The Parable of the Sower (Cook)

And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!”

- Matthew 13:3-9

The Parable of the Sower holds the unique place of being the first parable in scripture to which Jesus offers his disciples and explanation. In this explanation, Jesus goes through each part of the parable, offering the meaning of each aspect. Jesus explains the different types of ground as the ones who hear the word of God (the seed), and how they are able to receive that word. Yet, there are still differing interpretations of this parable. How can that be, if Jesus himself gave us an explanation?

While we are given the direct explanation of this parable from Jesus himself, he doesn’t address which interpretive lens through which we should understand this parable. Are we to focus on the sower? The seed? The ground? The harvest? Despite giving us an interpretation for this parable, Jesus still allows for it to teach us many different things and in many different ways.

Three Lenses of Interpretation

When read through the lens of the sower sowing seeds, the interpretation of this parable becomes more so about the act of spreading the word of God. Many who follow this interpretation believe Jesus is teaching us the importance of spreading the gospel to as many people as we can, whether that is through spoken evangelism or showing the love of Christ through our actions. The point is that the sower is making a point of throwing the seed everywhere, so who are we to selectively choose who may or may not hear the gospel?

The second lens of interpretation is the lens of the ground. This interpretation focuses on how the different types of soil accept (or reject) the seed. This can both teach us how others may be receptive or not to the gospel, but also how our own heart is. Which type of soil are we?

The third lens of interpretation is the lens of the harvest. This is a more eschatological lens which is often used to teach us that when the gospel is spread, the growth of the kingdom of God is inevitable. In this way, the point of the parable is the increased fruits of the harvest taking place on the good soil.

Cultural Context

First and foremost, this was an agricultural society to which Jesus told this parable. Because of this, each listener would have been intimately familiar with the process of sowing seeds, and farming in general. This is most striking when it becomes the context of the seemingly haphazard way in which the sower is sowing seed. In today’s culture, a farmer would never waste seed on paths, rocky ground, or among thorns without first preparing the land. Yet, this was exactly how people in Jesus’ time may have restored the land to usefulness in farming. As the seed is scattered and the animals eat it, the seed then becomes manure to fertilize the ground. Likewise, the withered plants add to the soil health, and the deeper roots of the thorns help the good developing soil to stay in place as the land is renewed. Seen in this way, the sower doesn’t fail when they throw seed on bad soil, they are in fact working to renew the land and prepare it to receive the seeds in the future.

Another thing that may have struck listeners in a different way than modern readers is the de-emphasis of the character of the sower. We assume the sower is the main character in the story, because the title given to this parable is centered around the sower. However, when you read through the parable, you may realize the sower is only mentioned at the beginning of the parable, while most of the parable focuses on the seed and the ground. This is far more obvious in the original language, as the same word used for sower is also used for sow, which is actually the action of scattering seed. In this way, while the action is part of the parable, the person performing the action is never directly given a title (and is definitely not called the farmer like some translations have). Even in Jesus’ own interpretation, he never directly mentions the one sowing seed, only the seed and the ground it falls on.

When both the lenses of interpretation and cultural context are taken into account, we can begin to see the many different ways in which Jesus is teaching us through this parable. We also can begin to ask some important questions Jesus is putting in front of us. Who is the sower? While many believe Jesus is the sower, Jesus never actually says that in his interpretation. Is Jesus the only one sowing seeds, or is it right to place ourselves in the action of sowing seeds to build the kingdom? What is the nature of the seed? Is it strictly spoken evangelism, or actively showing the love of Christ? Where should the seed be sown? And who is this parable even about? Us? Jesus? Other people?

There are many questions to ask and lessons to learn when reading this parable. For my part, I have attempted to reframe this parable for modern ears using a meal being made. Similar to the original parable, I work to de-emphasize the character of the one cooking by calling them “cook” rather than “chef.” The process of making the dish then follows a similar pattern to that of the seed, ending with the yield of a large dish made for many. Similar to the historical agricultural context, the first few “failed attempts” of the dish could be seen as preparation of the cook’s palette.

What question is Jesus putting in front of you with this parable? What lessons are you able to learn? It is my hope that we can all take another look at this parable, open to new questions and new ways to understand the kingdom of God.