1 The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. 19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. 20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; 21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (Matthew 13:1-23 KJV)
Thomas Haweis
Verses 1-23: With indefatigable diligence did the great prophet of his people labour to inculcate the doctrines of his gospel. The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the seaside, his auditory being too great for a house to contain them; and there ascending a ship for his pulpit, while the attentive multitude crowed the shore, he spoke many things unto them in parables, more, probably, than are here recorded: and he chose this method for reasons, given, Mt 13:13,15. Note, (1.) In preaching the gospel we are called to be instant in season and out of season: no time nor place is unsuitable to speak a word for Christ and for immortal souls. (2.) Where Christ is preached, there should we with delight attend: his presence and blessing on the seashore, are better than all the magnificence of Solomon’s temple without him.
1. The parable with which Christ opens his discourse, is that of a sower sowing his seed, with the various soils on which it fell, and the consequences thereof. By familiar and well known objects, Christ would thus convey more pleasingly his divine instructions, and teach them to spiritualize their daily labours, and to draw from them profitable meditation. The explication of the parable Christ is pleased himself to give, and we cannot ere when following an infallible interpreter. The seed is the word of the kingdom, the gospel; the sower is the Lord Jesus, with all his divinely appointed ministers; and he also by his Spirit quickens the seed sown, that it may bring forth fruit in the hearts of his people. The field is the world in general; and the several sorts of ground here mentioned, on which the seed falls, represent the different tempers of those to whom the gospel is preached, and the effects thereby produced upon them; and we may observe, but one sort in four brought forth any lasting fruit: for though the same word of truth is preached to multitudes, it becomes an incorruptible seed but to a few. An awful warning to all, to take heed how they hear: for many are called but few chosen.
(1.) Some are like the wayside; where the seed, falling on the hard ground not broken up, is exposed to the birds and devoured. This represents the case of those who are careless, negligent, and inattentive hearers, on whom the word of God makes no impression: they understand it not, being under the darkness of their fallen mind, and their hearts hardened. The wicked one, the devil, ever watchful to prevent all good from entering, no sooner observers such a one in the way of the gospel, than he seeks to divert him from it, and catches away the word from his heart as it falls, distracting his attention by some objects around him, or suggesting some idle, vain, worldly, or trifling thoughts, so that the word of God is immediately effaced from the memory, and becomes utterly unprofitable.
(2.) Others are like the stony ground, on which whatever is sown springs up quickly, the earth being shallow, but, unable to bear the scorching sun, for want of root it withers away. Such are they who attend the ministry of the word, and, struck at first greatly with what they hear, give an immediate assent to its truth, and instantly commence professors, but the root of the matter is not in them; they are not brought to a deep and humbling sense of the sinfulness of their nature; they do not see the utter impotence of their hearts to all good; they are not humbled to a universal renunciation of themselves; nor led to Christ alone, for pardon, righteousness, grace and glory: but, while some lively impression, or sudden flash of joy succeeds their hearing, they are ready to conclude the work is done, when it is not even yet begun; their hearts continue unhumbled and unholy; they are not partakers of the grace of God in truth, nor influenced by the divine principle of faith, which worketh by love; they have never truly counted the cost; and, therefore, when they are called to painful self-denial for Christ’s sake; to endure reproach, the loss of friends or fortune, or the severer sufferings which envenomed persecutors may inflict; then they shrink from the cross, dishonour their profession, comply with the world, are offended, and walk no more with Jesus. May we never be numbered among such apostates from the truth!
(3.) Another sort of hearers are compared to the seed sown among thorns. These go farther than the former: they take up and continue a fair profession, are attendants on the word and ordinances, and in appearance Christians altogether; but insensibly the cares of the world, a too great anxiety about a provision for themselves or families, an inordinate love of money, and too eager a pursuit after it: these, under many a nice appearing cloak or prudent care and becoming industry, seduce the affections from God; and insensibly, like the thorns, eat out the life and spirit of that godliness they once seemed to possess; the heart grows cold; eternal things lose their importance; the vanities of time appear more insignificant; and though the profession of religion and the form of duties may still be carried on, it is mere husk; no substantial fruit of grace is produced; the word is choked, and the soul drowned in perdition and destruction. How many thus have fallen! May we be warned of the imminent danger, and fear for ourselves, lest this evil world steal away our hearts from God!
(4.) Though others were unfruitful, one sort of hearers are mentioned who, like the good ground, repaid the husbandman’s toils. Their hearts by divine grace were opened to receive the seed of the gospel, and, watered by the dews of heavenly influence, it grew, and brought forth fruit abundantly. They are described not merely as hearing the work, but understanding it, the eyes of their mind being enlightened; and they receive the truth not only in the light, but in the love of it; in their heart the seed takes root, and brings forth the genuine fruits of righteousness and true holiness; and this variously, according to the measure of the gift of Christ: for though the quality of the fruit be the same in all, wrought by that one and the self same Spirit, yet in some these fruits are more eminent and abundant than in others. May Jesus give us then the hearing ear and understanding heart, that our profiting may appear! And may we seek to abide and abound in every fruit of grace, which by Jesus Christ are to the praise and glory of God!
2. Christ resolves the question addressed to him by his disciples, Mt 13:10 why he spoke to the people by parables. In general such was the good pleasure of his will. With regard to those who were his disciples, he intended to stir up their inquiries after the explication of what they heard; and it was their peculiar mercy, that to them it was given to know the mysteries of the kingdom, he being ready to lead them into the knowledge of all truth; but to others it was not given. God is sovereign in the dispensations of his grace, and is pleased to withhold from some what he bestows on others; and where none have any claim upon him, he may no doubt, do what he will with his own, Mt 13:11. Where he hath been pleased to give a spiritual understanding, and the influences of his Spirit, there he will continue to work, and perfect that which he begins, increasing his gifts of wisdom and grace; but where there is no spiritual knowledge of Christ, no experience of his grace, no desire to profit by his word, there he will take away the external gifts, the means of grace, or ministry of the gospel, which such persons before enjoyed, and leave them to the blindness they have chosen, Mt 13:12. And this he assigns as the reason why he spoke to them in parables, without expounding them to the multitude as he did to his own disciples. He designed to leave those who willfully had rejected the light of his miracles and doctrines to the hardness and impenitence of their own hearts. They did not choose to see or understand, and therefore he decrees in just judgment that they shall not, Mt 13:13 And herein the prophecy of Isaiah, Mt 6:9-10 was fulfilled. The Jews were not given up to that judicial blindness he had foretold. In the midst of the glorious light of the gospel, and in the face of the astonishing miracles wherewith Jesus, as the Messiah, had confirmed his mission, they obstinately stopped their ears, and closed their eyes, as if they were afraid the force of conviction, and the strong evidence of truth should overpower them, and necessitate them to submit to the Saviour’s doctrine, and yield up their hearts and ways to his government: which they being resolved not to do, his Spirit will no longer strive with them, and they are left to the ignorance and impenitence of their hearts, Mt 13:14-15. But towards those whom he had chosen for disciples, God had the most gracious designs: he had given them the seeing eye and the hearing ear, and blessed them with the understanding of those mysteries of his grace which were hid from others, Mt 13:16 yea, they enjoyed transcendent favours beyond all the prophets and righteous men which had gone before them; for earnestly as they longed for the appearing of the Messiah, and to behold him incarnate, they saw his day but at a distance, and chiefly beheld the great things of his kingdom wrapped up in types and figures; while his present disciples beheld him face to face, saw his miracles, and from his own mouth more distinctly were informed of those truths, which the others saw only through a glass darkly, Mt 13:16. Note, (1.) Why God is pleased to give the knowledge of his truth to one, and withhold it from another, can only be resolved into the good pleasure of his own will. (2.) All our wisdom in divine things is the gift of God: till he opens the eyes of our minds, the wisest of men are in gross darkness. (3.) Many enjoy the means of grace whose hearts only grow more hard and insensible under them. They hate the light, and therefore are justly abandoned to the darkness they have chosen. (4.) The greatest of all blessings is the knowledge of Jesus; for him to know is everlasting life. (5.) If we are distinguished by peculiar circumstances of the divine regard, the stronger obligation is laid upon us to be thankful, and to walk in the light as children of the light.