By Stanley D. Toussaint
[Stanley D. Toussaint, Assistant Professor, New Testament Literature and Exegesis, Dallas Theological Seminary.]
The first in the succession of eight parables found in Matthew 13 is the parable of the sower and the soils; the last is the parable of the householder and his treasure. This latter parable is universally understood as being a conclusion and application of the entire series. The parable of the sower is generally taken to be the first in the series of parables concerning the kingdom of heaven. However, the parable of the sower as it is employed in Matthew 13 is not a parable pertaining to the kingdom of heaven, and to take it as such is to miss its point. Rather, this first parable is to be considered as an introduction or preface to the kingdom parables of Matthew 13. Just as the parable of the householder is the conclusion to this series of parables, so the parable of the sower serves as a preface to those which follow.
The Theme of the Parables
The content of the kingdom parables in Matthew 13 revolves around a central theme revealed in verse eleven. When the disciples inquired as to the Lord’s purpose in speaking in parables, He replied, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given” (Matt 13:11). The discourse revolves around the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. Here are new truths too profound for man to discover by his own intellect which are now being revealed by Christ. These particulars relate to God’s kingdom program, factors which had not been made known before (cf. vv. 17, 35).
The purpose of teaching these truths by means of parables is a twofold one—to conceal the truths of the kingdom and to reveal them. The concealment was directed toward Christ’s opposition and rejectors (vv. 12–15). The fact this discourse was given on a day of intensive resistance to Christ’s ministry confirms this interpretation (cf. v. 1). Those whose hearts were open to the witness of the Lord would discover in these parables the heavenly secrets He intended to unveil (vv. 11–12; cf. vv. 25–27).
The Sower and the Soils
“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them; but other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt 13:3–9).
This parable, spoken to the multitudes but interpreted only to the disciples (vv. 18–23), serves as a preface or introduction to the kingdom parables which follow.
Several factors support this view of the parable of the sower and the soils. First, in contrast to the six parables which follow, the kingdom is not likened to any truth in this parable. The other parables are introduced with the clause ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν (v. 24), or ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν (vv. 31, 33, 44, 45, 47). Because the Lord is so careful to introduce the “kingdom parables” with these formulas, it is safe to conclude this parable has no direct relationship to the kingdom program of Christ.
A second fact supports this interpretation. There is no new revelation concerning God’s kingdom program in this parable. The responses to the message of God as characterized by the various soils have been known ever since God has had His preachers and prophets among men. This could hardly be called a mystery of the kingdom.
The careful arrangement of these parables is a third supporting evidence for taking this parable as a prefatory one. The eight parables are carefully divided into two equal sections by the Lord’s departure from the house to the sea shore (v. 1) and His taking leave of the crowd to go back into the house with His diseples (v. 36). The multitudes on the shore heard four parables—the sower and the soils, the wheat and darnel, the mustard seed, and the leaven. They received no interpretation of these, just the parables. Four more parables were heard only by the disciples in the house—the hidden treasure, the precious pearl, the dragnet, and the householder. The last three given to the crowd and the first three related to the disciples are clearly parables relating to kingdom mysteries. It is also obvious the eighth and the last parable is used as a conclusion and application. To maintain Matthew’s careful balance, the first parable must be taken as an introductory one. When this is done the plan of the parables of Matthew 13 may be outlined in the following manner:
I. Parables related to the crowd on the sea shore
A. Introduction: the parable of the sower and the soils
B. Parables of the kingdom
1. The wheat and darnel
2. The mustard seed
3. The leaven
II. Parables related to the disciples in the house
A. Parables of the kingdom
1. The hidden treasure
2. The precious pearl
3. The dragnet
B. Conclusion: the parable of the householder
According to this system, the first parable would answer to the last. As the one serves as a conclusion, so the first functions as an introduction. Matthew, who is well known for his careful use of groupings, preserves the systematic arrangement of the parables in this discourse.
What then is the parable saying? By means of this parable the Lord Jesus affirms the basic principle that openness of heart results in greater perception and insight into God’s truth. The first soil, the wayside ground, represents a heart without spiritual discernment. When the word of the kingdom is preached, there is no understanding, and before the seed finds lodgment Satan snatches it away. He is the unresponsive hearer. The second, portrayed as a thin layer of soil covering a rocky ledge, pictures a shallow hearer who has no depth of soul. Although he is first a joyful recipient, tribulation and persecution cause him to fall. The third soil represents the worldly listener whose response to the word is choked out by worldly concerns. The fruitful hearer is portrayed by the fourth soil. He hears, understands, and bears abundant fruit. What is the distinction between the fourth soil and the others?
All four heard the word, so the difference is not lack of exposure to Christ’s message. The last three soils all received the word, indicating the key feature of the good soil is not found in its initial positive response. The one distinguishing feature of the fourth soil is seen in the verb understands (v. 23). The key to productivity is understanding. The one who is spiritually illumined is the one who bears fruit for God. This fruit may be of various types, but here it is the fruit of greater insight. Those who originally heard Christ with understanding gained more insight. This is the teaching of this parable in Matthew 13.
If the parable is taken with this interpretation, it easily can be seen why Christ would use it as an introduction to this parabolic discourse. A proper understanding of this parable would in effect explain why Christ spoke in parables. Those who with open heart received the message of Christ would be given to know the significance of the parables. This parable in effect states the point of the proverb in verse twelve, “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.” The one who has spiritual insight is given more and the one who is spiritually dull becomes more insensitive. So the ones who did not properly understand and use the word of the kingdom were now being deprived by means of parables, but those who received and understood were being given further insight. The Gospel of Mark has Christ introducing His interpretation with the question, “Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13). This parable is the touchstone. If the disciples could comprehend this parable, they were spiritually qualified to understand the remaining ones. It seems best therefore to identify the abundant fruit that is described in this parable as more profound insight into God’s kingdom program.
The Householder and His Treasure
“Jesus saith unto them, Have ye understood all these things? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old” (Matt 13:51–52).
This parable, strictly speaking, is not a parable of the kingdom. Neither ὁμοία ἐστίν nor ὁμοιόω is used to introduce it. As the parable of the sower and the soils is employed to initiate this parabolic series, so this parable concludes it.
Quite significantly the Lord here referred to His disciples as scribes. By so doing Christ Jesus rejected the ministry of the already established scribes and appointed His own. The scribes were an official order who studied and taught the law. Although they were esteemed highly by the people of Israel for their knowledge of the Old Testament, Jesus steadfastly rebuked them. Here the Lord put the established order of scribes aside and appointed His disciples. They were now responsible for dispensing the whole truth, for only they possessed it.
In the parable the householder brought out of his store things new and old to make provision for his own household or for guests. So now the disciples with their newly acquired truths concerning the kingdom were to dispense from the store they now possessed these new truths as well as the old ones found in the Old Testament Scriptures.
It is significant the Lord refers to the new things before the old things. By this means the Lord seems to be placing a certain amount of emphasis and importance on these newly revealed secrets of the kingdom.
Conclusion
As far as Matthew 13 is concerned one must look on the parable of the sower and the soils as being introductory and not as containing new revelations concerning the kingdom of heaven. This parable reveals the principle that God gives fruit to those who initially receive and understand the word of the kingdom. Here the fruit is the reward of insight into kingdom truths. The parable itself becomes an explanation as to why Christ was now speaking in parables. If the hearers could not understand this parable, neither could they comprehend the others. Even what they had was being taken from them. This parable is an introduction to explain both the principle and the purpose of the parables.
Likewise the parable of the householder and his storehouse is a parable of application. The truths gained by means of the parables were to be carefully dispensed by the new order of scribes now established by Christ.
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