The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13: 1-23

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.” Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: ‘You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.’

“But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

Discussion Questions:

1. When do you notice yourself resisting something Jesus is asking of you in the Gospel? What have you learned by paying attention to that resistance?
2. Can you think of an area of your life where your heart has become more open to God over time? What helped prepare that soil? 
3. Have you ever shared your faith with someone who wasn’t ready to hear it? Looking back, what attitudes or behaviors helped keep the conversation open? Which ones probably made it more difficult? 
4. What voices compete most for your attention during the week? How do they influence your ability to hear God’s voice?

Biblical Context

Sr. Mary McGlone CSJ

Matthew tells us that the parable discourse we are about to hear began on the same day that Jesus declared that everyone who does God’s will is mother, brother and sister to him. According to Matthew, after speaking like that to a group of “insiders,” Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea where a great crowd gathered to hear him.

Although the parable of the sower, seed and soil is quite long, Matthew copies it almost without change from his source in Mark. (Luke condenses it a little and changes more vocabulary than Matthew.) Matthew does make one significant addition. In verses 14-16 he elaborates on the citation of Isaiah 6:9-10, explaining that knowledge of the kingdom of heaven is granted only to some. As Ben Witherington explains in The Gospel of Mark: “The parables give insight to the open-minded but come as a judgment on the obdurate…listening intently is the necessary prerequisite to understanding because no one has this knowledge already within them.”

Aside from the explanation that Jesus himself gives, this Gospel hints much more at what it takes to receive the word of God. The key to the whole story is that the good soil was receptive. We see what that means by looking to the disciples who admitted that Jesus had confused them. “Why do you speak to them in parables?” was a question that really meant “We don’t get it!” That was exactly the attitude they needed for Jesus to be able to break through to them, for the seed of his word to go deep into the interior space they opened with their questions.

Just as the planting and harvesting were ongoing activities, so too the word of God comes again and again, begging a hearing. When it comes to having ears to hear, this Gospel assures us that questions are more fruitful than answers.

Spread the Word

Reflection
Judith Valente

Today’s readings are filled with references to the earth and the natural cycle of growth. It seems appropriate for the halfway mark of summer. Where I live in the Midwest, this is a bountiful time when the corn is growing taller, tomatoes are ripening on the vines, and the hydrangeas and other summer flowers are in glorious full bloom.

Like this time in summer, today’s readings are a feast of both wisdom and metaphor. The Gospel compares the teachings of Jesus to seeds cast on the wind. The soil that the seeds fall upon resembles the heart. Sometimes anger or resentment hardens the soil of the heart, and it cannot nurture the Word of God. Sometimes worry and fear fill us with distraction, and we neglect to give God’s Word the attention it deserves. And sometimes we just aren’t listening, we’re too occupied with the other business of life to help anything worthwhile grow.

And what about the Sower? The parable is not only about how well we receive the Word, but how well we spread it. How well are we living a life centered on service, mercy, and compassion that Jesus modeled? As the old saying goes: Preach the Gospel always, use words if necessary.

There is still more food for thought in this long parable. It is a warning to all of us who listen to the Scriptures read at Mass, who might even read holy texts regularly but who look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. We are meant not only to see, listen, and understand, but also to live the life to which Jesus is calling us. In these ongoing days of summer, when we hear or read the words of Jesus, may we pray to truly listen and understand them. May we let them sink into the soil of our heart and take root there. May our hearts be changed. May we find healing in the words.

Judith Valente is the author of several spirituality titles, including most recently The Italian Soul: How to Savor the Full Joys of Life. She leads an annual “Benedictine Footprints” contemplative/cultural retreat/pilgrimage in Italy. Her website is judithvalente.com.