Smoodock's Blog

We need to keep in mind that Jesus began teaching his audience by parables immediately after he was rejected by the Jewish authorities. The Jewish rabbis of the day publicly accused Jesus of having a demon (Matthew 12:24), when they understood that the people were beginning to believe he was the Messiah (Matthew 12:23). Put yourself in Jesus’ place for a moment. If the good you do, is twisted by respected teachers who oppose you, and what you do is made to seem like it was done with evil intent, what recourse would you have as a public teacher? A public debate with Jesus’ enemies would be dangerous, and, if he would agree to do that, he would, no doubt, be playing into their hands (cp. Matthew 12:10, 13-14).

On the other hand, if Jesus gave them the sign they asked for (Matthew 12:38), he would be tempting God, which would make himself out to be an unbelieving sinner, just as they were (Matthew 12:39; cp. Exodus 17:2, 7). Jesus only recourse, it seems, was to continue to preach the Gospel, albeit in parables, and give the authorities the only sign that could be given an unbeliever, vis-à-vis one that would expose their error, by letting them have their way. In other words, let them crucify him (Matthew 12:40). Therefore, on the very same day the Jews rejected him as their Messiah in mass, Jesus left the house, where he was teaching, and went down to the Sea of Galilee and sat on the shore (Matthew 13:1).

Nevertheless, if Jesus sought some solitude, where he might reflect on the events of the day, he didn’t receive it, because the multitude, who had gathered around the house where he taught, followed him and gathered at the shore before him (Matthew 13:2). Both Mark and Luke tell us at this point that Jesus entered Peter’s boat and thrust out a little from shore to put a little distance between himself and the throng of people (Mark 4:1; Luke 5:3). There in the boat, Jesus sat and taught the people beginning with a reference to the Shema, which begins with “Listen” with a purpose of doing (or obeying), saying: “A Sower went out to sow” (Matthew 13:3; cp. Deuteronomy 6:4).

As he did, he cast his seeds into a field, and some fell by the wayside, while other seeds fell on rocky soil, among the weeds, but some, also fell on good ground and yielded a crop. The seeds that fell by the wayside, didn’t have a chance to grow, because the birds of the air, immediately came and devoured them. On the other hand, those that fell on rocky ground didn’t have much soil in which to grow. Although the seeds sprang up almost immediately, the sun scorched them and they withered away, because they lacked a sufficient root system (Matthew 13:5-6). The seeds that fell among the thorns also had problems growing and bearing fruit, because they weren’t able to compete with the thorns for the life-giving soil they were in. Therefore, they were choked and couldn’t bear fruit.

Finally, we come to the seeds that fell on the good soil; they did yield fruit and produced grain that was 100, 60 and 30-fold. Obviously, the terms of the parable have a deeper meaning that is spiritually understood, and we’ll spend some time in one of our next studies with what they meant for folks then, and what they mean for us now. However, for the present, take note that most seeds would be cast onto the good ground, because this was the sower’s intent, as he cast his seeds in the field. However, does this mean all such seeds would bear fruit 30, 60 or 100-fold? If that were true, why was the Jewish nation destroyed in AD 70? Jesus predicted this would occur only if the nation, as a whole, would reject him (Matthew 12:30). It was out of fear of what their teachers claimed about Jesus (cp. Matthew 12:23-24) that the people hesitated. Not standing with Jesus meant they stood with their teachers (Matthew 12:30), rejecting Jesus as Messiah, awaiting an additional sign to prove who he claimed to be (cp. Matthew 12:38). Jesus ended the parable with a call to “listen” (Matthew 13:9). Keep in mind that most of the seeds would be cast on good ground, and it is quite unreasonable to believe the good ground wouldn’t yield a good increase. Yet, Jesus called to those people who had “ears to hear,” vis-à-vis those whose hearts were touched by the Spirit of God and understood who Jesus was, and what they needed to do. He called to them to listen (and obey; cp. Deuteronomy 6:4). The **possibility** was a 30-, 60- or 100-fold increase, but a person’s heart, though made of the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7), is not literal soil. The soil has no choice, if it receives what it needs, and it must produce a crop, but a man does have a choice, and he needs to act/obey according to his heart