Mark 4:3-9 3“Listen! Look, the sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
The first major parable recorded in Mark (a short one is mentioned in 3:23) serves as the model and paradigm for all the parables that follow. Jesus invites the crowd to listen and look; “Pay attention to what I am about to say because it is important.” He begins the parable with a call to listen (akouete) and ends with the same call to hear (verse 9, akouein). Jesus’ use of parables intensifies the growing conflict as images call for faith and divide those who believe from those who do not.
This parable gives a window into ancient farming methods, with a twist of exaggeration to grab people’s attention so that they listen more carefully and look for the meaning of the story. The farmer went out into his field to plant the seed. Ancient fields were not as nicely plowed as they are today, with huge tractors that till up the soil so it is beautifully smooth and ready for seeds. It took a lot of work to prepare the soil. Not all the soil would have been the best for growing seeds. This parable describes four types of soil, each with different qualities that either stop or allow the seed to grow. Broadcast sowing means some seed will be scattered in places where the soil is not conducive for growth. In the spring, farmers plowed before sowing to break up the soil. In the fall, autumn rains loosened the soil, so there was no need to plow.
In this parable, the farmer and seed are neutral characters and common to each of the four scenes. The type of soil and anything associated with it creates the plot of this short story. What makes the good soil stand out is what it produces. The purpose of seeds is to yield fruit, but only the fourth soil does this. The parable begins with the total failure of the first sowing because the soil was a hardened path. The seeds were easy picking for the birds. Paths often went across fields, making it difficult if not impossible for plants to grow, thus ruining productive land. The second sowing was a little more successful but was doomed from the beginning because of the quality of the soil. Many farmers, even today, pick up rocks that somehow seem to grow faster than plants. Most fields have rocks until they are removed. The third sowing had good soil, but outside forces in the form of weeds ruined it. Every gardener and farmer knows that it is important to pull up weeds, otherwise they chock out the good plants. With each sowing, the failure increases. This brings up a big contrast with the fourth sowing that brings a great harvest of three quantities. A harvest of 30, 60, and 100 fold grabs the listener’s attention. Thus, there are three failures contrasted with three super-abundant harvests.
The narrative time moves forward with each sowing, from a standstill with the first sowing to harvest with the last. Each sowing moves time forward a few further in the growing season. The seed on rocks involves several days. The seed in thorns involves several weeks. The seed in the good soil involves an entire growing season. The failure also increases as the parable progresses. The good soil brings the parable to a successful climax. It encompasses the entire story and includes harvest time. The success is overwhelming, considering the total failures of the other three seeds.
Jesus does not explain the meaning of this parable, like others he told. He invites the listeners to consider this one and think about it. The key that unlocks the intended meaning, however, is not at first clear. Parables compare one thing to another. This parable is not even compared to the kingdom, and so the listeners are teased into anticipation of the meaning. The disciples pick this up and so ask the meaning in the following verses.
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