No. 791
“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11)
On the occasion of giving this parable, our Lord had returned to the Sea of Galilee, where He had given some of His earliest teachings. Great multitudes were drawn to hear Him because of the miracles He performed. He sat in the prow of a boat and taught the people on the shore by various parables, one of which is known as the Parable of the Sower, also sometimes described as the parable of the four kinds of soil, the soil representing the four kinds of human hearts. (Matt. 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-15)
The Prophet had foretold that our Lord would speak in parables: “I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old.” (Psa. 78:2) He did just that, as the Evangelists recorded: “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them.” (Matt. 13:34-35) Because the Lord expounded the hidden truths of ancient prophecy through figures and obscure sayings, His words would not be understood today without the enlightenment He gave us through the Apostles.
In Mark’s account, the parable of the Sower is introduced by the word “Hearken,” signaling that an important lesson is contained in it. (Mark 4:3) Nevertheless, the world gives little notice to this parable or to any other of our Lord’s teachings. Even His professed followers rarely give the Master’s words the deep, attentive thought needed to appreciate them. Only those who genuinely seek will find the true meaning, the true lesson.
The parable itself is a very simple statement of a matter that was familiar to those listening: A farmer sowed good seed, a portion of which fell on a pathway (“the way side”) where it was readily seen and quickly devoured by the birds. Some of the seed fell on stony ground, where the soil was good enough, but shallow. That seed sprang up quickly, made a good showing at first, but soon withered under the heat of the sun. Other seed fell upon ground that was infested with the seed of thorns, and as the two grew together the thorns choked the good seed causing it to become unfruitful.
Some of the seed, however, fell on soil that was more favorable. That soil had been plowed to receive the seed, it was deep enough to properly root and nourish it, and it was not thorn-infested. The seed that fell on that good ground fulfilled the farmer’s intention and brought forth much fruit, some thirty, sixty, and a hundred-fold.
The picture presented by this parable would have been clear to the minds of those who heard Jesus. The fields of that region were not fenced and the travel pathways frequently crossed them. The ground of the region was stony and thorn infested and there was a heavy bird population. The terrain abounded with limestone which rendered the soil very rich, but also very hot if it was too shallow.
WHY TEACH IN PARABLES?
Our Lord concluded His parable with the words, “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Mark 4:9) While the majority of the multitude heard His gracious words and thought Him a wonderful teacher sent by God, they took no deeper interest and departed. They did not have the “ears to hear.” They were not hungry for the Truth, and thus their hearts were not prepared. The twelve Apostles, along with a considerable number of disciples, remained with the Lord, and these then crowded around the Master to ask the interpretation of the parable. They not only had ears for the story, they also had ears for its meaning. They wanted to know the will of God in order that they might do it. They were consecrated to know and to do the Father’s will.
To those who inquired as to the meaning of the parable, our Lord answered, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without [not disciples], all these things are done in parables: That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.” (Mark 4:11-12)
From the standpoint of ordinary Christian thought, the Master’s words here are utterly incomprehensible. The ordinary thought is that all the unconverted who are left in their sins are destined to an eternity of torture. But if that were true, how could our Savior have intentionally withheld the meaning of the parable, denying those who were not disciples the opportunity to be converted and saved? His words are intelligible only from the standpoint of the Plan of the Ages, which alone makes clear the divine Word as a whole or in part.
TWO PARTS OF THE DIVINE PLAN
When we understand our Lord’s mission among mankind in its true light, we see it has two parts. First, by His faithfulness to the Father’s plan, He paid our ransom price as our Redeemer, as the Scriptures make clear: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (Heb. 2:9) “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” (1 Pet. 3:18)
After thus laying the foundation for blessing the whole world with the opportunity to escape from sin and death, our Lord then began a second feature of the divine plan, namely, the selection of a Kingdom class – the Church. This class would be associated with Him in the sufferings of the Gospel Age and in the glorious work of the future Millennial Age – the blessing of all the families of the earth. At the time of the giving of this parable, our Lord was not only in the process of laying down His life, dying daily and hourly, but He was also engaged in drawing to Himself an elect class who would be suitable to be His Bride, His joint-heirs in the Kingdom – His Church.
It was some of this Kingdom class that gathered around Him and asked the interpretation of the parable. He declared that it was His desire to make the matter very clear to them because they were in the condition of heart to profit by the knowledge. The knowledge thus imparted would be essential to their development and to their preparation for the Kingdom. Nearly all of our Lord’s parables related to the Kingdom, and all of them therefore are to be understood by the Kingdom class, the elect, the consecrated. All of this class should be earnestly desirous of an understanding of “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4)
The earnestness of the disciples in desiring to understand the parable was part of the evidence that they belonged to this class, that it was proper for them to know. It was to their advantage that this understanding be hidden, so that in seeking and finding they would have a greater blessing than if the entire matter were readily seen by anyone.
Our faith in the Lord and in His wonderful plan is strengthened when we find how simple His plan is, how grand, how beautiful, and yet how hidden from the world – from all except those who have the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to whom it is given to know the “mysteries.” Some of these mysteries pertain to the present and some to the future, and the more clearly we seek the more we may find, and the more clearly we discern the stronger will be our faith and loyalty.
Some may wonder how it would have injured the multitude to have heard and understood a good parable, even if their hearts were not properly prepared to receive and act upon its message. Would they not have received some blessing through a partial understanding of the divine plan? Because we are not perfect in knowledge or wisdom, we must trust the Lord’s love, knowledge, and wisdom on this subject and conclude that the multitudes were really better off left in ignorance for the time.
Perhaps we can see to some extent how and why this was so. Even worldly wisdom recognizes that “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” Even if the multitudes had been drawn to the Lord to accept Him fully as a teacher and to believe His doctrines, they could not have been of the Kingdom class if their hearts were still in an unconsecrated attitude. They might have hindered certain features of the divine plan connected with our Lord’s sacrifice by protesting His death and endangering an insurrection, which would have forced Pilate to defend Him against the malice of the rulers.
All this is reasonable and intelligible when viewed from the standpoint of the Plan of the Ages. When we understand God’s plan, we see that the election of the Church does not signify damnation for the remainder of the world. On the contrary, the elect are to be God’s agents for the eventual blessing of the non-elect, bringing all to a clear knowledge of the Lord and to opportunities for everlasting life on the human plane. It is evident that only a very few have ears to hear and hearts to appreciate the invitation of the Gospel Age – the invitation to suffer with Christ in the narrow way in hope of the glory, honor and immortality of the future.
THE SEED IS THE WORD
When asked to explain the parable, Jesus replied, “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13) By this He indicated that it was important for them to understand the parable because it provided a valuable key to understanding all parables. He then proceeded to give a very detailed explanation of it.
The parable begins, “Behold, there went out a sower to sow." (Mark 4:3) Jesus later clearly explained, “The sower soweth the word.” (Mark 4:14) The Word of God is the entire revelation of God – the Bible. It is referred to elsewhere by the Lord as the “good seed.” The seed includes God’s direct messages in the past to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc., including the giving of the Law. It also includes the messages sent through the Prophets: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Pet. 1:21)
The seed also includes the teachings of our Lord Jesus and His Apostles, whom He authorized to speak in His name. As it is written: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” (Heb. 1:1-2) And the Son declared to the Apostles: “He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” (Matt. 10:40)
We emphasize that the Word is the only proper seed, because much confusion has resulted from the use of improper seed. We do not limit the seed to any particular translation of the Word of God, nor do we maintain that all religious writings quoting from this Word are invaluable and constitute “good seed.” We stress emphatically that such writings are good seed only to the extent they are thoroughly loyal to the divine Word. To whatever extent they present human philosophies instead of the divine plan and philosophy, to whatever extent they mix the human with the divine, to that extent they are not the good seed. The Lord’s people should be very careful then about which seed they receive into their own hearts and which seed they in turn seek to scatter in the good ground of other hearts.
Unfortunately, nearly all theology and theological works outside of the Bible are so adulterated as to be untrue and misleading, and thus they do not bring forth the intended harvest in the heart, in the life of the individual. As the Apostle warned, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Col. 2:8)
Because human traditions have taken the place of the Word of God, the good seed – the Gospel of the Kingdom – is a scarce commodity outside of the Bible. Even in the current translations of the Bible there are hindrances because of mistranslations and interpolations. These writings and the Studies in the Scriptures series endeavor to set forth the Word of God simply and without human traditions. They repeatedly and continually scatter that Word by liberal quotations from it, presenting it cleared of many misrepresentations and falsifications. By the Lord’s grace we trust that only the pure, unadulterated seed will ever be scattered by us in the Master’s name.
THE FIELD IS THE WORLD
Having explained that the seed is the Word, Jesus went on to explain that the different kinds of soil represent different kinds of hearts coming in contact with the Word. Our Lord elsewhere declared, “The field is the world.” (Matt. 13:38) Not all of the field or world is being planted at the present time. Vast areas of the world of mankind are already sown thickly with the seeds of various human philosophies and doctrines and are growing great crops in conformity with them.
The field that the Lord sowed first was a Jewish field that had been already prepared by divine instruction and discipline. The “middle wall of partition” has since been broken down, so that there is no longer a distinction made between Jews and Gentiles. (Eph. 2:14) Nevertheless, the portion of the Gentile field that has been sown is but a limited one, namely, the comparatively few among whom the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Word of God, has been spread. So we may say that Christendom is the wheat-field in which the Lord has sown His Word. The Word has never gone to the heathen world (the non-Jewish, non-Christian world), therefore, we are to look only at Christendom for the four kinds of soil and the resulting crops brought to our attention in the parable.
THE WAYSIDE HEARTS
The parable continues with the description of the first type of soil: “And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.” (Mark 4:4) Jesus explained this type of soil thus: “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:15)
Some hearts in Christendom are like the wayside – paths trodden down hard by life’s experiences. Some have been hardened by too much prosperity and are therefore unappreciative of God’s message and are unprepared to receive it. If they hear the message, they take little interest in it. They may at first appreciate the harmony, beauty, and consistency of the Truth, but they never make it their own. Because the Word never enters into their hearts, before long the enemy comes. Satan, the adversary, steals from them every element of Truth they may have once recognized or appreciated. Although they may have been in the path of the sower and some grains of the Word may have fallen on them, the Truth is not for them.
Individuals with such hearts may be found in every community and in almost every home in Christendom. They are not really to be blamed, and we feel sorry for them because of their inability to receive the comfort and grace of the Word of God. While these hearts are not fit for the Kingdom in their present condition, what the Lord may do for them in the future is a different subject. He may plow them up and make them ready to receive the Truth through trials, sufferings, and disappointments in the present life. Or He may use the disciplines meted out during the Millennial Age to prepare them to receive the Truth then and to make them fit for the Kingdom. The parable merely says that while in their present condition they are not suitable to be the Lord’s people.
THE STONY GROUND HEARTS
The parable then proceeds to describe the second type of soil: “And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.” (Mark 4:5-6) Jesus gave the explanation of this type of soil: “And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.” (Mark 4:16-17)
We have all come across this type of person in Christendom. Upon hearing of God’s plan, they see something of its beauty and receive it with joy. They give every evidence of bringing forth much fruit. We may believe that they are true Christians, but we cannot see as God sees – we cannot know the heart. The shallowness of their nature is disclosed when the hot sun of opposition blights and withers their growth. We are inclined to feel discouraged by this, especially if we helped plant the seeds and had expected great results, but in this parable the Lord cautions us not to be discouraged. He assures us that He knows in advance that much of the seed will fall on stony-ground hearts which provide little nourishment because they are backed by little character.
The sprouts of that seed will soon wither and will bear no fruit, but this does not mean that the case is hopeless. Under new conditions in the future, these hearts will have the opportunity to deepen their characters and we can hope that good results will follow. If their hearts do not respond to the opportunities of the future, they will be utterly discarded as useless ground.
If any of the Lord’s people who have received the Truth find themselves to have this shallowness of nature, this superficiality represented by the stony ground of the parable, he or she should at once appeal to the Lord for a deepening of the soil of their hearts so that they may bring forth fruit to His praise.
THE THORNY GROUND HEARTS
The parable then describes the third kind of soil: “And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.” Jesus explained: “And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” (Mark 4:7, 18-19)
Some who hear the message of God respecting the Kingdom are like soil that brings forth an abundance of great thorns. It is rich soil and if it were devoted wholly to the production of wheat, it would bring forth large crops. Some who hear the Word of God are good, strong, deep characters. They would make noble Christians and bring forth much fruitage to the Master’s praise and to their own honor if they were fully devoted to the Lord. Unfortunately their talents, influence, means, and time are absorbed in another direction. They are devoted to earthly projects and ambitions whose interests conflict with the interests of the Kingdom.
The parable shows that where these “thorns” are permitted to remain, the Kingdom interests will suffer. This is another way of saying that those who have heard of the Lord and love Him are mistaken when they suppose they can love both the Lord and the world. As the Master phrased it, “No servant can serve two masters . . . Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Luke 16:13) We cannot bring forth both thorns and wheat. Our hearts must be single, wholly given to the Lord; we must love Him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind, else we cannot bring forth the fruitage which He requires of disciples.
Sadly, of all who hear the Gospel of the Kingdom during this age, the thorny-ground hearers are the most disappointing. Not much could be expected from the hardened wayside heart or the shallow stony heart, but great possibilities are lost when the seeds of Truth are choked by thorns – the cares of this life and the deceitfulness of riches.
All of the Lord’s people who find these thorns mingling with the Truth in their hearts should learn from this parable that it is impossible to bring forth two crops. It is impossible to be prosperous, successful, and honored according to the standards of this world, while also growing prosperous in the spiritual standards of the Kingdom. We must love the Truth with all our hearts in order to bring forth the proper fruitage.
THE GOOD GROUND HEARTS
Lastly, the fourth kind of soil is described: “And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.” (Mark 4:8) Jesus explained this kind of soil this way: “And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” (Mark 4:20)
Thank God that in His providence and grace some hearts have been plowed deeply by the plowshare of experience, trouble, and disappointment in earthly affairs and conditions. Thank God also that the soil of some hearts is deep and able to receive and appreciate the seed of Truth, the Word of the Kingdom. We praise Him that some hearts have learned the necessity for the establishment of His Kingdom and are in an attitude to accept these things and are not distracted with the cares of worldly things. It is true that thorns and thistles may be found in the very best of fields. Our hope is that we receive the good seed of the Word in such abundant measure as to choke out the thorns, separating us fully from the world, its spirit, its ambitions, and its aims, and sanctifying us wholly to the love and service of Him who hath called us from darkness into His marvelous light.
Let us, dear brethren, not only be sure that our hearts are of the good ground sort, and be sure that we have received and are developing the good seed, the Word of the Kingdom, but let us seek also to bring forth much fruit. Seeing that some of these may bring forth thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred-fold to the Master’s praise, let us determine that by the grace of God, which we know is ours and will assist us, we will be of those who bring forth fruitage an hundred-fold – to our largest possible capacity and measure of service to our King.
How may we increase our faithfulness? We answer, by increasing honesty of heart, which prepares us for increased measure of the seed and which enables us to bring this forward to perfection. Let us be diligent, therefore, that the Master may find us bearing fruit to the very best of our abilities, surroundings and opportunities.
THE MESSAGE OF THE KINGDOM
The Lord called the seed “the word” in Mark’s account of this parable, the “word of God” in Luke’s account, and the “word of the kingdom” in Matthew’s account. (Mark 4:14; Luke 8:11; Matt. 13:19) Since the good seed is God’s Word or the message of the Kingdom, our Lord no doubt used all of these expressions. We may in fact say that the message of the Kingdom is the only communication God has yet given to mankind as a message of hope.
God intimated the Kingdom to Abraham in the oath-bound covenant: “And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.” (Gen. 22:18) God’s promise was that the seed of Abraham would be granted Kingdom powers and would bless Israel and through Israel bless the world. Israel was hoping to attain this very promise at the time Jesus gave this parable.
All of the promises given through the Prophets pertain to the Kingdom. They prophesied the time for the Kingdom to be established, and the blessings to flow from it to all parts of the earth. They described how all will know the Lord, from the least to the greatest, and how righteousness will flourish throughout the world. (Jer. 31:34; Isa. 11:9) Then sin and sinners, as well as Satan himself, will be subjected to the powers of righteousness in the hands of the Messiah.
At the time of the giving of this parable, the seed, word or message of the Kingdom had taken on a special purpose – the selection of a Kingdom class. The invitation was made to some to become joint-heirs with the Messiah, the heir of the Kingdom.
Anyone who has never heard anything about the Kingdom has never heard anything about the Gospel, for it is the “Gospel of the Kingdom.” The preaching of eternal torment and other doctrines falsely proclaimed as the Gospel of the Kingdom are delusions which do not come from God’s Word. They are not the good seed that brings forth good fruit. They are instead false messages that have brought forth thorns and tares in abundance.
If this good seed of the Kingdom is rightly received into a good heart, it cannot be easily choked with earthly hopes or ambitions – for the Kingdom hope is above all grand, pre-eminent, and soul-satisfying. The Kingdom hope is as an anchor to the soul, and does not permit the cares of this life to seem large and to crush it out. On the contrary, to honest hearts which have received the good seed of the Kingdom, the cares of this life are merely incidental trials to be overcome, building character and bringing forth much fruit in the Lord’s service.
(Based on Reprints 3763 and 2627.)
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