer to Matthew's version above, and
also Mark's, you will see that this word appears in verses 4, 5, 7, and 8 of both. This
word is not there in the Greek! The Translators have added it, but it is completely
unnecessary. Also, as we will see, they are inconsistent.

A Greek equivalent for seed occurs only in Luke 8:5 as indicated above. But Luke
omits the Greek word thereafter in his version, and so do the translators. They
patched it into Matthew and Mark -- why not Luke? The translators are
inconsistent to say the least! Here, let us attend to an example from both Matthew
and Mark that read the same:
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path,
It should read, to be consistent with the Greek:
4 And as he sowed, some fell along the path,. . ..
And this is exactly the way Luke has it in this English version (RSV)! You can find
more of this, including in the interpretation by Jesus below. The RSV is among the
better versions, but one can see from this simple example that its translators took
much liberty with the Word, and the reader should be wary.

Even here, although the influence on the meaning of the parable is not major, it yet
may have a significant bearing on it. Why did Jesus not mention seed in either
Matthew or Luke? This must surely be significant, and one can immediately
surmise that he did not want, in this parable, to focus attention on the seed, but on
the soil. This could influence our interpretation, which the translators have voided
by sticking in the word.

It becomes yet more interesting when we compare this parable with the Parable of
the Weeds, which only Matthew has preserved and in which Jesus specifically
mentions seed as indicated by the inclusion of the Greek for seed. Here it would
seem that the focus of the parable is on the seed, for when we compare the two we
find these significant differences:
The Parable of the Sower involves a single seed and multiple soils.

The Parable of the Weeds involves multiple seeds and a single soil.
Interesting, isn't it? The interpretation of the latter parable is planned for a
subsequent paper, in which we will show that the Parable of the Weeds is a
companion parable to that of the Sower. For now, let us get on with the
interpretation of the Parable of the Sower.

THE INTERPRETATION BY JESUS

Matthew 13:18-23 Mark 4:13-20
18 "Hear then the parable of 13 And he said to them,
the sower. "Do you not understand
this parable? How then
will you understand all
the parables?
19 When any one hears the 14 The sower sows the
word of the kingdom and word.
does not understand it,
the evil one comes and 15 And these are the ones
snatches away what is sown along the path, where the
in his heart; this is what was word is sown; when they
sown along the path. hear, Satan immediately
comes and takes away the
word which is sown in
them.
20 As for what was sown on 16 And these in like
rocky ground, this is he who manner are the ones sown
hears the word and upon rocky ground, who,
immediately receives it with when they hear the word,
joy; immediately receive it
with joy;
21 yet he has no root in 17 and they have no root
himself, but endures for a in themselves, but endure
while, and when tribulation for a while; then, when
Luke 8:11-15
11 "This is the meaning
of the parable: The seed
is the word of God.
12 Those along the path
are the ones who hear,
and then the devil comes
and takes away the word
from their hearts, so that
they may not believe and
be saved.
13 Those on the rock are
the ones who receive the
word with joy when they
hear it,
but they have no root.
They believe for a while,
but in the time of testing
or persecution arises on tribulation or persecution they fall away.
account of the word, arises on account of the
immediately he falls away. word, immediately they
fall away.
22 As for what was sown 18 And others are the 14 The seed that fell
among thorns, this is he who ones sown among thorns; among thorns stands for
hears the word, but the they are those who hear those who hear, but as
cares of the world and the the word, they go on their way they
delight in riches choke the 19 but the cares of the are choked by life's
word, and it proves world, and the delight in worries, riches and
unfruitful. riches, and the desire for pleasures, and they do
other things, enter in and not mature.
choke the word, and it
proves unfruitful.
23 As for what was sown on 20 But those that were 15 But the seed on good
good soil, this is he who sown upon the good soil soil stands for those with
hears the word and are the ones who hear the a noble and good heart,
understands it; he indeed word and accept it and who hear the word, retain
bears fruit, and yields, in bear fruit, thirtyfold and it, and by persevering
one case a hundredfold, in sixtyfold and a produce a crop.
another sixty, and in hundredfold.
another thirty.
COMMENTARY ON THE PARABLE OF THE
SOWER
The same defects in translation are evident in the interpretation as in the parable
itself. We leave the reader to detect these while we go on to discuss points of the
interpretation. We will address four questions, beginning with this:

1. What is sown?

Mark makes this identification in the most concise way:

14 The sower sows the word.
This word is further defined as the word of the kingdom (Matthew) and the word of
God (Luke). But we can still misunderstand it, as many do, by supposing that this is
further identified as the words recorded throughout the Bible. After years of
examining all the gospels I can say with much assurance that when Jesus speaks
thus, about the word of the kingdom or the word of God, he speaks specifically of
the words that issued from his mouth, not from the pens of prophets and apostles.
It is beyond the scope of this paper to justify this statement, but here is one example
that indicates why I say this:

John.12
[49] For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has
himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak.
Additionally, it is the words of Jesus that produce eternal life, not the words of
scripture, which only bear witness to him, according to this utterance:

John.5

[39] You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life;
and it is they that bear witness to me;
[40] yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
That says it very nicely, and if there is any doubt but that it is only the words of
Jesus that produce eternal life, consider this also:

John.5

[24] Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word and believes him who sent me,
has eternal life; he does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
The point is that the life is in the seed, and it is the seed (in the parable) that
produces life. Therefore, the only word that can be represented by the seed is the
Logos. That is the only word that produces life and that contains the life in itself,
just as does a seed of grain. It is certain, therefore, that the seed identified in the
parable as the word of God is more specifically the word of Jesus, from whose
mouth the parable came!

2. Who is the sower?

In his interpretation, presented specifically for us who are his disciples, Jesus did
not identify the sower. This may seem strange until we pause to consider that the
focus here is not on the sower. It is not on the seed, and it is not on the sower. Still,
we do not need to guess. The seed, being the Logos, can have only Jesus for its
sower! We can get a confirmation of this by reference, again, to the Parable of the
Weeds, where the sower is specifically identified as "the son of man." "Son of man"
is a term that Jesus repeatedly uses to designate his own person.

Matt.13

[37] He answered, He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
3. What is the soil?

We have already decided that neither the seed nor the sower are the focus of the
parable. This only leaves the soil, of which there are four kinds, and the fruit, of
which there is but one kind. It is reasonable to conclude, therefore, that the soil is
our prime focus, and that the purpose of the parable has to do with explaining the
four different types and the differences between them. It would be natural for one
to suppose that these four different soils, characterized as path, rocky ground,
among thorns, and good soil represent four different types of people. They do, but
the identification is more specific as necessary to express the full force of this
parable. I will list here the parallel verses from each gospel, two of which specify
the answer:

Matthew 13 Mark 4 Luke 8

19 When any one hears the 15 And these are the ones 12 Those along the path are
word of the kingdom and along the path, where the the ones who hear, and
does not understand it, the word is sown; when they then the devil comes and
evil one comes and hear, Satan immediately takes away the word from
snatches away what is sown comes and takes away the their hearts, so that they
in his heart; this is what word which is sown in them. may not believe and be
was sown along the path. saved.

The soil, in the case of the path, is the heart of the person. Both Matthew and Luke
so specify it as shown by the highlighted words, and Mark agrees also in speaking of
the word which was sown in them. Being in them, it must point to the heart in each
case. None of the gospels repeat the specification for either the rocky or the thorny
soil, but when we come to the good soil Jesus tells us, according to Luke only:
. . . stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and
by persevering produce a crop.
We can confidently conclude, therefore, that in every case it is the heart of the
human being that is the focus of Jesus' interest, for the character of the heart
dictates the response to the Word. This is consistent with the just judgments of the
Father, who never judges by the outer facade but ever looks upon our hearts. A
word from the prophet Samuel is very relevant here:

1Sam.16

[7] But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height
of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man
looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
The response to the Logos of the path like hearts is such that, though they hear it or
read it in the gospels, they neither understand it, retain it, nor persevere in it. Jesus
explains that they are open to the operation of the evil one who snatches it away so
that it has no effect. Such is the hard hearted one, who is immune to the Logos.

Now we proceed to examine Jesus' interpretation of the rocky soil hearts:

Matthew 13 Mark 4 Luke 8

20 As for what was sown
on rocky ground, this is he
who hears the word and
immediately receives it
with joy;
16 And these in like
manner are the ones sown
upon rocky ground, who,
when they hear the word,
immediately receive it with
joy;
13 Those on the rock are
the ones who receive the
word with joy when they
hear it
21 yet he has no root in 17 and they have no root in but they have no root.
himself, but endures for a themselves, but endure for They believe for a while,
while, and when a while; then, when but in the time of testing
tribulation or persecution tribulation or persecution they fall away.
arises on account of the arises on account of the
word, immediately he falls word, immediately they fall
away. away

The interpretation is all we need to understand the failure of the rocky hearts. They
are part hard and part soft, just rocky. Now note that Jesus specifies in each case
that their falling away results from tribulation or persecution (Luke, testing) on
account of the Word. This suggests that such never fall away if there is no
tribulation, persecution or similar testing.

What happens in that case?

They join a church, become honored members of the fellowship of believers therein,
grow old and die in the confidence that their faithfulness has assured them a place
in heaven and in the hearts of their fellow church members who survive them. It
happens every day -- indeed, this is the general pattern we observe everywhere in
Christendom. At the funeral, the preacher always puts them in heaven.

Then, they rise at the judgment to hear these terrible words:

Matt.7

[23] And then will I declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from me, you
evildoers.'
This case arises only in an environment where the world has embraced a religion
called Christianity, wherein the Christians are honored and protected as such by the
forces that constitute the world. Such persons cannot be true disciples because,
according to Jesus, true disciples always experience persecution in the world:

John.16

[33] In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.
It is a promise! He further explained the reason for this tribulation as follows:

John.15

[18] If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
[19] If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not
of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
All who receive the seed (Logos) will suffer tribulation in the world. If tribulation
does not arise in the world on account of the Logos, the Logos is not involved. It
follows that all who do not experience tribulation or persecution in the world have
not received the Logos. It follows further that such are not included in this case of
the Parable of the Sower, because this case involves only those who have received
the Logos to the point of persecution. Christians who are honored in and by the
world are not to be included here because they have never received the Logos so as
to fall away from it! Theirs must be a special case, and indeed it is a special case
covered by The Parable of the Weeds. We must remember that this parable, in
every case, is relative only to persons who have heard the true Word, the Logos that
issued from the mouth of Jesus and who have received it. Even the hard hearted
ones have received it, only to have it snatched away by the evil one before it can
germinate. As for the real case defined and interpreted by Jesus above, his
interpretation is sufficient for us.

Now we proceed to examine the third category, the thorny soil:

Matthew 13 Mark 4 Luke 8

22 As for what was sown
among thorns, this is he
who hears the word, but
the cares of the world and
the delight in riches choke
the word, and it proves
unfruitful.
18 And others are the ones
sown among thorns; they
are those who hear the
word,
19 but the cares of the
world, and the delight in
riches, and the desire for
other things, enter in and
choke the word, and it
proves unfruitful.
14 The seed that fell among
thorns stands for those who
hear, but as they go on
their way they are choked
by life's worries, riches and
pleasures, and they do not
mature.

We must, as before, remain aware that this can apply only to persons who have
truly heard and received the Logos. People also fall away or prove unfruitful to the
nominal religion of Christianity, but they are not included here. This interpretation
by Jesus is the case only of those who have received and retained the true Word, the
Logos. It has germinated and produced life -- yes, it is eternal life, for that is the
only life this seed produces, but it is unfruitful for the reasons indicated. The life in
them is choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.

Put these two cases together, that of the rocky soil and the thorny soil, and we can
learn something new, something wonderful that we may never have conceived,
which is that Satan, the evil one of the world, has a double barrel approach in the
response to those who have received the true Word. The devil is a carrot and stick
sort of guy. If he cannot simply snatch the Word away -- then comes the stick. If
the stick (tribulation) doesn't work, he brings forth the carrot (life's riches and
pleasures)! You see how we must be wary of him, for he doesn't miss a bet! If he
cannot shake us by tribulation, he will woo us by the treasure and riches of the
world. Now let us examine the final case again:

Matthew 13 Mark 4 Luke 8

22 As for what was sown
among thorns, this is he
who hears the word, but
the cares of the world and
the delight in riches choke
the word, and it proves
unfruitful.
18 And others are the ones 14 The seed that fell among
sown among thorns; they thorns stands for those who
are those who hear the hear, but as they go on
word, their way they are choked
19 but the cares of the by life's worries, riches and
world, and the delight in pleasures, and they do not
riches, and the desire for mature.
other things, enter in and
choke the word, and it
proves unfruitful.

All three witnesses state the response to the Logos in slightly different terms, but
they are all appropriate, so I take it that we require all three for the full picture.
These blessed ones hear the word, understand the word, accept the word, retain the
word, persevere in the word, and bear fruit. We need only recall that it is the pure
Logos, the holy seed that they have received, and not some counterfeit version to
fully understand the interpretation of Jesus. Nothing else need be said, for we
cannot add anything to it, and we must not take anything away from it.

In conclusion to this question, the soil represents the four different characterizations
of the hearts of individuals who hear the Logos.

This brings us to the final question:

4. What is the fruit?

We who have a strong Evangelical influence behind us are likely to shoot from the
hip in response to this question and suggest that the fruit must be in terms of
children of God, such that every "good soil" disciple reproduces thirty, sixty, and a
hundred fold more disciples. This would be a mistake and an erroneous conclusion.
Think about it for a minute: Jesus did not interpret this for us, therefore is it not
reasonable to suppose that we should have the moxie required to interpret it for
ourselves, in the light of the context of the larger parable? The seed that was placed
in the good soil he has identified as the Word of God. The produce of this soil must
therefore be in terms of thirty, sixty, and an hundred fold of the Word. The fruit is
the replication of the Word in the world, such that others will also hear it. This is
certainly relevant to the reproduction of the children of God in the world, but it is
not that reproduction in this parable. It is the production of more seed, for only
that can become a multiple of what was put into the good soil, which is the seed.

Need confirmation? Just listen to the Lord, and you will have it:

Matt.12

[34] You brood of vipers! how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
[35] The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out
of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
[36] I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless
word they utter;
[37] for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be
condemned.
Just remember only that this fruit bearing is the case of what the Lord characterizes
as a noble and good heart, and nothing more need be said.
We began, above, by considering the differences in the versions of the parable as
presented by the three evangelists and considered the differences to have resulted
primarily from errors in transmission. In most cases, we concluded that the
differences are not really errors, but only the result of the need of each evangelist to
supply what another had omitted due to imperfect memory. But there is one such
difference that I held to the last because it is very important to a correct view of
scripture. This pertains to the case of the rocky soil, that we reproduce here yet
again:

Matthew 13 Mark 4 Luke 8

20 As for what was sown
on rocky ground, this is he
who hears the word and
immediately receives it
with joy;
21 yet he has no root in
himself, but endures for a
while, and when
tribulation or persecution
arises on account of the
word, immediately he falls
away.
16 And these in like
manner are the ones sown
upon rocky ground, who,
when they hear the word,
immediately receive it with
joy;
17 and they have no root in
themselves, but endure for
a while; then, when
tribulation or persecution
arises on account of the
word, immediately they fall
away
13 Those on the rock are
the ones who receive the
word with joy when they
hear it
but they have no root.
They believe for a while,
but in the time of testing
they fall away.

I have struggled in every way to reconcile these versions, yet every effort has failed.
The problem is with Luke, for both Matthew and Mark agree that the deficiency
here is in the soil: it had not much soil. But Luke has: it had no moisture. Both
Matthew and Mark record that immediately it sprang up. Luke agrees that it grew
up. Any agronomist will tell us that this simply does not occur without moisture.

I have been attempting to get a good stand of fescue on my lawn. There has been
progress, but it is slow, and I have had to reseed some bare spots several times,
including recently. The instructions on the seed container are always specific: water
it every day!

As a farm lad I watched many times after the planting and was always amazed to
see the rows turn green with little sprouts of cotton or corn -- provided, that is, that
there was moisture. Otherwise the seed simply lay in the dust waiting for a rain.
Then, after the rain -- bingo! Standing at the ends of the rows we were wonderfully
gratified to see the little shoots poking out of the moist soil from one end of the rows
to the other. It was a beautiful, beautiful sight because it promised a crop for that
year.

In all of his teaching and parables Jesus shows perfect familiarity with the technical
details of farming in his time and place. This would be no exception; therefore he
said nothing about moisture in this case, and Luke, or his source, remembering
imperfectly and knowing little of agronomy, made an erroneous assumption and
placed words in the mouth of Jesus that he never uttered. Indeed, the Greek New
Testament word here is ikmas, (moisture) and there is no other record that Jesus
uttered this word in any context. This is the only occurrence of the word in the
entire New Testament!

Conclusion

We can learn much from this parable about the gospel and also about the process by
which it comes to us involving transmission and translation. The Holy Spirit has
guarded the faith to assure that the record accurately reveals the substance of the
Gospel of the Kingdom. Neither transmission nor translation are perfect. But that
has no effect on the Truth that the gospels record. It does have an effect on our
perceptions of the inspiration of scripture that, if we are open to the Spirit, liberates
us from insecurity in regard to our faith. We are not compelled to believe that every
word or idea in the Bible is inspired of God, for it is not. We are free to believe the
Truth, which is that the Holy Spirit utilized the services of fallible men to deliver the
message to us, but in such a way as to assure that the essential message arrives
unadulterated and accurate.

It is impossible that Christians -- churchmen and women -- will see the lessons of the
Parable of the Sower aright because it contains a heavy judgment of themselves and
their religion such as they are unprepared to acknowledge. That is why some parts
of the gospel, which you have read here, are invisible to them. I can state this with
some authority, having come out from among them very reluctantly yet under the
powerful impression that I was being delivered from deceit and death. It is of such
that Jesus applied the message of Isaiah when he said to those who filled the
corresponding position in First Century Israel,

Matt.13

[13] This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and
hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
[14] With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: `You shall
indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
[15] For this people's heart has grown dull,
and their ears are heavy of hearing,
and their eyes they have closed,
lest they should perceive with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them.'
This is a difficult and sad conclusion to reach; if there were only one of them, it
would be tragic. But there are and have been literally billions of these Christians
that have heard the Word, the Logos of God as Jesus uttered it, but it did not take
root. These are those represented by the path, where the Word is sown, but as the
Lord explained,

Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes
away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

How ironic, that these include the very ones that promote the doctrine of the
perseverance of the saints, or "once saved, always saved." Let us all be wary, for
such is the Satanic power of deception that runs rampant in Christendom and
throughout the world.

Pilda semanatorului - Evanghelistul Matei consemneaza sapte parabole referitoare la

taina Imparatiei, rostite in aceeasi zi de Domnul Iisus pe tarmul lacului Ghenizaret. La
Luca si Marcu nu vor aparea decat trei, respectiv doua dintre ele. In schimb, numai la
Marcu se gaseste pilda semintei, pronuntata, parese, in aceeasi zi cu cele de mai sus.
Sinopticii pastreaza deci opt parabole inserate in cuprinsul aceleiasi cuvantari, axate toate
pe dezvaluirea cate unui aspect al acelei taine denumite de Hristos "Imparatia cerurilor" .

Evitand sa defineasca aceasta notiune, asezata in centrul propovaduirii Sale, Iisus

incearca, printr-o serie de parabole semnificative, sa o contureze mai precis, insistand mai
ales asupra modului in care omul adera la ea si asupra procesului misterios al cresterii si
dezvoltarii Imparatiei inca din cuprinsul actualei perioade istorice.

Parabola semanatorului, prezenta in toate Evangheliile sinoptice, constituie un fel de

preludiu la toate celelalte, ea analizand sistematic modul in care cel chemat se preface in
fiu al Imparatiei si totodata primejdiile care il pandesc si tind sa-I abata de la menirea sa.
Pilda a fost explicata chiar de Domnul ucenicilor Sai, de aceea este usor sa-i patrundem
intelesul.

Iisus il infatiseaza pe semanatorul care a iesit sa semene, chip sub care trebuie sa-L
recunoastem pe Fiul Tatalui, coborat printre oameni spre a le impartasi "cuvantul
Imparatiei", caci, dupa chiar talcuirea Lui, samanta inseamna "cuvantul Imparatiei"
(Matei 13, 19). Nu toate semintele vor da insa rod, deoarece unele vor cadea langa drum
si vor fi mancate de pasari. Acestea - spune Domnul - preinchipuie pe omul care, auzind
cuvantul, nu-l intelege, si atunci "vine cel viclean si rapeste ce s-a semanat in inima lui"
(13, 19). Altele vor cadea pe loc pietros si indata vor incolti, dar la ivirea soarelui se vor
usca din pricina arsitei, radacina lor fiind prea scurta. Acestea ii reprezinta pe cei care aud
cuvantul si il primesc cu bucurie, dar cand sunt prigoniti pentru cuvant, neavand
"radacina in sine", se smintesc. Alte seminte vor ajunge printre spini si acestia, crescand,
le vor inabusi. Este vorba aici, dupa chiar lamurirea data de Domnul, de cei in care grija
acestei lumi si setea de avutie inabusa cuvantul si il fac neroditor. In sfarsit, unele
seminte, vor cadea pe pamant bun si vor da rod: una o suta, alta saizeci, alta treizeci.
Acestia sunt cei care aud cuvantul, il inteleg si aduc rod.

De la inceput este necesar sa staruim asupra semnificatiei acordate semintei, care

reprezinta dupa Matei "cuvantul Imparatiei" (13, 19), iar dupa Luca "cuvantul lui
Dumnezeu" (8, 11). In legatura cu ispitirile, s-a mai staruit asupra puterii lucratoare
incluse in cuvantul dumnezeiesc - deosebit, bineinteles, de a doua Persoana a Sfintei
Treimi -, a carei misiune consta in primul rand in a descoperi omului adevarul si a-l feri
de rataciri. In parabola de fata, cuvantului dumnezeiesc i se atribuie si insusirea de a zidi
in suflete Imparatia, de a-l face pe om sa adere la ea. Dar pentru ca Imparatia sa ia fiinta
intr-un suflet trebuie in primul rand ca acesta sa se deschida fata de cuvantul lui
Dumnezeu si sa-I primeasca. Pe evrei, care nu credeau in El, Domnul ii va mustra:
"Cuvantul Meu nu incape in voi" (Ioan 8, 37), iar acelora care se aratau receptivi la
chemarea Sa le va spune: "Daca veti ramane in cuvantul Meu, sunteti cu adevarat ucenici
ai Mei" (Ioan 8, 31). A primi cuvantul si a-l pastra constituie deci una din trasaturile
distinctive proprii ucenicilor. Tot Domnul va spune: "Fericiti sunt cei ce asculta cuvantul
lui Dumnezeu si-l pazesc" (Luca 11,28).
Primul pas pentru intrarea in Imparatie este marcat deci de primirea cuvantului
dumnezeiesc, zamislitor de viata duhovniceasca. "Cuvintele pe care vi le-am spus sunt
duh si sunt viata" (Ioan 6, 63), va spune Iisus cu alt prilej.

Dupa chiar talmacirea Mantuitorului, cuvantul este semanat in inima (Matei 13, 19) adica
in acel centru metafizic din om care, dupa cum subliniaza Evdokimov, integreaza toate
facultatile umane. Primirea acestuia nu implica deci numai un proces de ordin intelectual,
ci o adeziune totala, care presupune o adanca prefacere launtrica. Totusi, intelegerea,
asimilarea lucida a cuvantului, este o conditie esentiala pentru ca acesta sa incolteasca in
inima. Mantuitorul spune ca, daca cineva aude cuvantul si nu-l intelege, vine cel viclean
si il rapeste din inima sa. Intelegerea este deci neaparat necesara. De aceea Hristos va
starui in repetate randuri asupra obligatiei de a auzi si de a intelege: "Luati seama deci
cum auziti" (Luca 8, 18), spune El, iar alteori, certandu-i pe iudei, va sublinia din nou:
"De ce nu intelegeti vorbirea Mea? Fiindca nu puteti sa dati ascultare cuvantului Meu"
(Ioan 8, 43). Cuvantul nu trebuie deci numai sa fie semanat, ci si primit, adica inteles in
adanca sa semnificatie, caci altminteri el nu va putea rodi. Exegeza si critica, straine de
adevaratul duh al lui Hristos, nu percep adevaratul sens al evenimentelor din Evanghelie
tocmai fiindca nu pot sa auda, nici sa inteleaga, fiind departe de El. Este aici o dialectica
subtila: numai cel care este in comuniune cu Hristos primeste cuvantul si il intelege, iar
intelegerea acestuia il preface in ucenic adevarat.

Principala piedica pusa in calea rodirii cuvantului divin este actiunea dusmanoasa a
satanei, pe care Iisus il numeste aici "cel viclean". Interventia acestei forte personale si
raufacatoare tinde sa-l impiedice pe om de a se preface in fiu al Imparatiei. Dar omul
insusi, datorita libertatii cu care este inzestrat, are tristul privilegiu de a putea inabusi
cresterea semintei in inima sa.

Printre cauzele enumerate de Iisus care contribuie la uscarea semintei apare lipsa de
radacina, semn al absentei unei adevarate chemari. Ea duce, in clipele de incercari
inerente acestei vieti, la sminteli, adica la forme variate de renegare a cuvantului. Grija de
cele lumesti si mirajul avutiei si al placerilor impiedica cresterea cuvantului in sufletele
celor robiti acestor patimi si in cele din urma il inabusa.

Numai aceia care, dupa cuvantul lui Luca, au "inima curata si buna" aud cuvantul, il
pastreaza si "rodesc intru rabdare" (Luca 8, 15). Trebuie asadar ca inima in care a fost
semanat cuvantul sa posede anumite insusiri pentru ca el sa poata incolti si rodi. Este
semnificativa si precizarea proprie numai lui Luca "a rodi intru rabdare". Ea sugereaza ca
cresterea cuvantului in suflet merge simultan cu indurarea incercarilor si presupune
renuntari nestiute si necunoscute de ceilalti, care fac posibila deplina incorporare la
Imparatie, caci aceasta este, in ultima instanta, rodirea mentionata de parabola, prefacerea
omului intr-un fiu al Imparatiei.

Asupra expresiei de "rodire" se cuvine a insista putin, deoarece ea constituie o tema ce

revine des in predica Mantuitorului, caracteristica pentru spiritul doctrinei evanghelice.
Domnul va starui in repetate randuri asupra obligatiei de a rodi, rodirea fiind una din
conditiile esentiale ale vietii spirituale, si va osan,di sterilitatea, uscaciunea sufleteasca,
considerate drept pacate capitale. Imparatia harului, asa cum s-a mai subliniat, se
caracterizeaza prin abundenta, prin fecunditate, de aceea Iisus va spune, certandu-i pe
evrei: "Va spun ca Imparatia lui Dumnezeu se va lua de la voi si se va da neamului care
va face roadele ei" (Matei 21, 43). Spre a intra in Imparatie trebuie deci sa faci dovada de
fecunditate spirirituala, sa rodesti. Crestinismul este religia rodirii maxime a tuturor
potentelor sufletesti din om, a bucuriei izvorate din plenitudine.

In ultima cuvantare adresata ucenicilor inainte de Patimi, Domnul va reveni de mai multe
ori asupra datoriei lor de a aduce roada, aratand insa ca acestia nu vor putea rodi decat
ramanand in comuniune cu El: "Cel ce ramane in Mine si Eu in el, acesta aduce roada
multa, caci rara Mine nu puteti face nimic" (Ioan 15,5).

Dupa cum darurile sunt diferite, tot astfel si capacitatea de rodire va varia de la om la om;
de aceea la unul samanta face o suta de boabe, la altul saizeci si la altul treizeci. Este aici
o profunda intelegere a insusirii proprii fiecarui suflet de a-si asimila cuvantul si de a-l
face sa rodeasca dupa masura sa.

Most scholars think the parable was originally optimistic in outlook, in that despite
failures eventually the "seed" will be successful, take root and produce a large "crop".[5] It
is the first parable to occur in Mark, which according to the Q hypothesis was the first
book it occurred in, at least in its synoptic form. Mark uses it to highlight the reaction
Christ's previous teachings have had on people as well as the reaction the Christian
message has had on the world over the three decades between Christ's ministry and the
writing of the Gospel.[6]

Jesus says he is teaching in parables because he does not want everyone to understand
him, only those who are his followers. Those outside the group are not meant to
understand them. Thus one must already be committed to following Jesus to fully
understand his message and that without that commitment one will never fully understand
him or be helped by his message. If one does not correctly understand the parables, this is
a sign that one is not a true disciple of Jesus.[7] He teaches in this way so that their sins
will then not be forgiven. He quotes Isaiah 6:9-10, who also preached to Israel knowing
that his message would go unheeded and not understood so that the Israelites' sins would
not be forgiven and they would be punished by God for them.[6] Some debate whether this
was Jesus' original meaning or whether Mark added this interpretation himself.[7] The full
explanation of the meaning of the parable stresses that there will be difficulty in Jesus'
message taking hold, perhaps an attempt by Mark to bolster his readers faith, perhaps in
the face of a persecution.[8] This parable seems to be essential for understanding all the
rest of Jesus' parables, as it makes clear what is necessary to understand Jesus is a prior
faith in him, and that Jesus will not enlighten those who refuse to believe, he will only
confuse them.[9]

The parable has sometimes been taken to mean that there are (at least) three 'levels' of
divine progress and salvation.[10]

[edit] Interpretations among Latter Day Saints

According to the various interpretations by members and leaders of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "LDS Church"), the word generally refers to the whole of
the Canonical Gospels, and that not everyone accepts the gospel with the same degree of
commitment:

The parable taught clearly where the responsibility lay with regard to the
kingdom of God and the reception of the gospel. It was not with the sower and it
was not in the seed - it was in the 'soil,' the heart of man. - E. Keith Howick, The
Parables of Jesus The Messiah (pg. 30)

Joseph Smith, Jr., the founder of the LDS Church, suggested that the Parable of the
Sower demonstrated the effects that are produced by the preaching of the word, and he
believed that the parable was a direct allusion to the commencement/setting-up of the
Kingdom in that age.[11]

In the 19th century, President Heber C. Kimball spoke about a condition that illustrates
the need for a deeply rooted, living faith capable of enduring challenges; a statement that
is regarded by many Latter-day Saints as an increasingly important message for the LDS
Church in modern times. Kimball stated, The time will come when no man nor woman
will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within
himself. If you do not have it, how can you stand.[12]

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin in the October 2004 General Conference interpreted the parable
of the sower as teaching the doctrine of patience—enduring to the end—and reinterpreted
the meaning of each of the fates of the seeds. Wirthlin considered that each of the three
negative fates referred to one of three obstacles to endurance:

• the cares of the world, being pride. Wirthlin argued that one should never allow
intellect to take priority or precedence over one's spirit. He states that "our
intellect can feed our spirit and our spirit can feed our intellect...[but] we must be
careful not to set aside our faith in the process, because faith actually enhances
our ability to learn."
• the deceitfulness of riches, being the fixation on wealth. Wirthlin argued that
wealth was a means to an end, but materialism should not be allowed to take
precedence over spiritual things.
• the lusts of other [things], being pornography. Wirthlin argued that, like
quicksand, pornography can easily trap people, and it is better to never step into it
than to need to seek help once one has fallen.[13]

[edit] Jesus Seminar analysis

The Jesus Seminar rated the parable as probably authentic ("pink"). Like authentic
sayings of Jesus, it uses simple imagery and an oral (rather than written) style. The
seminar, however, rejected the allegorical interpretation in Mark as an elaboration
originating not with Jesus, despite it being restated in Matthew