The Tireless Sower - Mt 13: 1-9
If someone were to conduct a survey and compile a ranking of the most famous and popular Gospel parables, the parable of the merciful father, often mistakenly called the parable of the prodigal son, would surely come first (Luke 15: 11-32). The parable of the Sower, present in all the synoptic gospels, would also rank high in this hypothetical ranking (Mk 4: 1-9; Lk 8: 4-8). One of the reasons for its popularity may be that this parable begins the famous collection of Jesus' parables in all three gospels.
The parable of the Sower, as it is most often named in the biblical editions, is explained later in the chapter (Matthew 13: 18-23). We will take care of this in due course, in the correct order. Now we are interested in the image of the Sower and his act of throwing the seed into the ground. The story shows four places of possible growth of the grain that fell on the road, stony ground, between the thorns and on soil of varying degrees of fertility. For a modern reader, such a picture may seem strange, even impossible. It shows that a significant part of the grain was wasted. Statistically speaking, only a quarter of the crops ended up in the right place. Why was this happening? Was the Sower not properly carrying out his assignment? Has he turned out to be a deliberate or unconscious waste? Where is the main message of the parable?
Many interpreters try to answer these questions by referring to the agrarian conditions in Palestine of the time. Indeed, it should be remembered that the technique of tilling the soil at that time was diametrically opposed to the one we know today. At that time, man was not able to take control of the land and subordinate it to himself as much as it is in the era of tractors, combine harvesters, and more and more specialized agricultural equipment. Every piece of land had to be torn out by force to impose fertility in accordance with the will of man. The soil's barrenness, rockiness, and weeds turned out to be stubborn opponents of a man who, mindful of God's command, endeavored to make the land subdued (see Genesis 1: 28; 3: 17-19). A network of paths and paths meandered between the often irregularly shaped fields. It should also be clarified that in telling the parable, Jesus was referring to the Palestinian land, which was mostly sandy, rocky and barren. So, the evoked image clearly and suggestively appealed to his listeners.
The presented attempt at interpretation, although very interesting, turns out to be insufficient. It focuses only on the destinations of the seed being thrown, ignoring the person of the Sower, and yet he seems to be the most important in this story. Despite everything, he is faithful to his task. He takes reality as it is. He knows that - for now - there is no better soil, so he sows persistently on whatever soil he has at his disposal, hoping that his toil, efforts and hope will not be in vain. He knows that his efforts will not bring a result that would be adequate to his workload, but he does not wring his hands, he does not give up, he is persistent to the end and he enjoys every result achieved.
For many, the Sower in the parable is a figure of God. This is correct intuition, but not entirely. The parable is not an allegory in which every detail is closely related to some other reality: the Sower is God, the seed is the word of God, the types of soil shown are man and his soul, etc. The elements of the parable cannot be identified so closely. It is an image, a comparison, an analogy. Therefore, the Sower’s behavior helps to understand God's dealings with people. It is difficult to directly explain the greatness, holiness, and indifference of the Creator. Human language and human perception are too limited. That is why Jesus uses images from the life of Palestinians that are accessible and understandable to every listener. The Sower is not the Creator, nor the preaching Jesus, nor any preacher of the Gospel. The Sower remains a sower in the simple, basic sense of the term. His behavior helps explain higher-order values.
God acts like the sower in the parable: he is infinitely faithful to send his word and his graces into the world. He does not change this world immediately with the help of magic, but accepts its imperfections, gradually leading it to better and better results. And he enjoys every positive result in the life of his creatures. Even if the yield is only thirty times. Everyone has chances to the best of their ability. God notices them, values freedom, originality and individuality of man. It is not effect-oriented at any cost. He rejoices in every good in human life. These wonderful truths could only be represented by an image. A philosophical, defining, abstract language is powerless in comparison. The Master knew this, so the world heard the wonderful parable of the tireless shower.
Each of the elements of this parable serves as an image, example, and comparison. We will deal with them by analyzing the pericope which is Jesus' explanation of this parable. At the end, it is also worth seeing in the parable of the sower the image that motivates the Church to persistence in the work of proclaiming the Gospel. Frequently raised questions such as: - how to preach the Good News to the modern world? How to preach the Gospel today? How to reach the heart of today's man? - find their key in the parable of the sower. One should preach, preach, preach again with determination on the verge of absurdity, without looking at the results. In this case, the means leading to the end must be loved more than the end itself. The image of the "wasteful" sower in the parable, found so much approval in the eyes of the Son of God.
“And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing”. (Jas 1: 4).
Until Tomorrow
fr. george