Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Commentary

We have the benefit of Jesus’s own interpretation for this parable, though the parable itself is told to one group and the explanation is only given to the disciples. It shouldn’t surprise us that Jesus emphasises the nature of the ground onto which the sower throws the seeds because it reveals his heart: as the sower he is thinking about the ones he is reaching towards.

As many others have also seen in this text, there is a beautiful picture of God that’s also on display in this parable. The sower sows without care or concern about wasting any of the seed. The sower doesn’t just stick to the fields and soil where he knows a good crop is likely to be produced, but everywhere he goes he lets it fly. While he’s walking on the path towards the field, why not? Among the rocky outcroppings that mark the edges of field and path, sure! Even among the thornbushes that make it impossible to pass through, yes there too. The sower knows that these places are not likely to produce a harvest but he is willing to throw some seed at them anyway.

That’s because the seed is the “word of the kingdom” and God wants it going everywhere. If we were reading this parable in the gospel of John we would have likely already made the connection: the Word is Jesus Christ. Jesus gives himself to a world full of mixed soil, just as the prophet described in the opening verse Isaiah 65.

Because Jesus explains the parable to his disciples, we have easy ways to latch onto this story: we know exactly the kinds of situations he’s highlighting with each area he describes. What I want to challenge us to consider, however, is that this parable is not meant to be read as a matter of evangelism, but as one of discipleship. That we ought to take a long view of thinking about the timeline applied to each of the scenarios, rather than focusing on the experience of baby (or would-be) Christians.

The fact of the matter is, we can stay at the seed sown stage of life for a very long time and think that we are Christians. It’s not until circumstances change, something happens, that our rootedness is challenged and proven.

For some of us, we hold onto the seed but don’t let ourselves commit to it. We’re on the path and aren’t sure if this is the right choice or whether a more prudent option for our needs and wants might come by. We can be adjacent enough to Christianity to blend in, but our faith and devotion is easily snatched away because we are not committed to the Word and way of the kingdom. Just as quickly as coming to church might be beneficial, joining the right business networking group might take its place.

Similarly, we might fool ourselves into thinking that following Christ only moves on an upward trajectory of joy and ease. We might like the view from the mountaintop of spiritual experiences, but we don’t become rooted in the everyday life with God. So when something bad happens (because it will in a world of rockiness) we are uprooted and lost to the winds because we have not grown strong by going deep with God.

And we must remember that we live in a world of constant temptation; we live in a thorny thicket of competing values, mindsets, callings, you name it. We can withstand those temptations with good roots, but we also have to consider what receiving and following the Word of the Kingdom leads us to add to that space. If we’re adding more thorns instead of godly fruit, our roots are feeding on the wrong fuel.

But those who hear, who understand what God is up to in the kingdom and the life that Jesus is modelling, these will grow in the good soil of the Holy Spirit, producing fruit upon fruit in the kingdom way, fulfilling the words that describe God’s heart and intention in the world. Our fruit and its impact might look different from one another, but notice that Jesus doesn’t give a value statement on the differing amounts: he’s just happy to see the fruit. He’s just happy to be part of more people’s lives. Thankfully, he’ll keep sowing the word of the kingdom around until everywhere is good soil.

Textual Points

Chapter 13 and its parables represent the center of the five teaching blocks in the book of Matthew. It is especially fitting, then, that the parable is about receiving the “word of the kingdom” (Jesus) and that Jesus takes the time to explain it. Even more, there is a point of emphasis that is not clear in many modern English translations. In verse 18, when Jesus says to “Hear then the parable…” in the Greek the word “you” is also there even though it is not needed grammatically, emphasising that his disciples should listen up! It’s almost as though Jesus is breaking through the fourth wall of narration, looking directly at us through the pages of Scripture and saying, “Hey you too! Listen up!”

Illustration Idea

Even though I’ve lived in British Columbia now for over fifteen years and have kind of followed the team, I’ve never really thought of myself as a Vancouver Canucks hockey fan. In the cliché based all too often in real life, it wasn’t until my husband Chris came along that I started growing “in the soil” of Canucks fandom. I didn’t realize this until somebody recently asked me if I was a fan. At first I answered, “Not really. I just kind of follow it with Chris,” but then I started talking about the latest developments on their rebuild and the rumours about who might get traded this year. The other person looked at me and said, “Oh you’re a fan. Just listen to you.” Fandom, it turns out, comes in all sorts of tones and expression. I’m never going to be painting my face or getting an orca tattoo, but I have been growing in a household where Canucks are part of life—in the up seasons and the downs. Discipleship is like that too, always present, expressed with variety, part of every high and low; simply a way of life.