The Lord in figure has left Israel, of whom He received no fruit. His service in sowing the Word is to produce fruit by the Word received into the heart. “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
It is not national relationship, but individual now.
Verses 1, 2. He sat in a ship with the multitude on the shore before Him, and He taught them many things by parables.
One would naturally think with such a teacher all must be convinced and believe His word, but His first parable shows how mistaken we are in such a thought.
Verses 3-8. “Hearken: Behold, there went out a sower to sow.” Some fell by the wayside, some fell on stony ground, and some fell among thorns, and some on good ground. In three places it is without fruit, and on the good ground the seed does not produce alike in every one. Yet it sprang up, and increased and brought forth, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundred. And He said unto them, “He that hath ears to hear, let Him hear.” Yes, why it should be so with us is worth pondering.
Verses 10-12. When He was alone, they that were about Him with the twelve asked of Him the parable. He said unto them, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto them that are without, 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.”
This applies to Israel as a nation. Individuals did receive the word and were forgiven (Verse 12 is a quotation from Isa. 6:1010Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. (Isaiah 6:10). See also Acts 28:25-2825And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, 26Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: 27For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. 28Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. (Acts 28:25‑28).)
Verse 13. He seems to reprove the disciples for not understanding the parable, but graciously goes on to explain it.
Verse 14. “The sower soweth the word.” It is the Word of God, and where it finds entrance, it must bring the soul into thoughts of God. This begets exercise in the conscience.
Verse 15. The wayside hearer does not take it in, and Satan immediately comes and takes it away.
Verses 16-18. The stony ground hearer receives it at once with gladness. Grace sounds nice, and is a pleasant story, and has beauty in it, but when it brings affliction and persecution, the natural heart wants none of it.
There was no sense of need, no conscience exercised about having to do with a holy God, so, like those in John 6:6666From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (John 6:66), they go away. When true need is there nothing can satisfy but Jesus. ( John 6:68, 6968Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. 69And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:68‑69).) Without this exercise there is no self judgment, it is only surface work, and soon disappears.
Verses 18, 19. The seed sown among thorns pictures those who seem to receive the Word, but soon the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the Word, and it becomes unfruitful. “Other things” show that God is not first. God has not His true place in the soul.
Verse 20. The good ground brought forth fruit and increased, but we might well ask ourselves, Why do we not bring forth the full measure of fruit? The Sower was good, and the seed was good, so it must be in the tilling of the ground; it could not have been properly cleared of weeds and thorns. We saw in the last instance how these hindered the growth of the seed. We need to be exercised to judge all that is of self and self-interests if we are to bring forth fruit to God. The fruits of the Spirit can only be produced in us by letting the Spirit occupy us with Christ. (Gal. 5:2222But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, (Galatians 5:22). 2 Cor. 3:1818But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18).)
Verse 21. The seed in good ground keeps growing, and is to be a light to others. The ways and testimony, word and work of believers are not to be covered up by business (the bushel); nor by ease or pleasure (the bed), but is to be set on a candlestick. We receive that we may give. God hath shined in our hearts, that the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ might shine out. (2 Cor. 4:66For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6).) This is more than gift; it is grace in each one to live Christ, to love the truth and to walk the truth, and thus glorify the Saviour in our lives, by His grace given to us.
Verse 22. All is intended for manifestation, and will be.
Verse 23. “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” May our hearts ponder this truth.
Verse 24. “Take heed what ye hear.” It is the same lesson, and shows that what we receive and practice of the truth, will increase our store and enable us in a measure to meet our responsibility to others. And if we do not practice this precious love and grace, we will lose much in our soul’s enjoyment of Christ.
Verse 25. How true this was of the Jews who had many privileges, but did not receive Christ, and so lost what they had. And then to those who received Christ, more was given, for they were to know Him afterward as the Glorified One, and are thus brought into full blessing in Him.
Verses 26-29. The Lord sowed at the beginning “as if a man should cast seed into the ground.” Now He has gone away, and it is as if the man should sleep, and rise night and day. and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. So it has been going on as if the Lord was not regarding it, but at the end He is seen again. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately He putteth in the sickle because the harvest is come. We know that all blessing is wrought by His grace, through the Word, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Verses 30-32 give another picture of the kingdom growing from a small seed to a tree greater than all herbs, so that the fowls of the air lodge in its branches. This pictures a great system, that can receive under its branches what is foreign to its character and to the object for which it was intended. The testimony of Christ on earth has become a great political system and under His name every evil finds a shelter.
Verses 33, 34. With many such parables spake He the Word unto them as they were able to hear it, so that those who had ears to hear would receive the suited Word for their souls. And those who were His disciples, when alone with Him, received a full explanation. What love, what intimacy this tells us of and encourages us to go to Himself for our explanations.
Verses 35-41. In this incident we have the Lord’s unfailing power and love and care for His own displayed. It was the evening of the same day, the shadows were lengthening, when He leaves to journey across the lake with His disciples. They take Him as He was with them, for He had said, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” Those words should have given them assurance that they would get there safely. And there were also with Him other little ships. Did He not care for them also? Were they not also of His company? We may be sure of it, for He upholds all things by the word of His power. But His people have their trials, their faith must be tested. “Ye believe in God, believe also in Me” ( John 14:11Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1)); for “We walk by faith not by sight.” To Martha Jesus said, “Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (1 Peter 1:6, 76Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (1 Peter 1:6‑7).) So, “There arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.” The Lord was asleep on a pillow in the hinder part of the ship. As a laborer, He had seized an opportunity to rest. And they thought He did not care. Did He not know their trouble? Did He not care? Yes. He knew, He cared. It was the testing time they needed that they might know Him better. They could not trust Him, they did not see His care exercised. And with unbelief of heart they awoke Him, saying, “Master, carest Thou not that we perish?” And He arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And He said unto them, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”
What comfort amid the storms that beset the church of God. What comfort to each of us in our little ship that He is with us. He knows the end from the beginning, and we will reach the other side safely. We may have trials, and be tempted to think He does not care, but “We cannot perish for our Lord is nigh; And His own hand will all our need supply.”