Parable of the Sower

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For the novel by Octavia Butler, see Parable of the Sower (novel).

The Parable of the Sower is a parable attributed to Jesus, and found in all of the Synoptic Gospels (at [Mark 4:1-20], [Matthew 13:3-23], and [Luke 8:5-15]) as well as in the Gospel of Thomas (Thomas 9). Its presence in Thomas as well as the Synoptics makes scholars think it likely that the saying derives from the Q document.

Thomas, as usual, provides no narrative context whatsoever, nor any explanation, but the synoptics frame this parable as one of a group that were told by Jesus while he was standing on a boat in the middle of a lake. The parable tells of seeds that were erratically scattered, some falling on the road and consequently eaten by birds, some falling on rock and consequently unable to take root, and some falling on thorns which choked the seed and the worms ate them. It was, according to the parable, only the seeds that fell on good soil and were able to germinate, producing a crop thirty, sixty, or even a hundredfold, of what had been sown.

Though Thomas doesn't explain the parable at all, the synoptics state that the disciples failed to understand, and questioned Jesus why he was teaching by parables, but the synoptics state that Jesus waited until much later, until the crowds had left, before explaining the parables, stating to his disciples:

the secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside, everything is said in parables so that they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding

This theme of secrecy occurs throughout the synoptics, especially Mark, and has lead several scholars to propose that Mark, together with the parts of the other synoptics based on it, should be interpreted as a gnostic document, and the episodes in it much more allegorically than they first appear. Gnostic interpretations of the Synoptics are, inevitably, controversial, and do not find favour with most Conservative Christian groups.

The synoptics go on to state that Jesus quoted the Book of Isaiah, stating that by hearing you shall hear but not understand, by seeing you shall see and not perceive, and that the people were hard of hearing, with closed eyes [Isaiah 4:11-12]. After this, the synoptics provide an explanation of the parable:

The sower sows the word
The seeds falling on the road represent those who hear the word but dismiss it straight away - the synoptics state that the wicked one (Mark's wording)/Satan (Matthew's wording) is what takes the word away
The seeds falling on the rocks represent those who hear the word, but only accept it shallowly - the synoptics state that these sorts of people reject the word as soon as it causes them affliction or persecution
The seeds falling on thorns represent those who hear the word, and take it to heart, but allow wordly concerns, such as money, to choke it.
The seeds falling on good soil represents those who hear the word, and truly understand it, causing it to bear fruit.

Contents

1 Religious perspectives

1.1 Interpretations among Latter Day Saints

2 See also
3 References
4 External links
5 Notes

Religious perspectives

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 ageJoseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 97..

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. Quoted by Harold B. Lee in Conference Report, October 1965, pg. 128; see also Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, pg. 446, 449-50.

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 ones 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 seek never step into it than to need to seek help once one has fallen. See Joseph B. Wirthlin, [Press On] Ensign, November 2004, 101.

References

James E. Talmage, Jesus The Christ, pg. 263-266 Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. I:289

External links

[Use of Parables Explained] - The Brick Testament

Notes