Matthew 13:3-9

Mar 08, 2011 05:25 AM completed ALL

**3**And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

See more on Parables here.

Under the parable of the sower, our Lord intimates,

That of all the multitudes then attending his ministry, few would bring forth fruit to perfection. And
That this would be a general case in preaching the Gospel among men.

Behold, a sower went forth to sow; Luke adds, "his seed"; as does also Munster's Hebrew Gospel here; and Mark introduces the parable thus, "hearken, behold!"it being a matter of great importance and concern, which is expressed by this parable, it deserves the most diligent attention.

Scofield Reference Notes

[1] spake

The seven parables of Mat 13., called by our Lord, "mysteries of the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 13:11), taken together, describe the result of the presence of the Gospel in the world during the present age, that is, the time of seed sowing which began with our Lord's personal ministry, and ends with the "harvest" Mt 13:40-43. Briefly, the result is mingled tares and wheat, good fish and bad, in the sphere of Christian profession. It is Christendom.

[2] sower

The figure marksa new beginning. To labour in God's vineyard Israel, Isa 5:1-7 is one thing, to go forth sowing the seed of the word in a field which is the world, quite another (cf) Mt 10:5. One fourth of the seed takes permanent root, but the result is "wheat" Mt 13:25 1Pet 1:23 or "children of the kingdom" Mt 13:38. This parable Mt 13:3-9,18-23 is treated throughout as foundational to the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. It is interpreted by our Lord Himself.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, &c.-These parables are SEVEN in number; and it is not a little remarkable that while this is the sacred number, the first FOUR of them were spoken to the mixed multitude, while the remaining THREE were spoken to the Twelve in private-these divisions, four and three, being themselves notable in the symbolical arithmetic of Scripture. Another thing remarkable in the structure of these parables is, that while the first of the Seven-that of the Sower-is of the nature of an Introduction to the whole,the remaining Six consist of three pairs-the Second and Seventh, the Third and Fourth, and the Fifth and Sixth,corresponding to each other; each pair setting forth the same general truths, but with a certain diversity of aspect. All this can hardly be accidental.

**4**And when he sowed, someseeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Some seeds fell by the way-side - That is, the hard "path" or headland, which the plow had not touched, and where there was no opportunity for it to sink into the earth.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

Careless, trifling hearers, are an easy prey to Satan; who, as he is the great murderer of souls, so he is the great thief of sermons, and will be sure to rob us of the word, if we take not care to keep it.

**5**Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

they quickly broke through the thin surface of the earth over them, and appeared above ground before the usual time of the springing up of seed: which may not only denote the immediate reception of the word by these hearers, and their quick assent to it; but their sudden and hasty profession of it, without taking due time to consider the nature and importance thereof;
and the seeming cheerfulness in which they did both receive and profess it; though it was only outward and hypocritical, and more on account of the manner of preaching it, than the word itself, and through a selfish principle in them;
they continued as insensible as ever of their state and condition by nature, of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, of the danger they were in, and of their need of Christ, and salvation by him;

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

They are told of free salvation, of the believer's privileges, and the happiness of heaven; and, without any change of heart, without any abiding conviction of their own depravity, their need of a Saviour, or the excellence of holiness, they soon profess an unwarranted assurance. But when some heavy trial threatens them, or some sinful advantage may be had, they give up or disguise their profession, or turn to some easier system.

**6**And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

This is no instance of the apostasy of real saints, or any proof of true believers falling away finally and totally; since these werenot rooted,and grounded in the everlasting and unchangeable love of God, were not interested in it, or were partakers of the effects of it; had they been so, they could never have been separated from it; tribulation, distress, and persecution could never have done it; none of these would ever have moved them; had they had the love of God shed abroad in their hearts, they would have gloried in tribulation: nor were they united to Christ, rooted and built up in him;had they, they would have continued to have derived life and nourishment from him; in him the life of believers is hid, and because he lives they live also; as long as there is life in the root, the branches will not die; he is the root that bears the branches, the root of the righteous that yields fruit, and is never moved: nor had these the truth of grace,which is an incorruptible seed, a well of living water springing up to everlasting life; had they, they could never have withered away; to such God gives more grace, he himself is as the dew unto them, and he waters them every moment.

**7**And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

... it was overrun with them, not on the surface of the earth, but within it: for it follows, and the thorns sprung up:

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

Worldly cares are fitly compared to thorns, for they came in with sin, and are a fruit of the curse;they are good in their place to stop a gap, but a man must be well armed that has much to do with them; they are entangling, vexing, scratching, and their end is to be burned, Hebrews 6:7, 8. Worldly cares are great hinderances to our profiting by the word of God. The deceitfulness of riches does the mischief; they cannot be said to deceive us unless we put our trust in them, then they choke the good seed.

**8**But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

Christ does not say that this good ground has no stones in it, or no thorns; but none that could hinder its fruitfulness. All are not alike; we should aim at the highest, to bring forth most fruit. The sense of hearing cannot be better employed than in hearing God's word; and let us look to ourselves that we may know what sort of hearers we are.

9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear