Sow far, sow good?
Janet Scott reads from the gospel of Mark
‘And he says to them, Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?’ (Mark 4:13)
The parable of the sower is one of the few parables which appear in all three of the synoptic gospels. Only Mark, however, makes this comment about how essential it is to understand it.
At first sight it appears simple. A sower throws the seed onto the land. For various reasons some of it does not grow, or grows but does not thrive, but in the end there is a bountiful harvest. What is to understand?
The gospel writers have added interpretation, and this comes in two sections. The first section comments on those who do not understand by use of a quotation from Isaiah 6:9-11, about those who have eyes but do not see and ears but do not hear. We can see from the final chapter of Acts (from 28:23) that this was a quotation that the early church used to explain why the Jewish people who saw and heard Jesus did not follow him, and why the movement turned to include the Gentiles. The early church has clearly understood the parable as being about the mission.
The second section of interpretation unpacks the parable in terms of mission, but it is worth noticing that each gospel has a different emphasis. Although all three use the same allegorical ideas, Luke is interested in the seed, which he describes as the word of God; Matthew is interested in the soil, the different recipients of the seed. Mark himself begins this section with an emphasis on the sower and the act of sowing. Already we can see that it is not simple. At the least we have a multi-layered text.
If we go back to the original parable, is the emphasis on the sowing, the growing or the harvest? Some authors focus on the harvest as having radical implications. A harvest so generous would enable a poor farmer to clear his debts, secure his land, feed his family and live in comfort. It would upset oppressive economic systems; it would be good news for the poor, a foretaste of the kingdom of God.
Others look at how the parable functions within Mark’s gospel. Is it about the disciples of Jesus? We can see the word stolen away when Peter, after realising that Jesus is the Messiah, rebukes him for predicting his death (8:27-33). The twelve desert Jesus when trouble comes (14:56), and Judas is lured away by wealth (14:10-11). Within the gospel itself the harvest remains only as a promise.
Or is the parable about Jesus? The gospel of Mark has only two long parables, this one in the middle of the first half, and the parable of the wicked husbandmen in the middle of the second half (12:1-12). The second is clearly allegorical and foreshadows the death of Jesus. Are both to be read together, showing the different aspects of the mission of Jesus, the linking of the promise of the kingdom to his death? We cannot have one without the other.
So perhaps it is not so simple! We need the humility to keep on trying to understand.
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