§17 The Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4–21)
This section is comprised of three parts: (1) the Parable of the Sower (vv. 4–15), (2) the Parable of the Lamp (vv. 16–18), and (3) Jesus’ definition of his true family (vv. 19–21). What unites these three parts is the theme of hearing and obeying the Word of God (see vv. 8, 15, 18, 21). Luke has obtained these materials from Mark.
A comparison of the parallel passages in Matt. 13:3–50 and Mark 4:2–34 highlights the different emphases that the three Synoptic evangelists are able to bring out of what is essentially the same material. The Marcan collection begins with the Parable of the Sower and its interpretation (4:2–20), to which is added the Parable of the Lamp (vv. 21–25) and two kingdom parables (vv. 26–32). The main point of this collection seems to be the concern to show how the kingdom will grow. Despite obstacles, failures, and a small beginning, through the preaching of the Word, the kingdom will grow and succeed. The Matthean collection also begins with the same Parable of the Sower (13:3–23), omits Mark’s Parable of the Lamp (but see Matt. 5:15) and the Parable of the Seed that grows secretly (Mark 4:26–29), and adds five new kingdom parables to Mark’s Parable of the Mustard Seed (Mark 4:30–32; Matt. 13:24–50). The focus of the Matthean collection is on the kingdom’s membership (note especially the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, vv. 24–30, and its explanation in vv. 36–43). Luke, however, has gathered together no collection, electing to retain the Sower and Lamp parables only (8:4–17), to which he appends Jesus’ warning to heed his words (v. 18) and his pronouncement concerning his true family (vv. 19–21, taken from Mark 3:31–35). The Lucan theme has nothing to do with the kingdom. Instead, its focus is upon Jesus’ word and the urgent need to obey it.
8:4–8, 11–15 / Luke’s version of the Parable of the Sower follows the Marcan version fairly closely. Most changes have to do with style and economy. The most notable modification is the insertion of his seed in v. 5. The effect of this addition is to shift the reader’s attention away from the farmer who went out to sow to the seed that is sown (= word of God; see v. 11), a shift that may be observed in the general thrust of the whole Lucan section. The seed has fallen on a variety of soils with varying results. But the good soil (= those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word) will retain it, and by persevering produce a crop (v. 15). Luke’s version does not seem concerned with why there are different responses to the proclaimed Word (as it seems to be in Mark). Rather, the emphasis is on what will happen when someone hears and obeys the Word. “In the face of various and persistent obstacles, the proclamation of the kingdom will yet produce an astonishing yield” (Tiede, p. 166).
8:9–10 / These verses are taken from Mark 4:10–12, a passage that has perplexed interpreters since the time the evangelists Matthew and Luke took up their pens (see note below). Luke has retained part of the Marcan text, since it provides a link between the parable (vv. 4–8) and its interpretation (vv. 11–15). Probably because he did not fully understand (or fully share) Mark’s view of the purpose of the parables, Luke has shortened the last part (v. 10b), which consists of a paraphrase of Isa. 6:9. (In omitting the last part of the paraphrase Luke leaves out Isa. 6:10.) Moreover, the Marcan question “concerning the parables” (4:10) has become in Luke a question concerning what this parable meant (v. 9). As it stands in Luke the disciples want to know what the Parable of Sower (or “Sowed Seed” in light of Luke’s emphasis on Word) means and not “why Jesus speaks in parables,” as Matt. 13:10 puts it. However, the Marcan answer that Luke retains does not answer the question as Luke has reformulated it. The explanation of the parable comes in vv. 11–15. In the Lucan form of the answer (v. 10) Jesus’ immediate reply is to be understood more as a general statement of principle and not as an answer at all. His followers are given the secrets of the kingdom of God, by which is meant the plain, non-parabolic word of God, or gospel; others are given parables. The reason for this is so that “though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand” (v. 10, paraphrasing Isa. 6:9). There have been numerous attempts to mitigate the severity of this statement, but it should be taken at face value (see note below). The secrets of the kingdom have been given to Jesus’ disciples (and here Luke means everyone who will, or has ever, become a follower of Jesus), but for the rest (i.e., those who will not heed the word of God) Jesus’ words remain enigmatic parables so that they will understand even less (see v. 18). This is in essence a statement of judgment and all the more reason to listen (vv. 8, 15, 21).
8:16–18 / Verses 16–18 contain three sayings which probably were originally independent but were pulled together by Mark (4:21–25) or the tradition before him. In Mark 4:21–22 the idea seems to be that what remains secret during Jesus’ ministry (i.e., who Jesus really is, what his ministry is really all about; see Luke 4:35, 41) will eventually become public. But in the Lucan version (vv. 16–17) the sayings have more to do with the reason why someone should heed Jesus’ words. When one is enlightened by the message of Jesus (or lights a lamp) one does everything one can to receive more illumination. Therefore, the lamp is placed on a stand to increase the light. Similarly, what had not been known before (what is hidden or concealed) must now be investigated carefully (i.e., be disclosed or brought out into the open). The Lucan warning in v. 18 (see note below) has the same meaning as its counterpart in Mark 4:23–25 and fits into the theme of the whole passage nicely. Listening carefully and heeding the words of Jesus results in more understanding; but failing to pay attention may result in forfeiting whatever understanding one may have had (as in the warning in v. 10 above).
8:19–21 / These verses come from Mark 3:31–35 and have been placed here because Luke discerned a useful example of the point of the preceding verses. (Probably because of his lofty assessment of Mary [see Luke 1:30; Acts 1:14], Luke omits Jesus’ negative rhetorical question found in Mark 3:33.) Those who are part of Jesus’ true family are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice (v. 21); they are not part of his family simply because of physical descent from Abraham (Luke 3:7–9; Tiede, p. 171).
8:4–8 / Outside of the NT there is some tradition that parallels the Parable of the Sower. Jer. 4:3 (“Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns”; RSV) and Isa. 55:10–11 (“For as the rain and the snow … water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower … so shall my word be …”; RSV) may have contributed to the parable’s theme and imagery. Perhaps a closer parallel is 2 Esdras 8:41: “For just as the farmer sows many seeds upon the ground and plants a multitude of seedlings, and yet not all that have been sown will come up in due season, and not all that were planted will take root; so also those who have been sown in the world will not all be saved” (RSV).
Birger Gerhardsson (“The Parable of the Sower and Its Interpretation,” NTS 14 [1967–68], pp. 165–93) has suggested that the three soils that failed to bring forth fruit are meant to correspond to the three requirements of loyalty found in Deut. 6:4–5, the “Great Commandment” (Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:29–30; Luke 10:27). The first fruitless soil represents the person who does not “love the Lord” with all his “heart” (see Matt. 13:19 where “heart” appears); the second fruitless soil represents the person who does not “love the Lord” will all his “soul” (endurance); and the third fruitless soil represents the person who does not “love the Lord” with all his “might” (i.e., wealth). Gerhardsson is suggesting that the fourth soil represents the person who does “love the Lord” with all his heart, soul, and might. Gerhardsson further suggests that the Matthean order of the three temptations in the desert (Matt. 4:1–11=Luke 4:1–12) corresponds as well. He believes that it is in the Gospel of Matthew that these parallels with Deuteronomy are the clearest.
8:8a / a hundred times more than was sown: Luke has omitted two of Mark’s yields (“thirty,” “sixty,” Mark 4:8) probably to avoid an interpretation which would attach the degrees of fruitfulness to various members of the church (Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles), something that might undermine his portrayal of the church’s unity. See Marshall, p. 320.
8:8b / He who has ears to hear, let him hear: This saying appears to “float” in the sayings tradition, appearing in a variety of places (Matt. 11:15; 13:43; Mark 4:23; Luke 14:35; cf. Rev. 2:7, 17; 3:6, 13, 22). It is a call to the spiritually discerning to pay close attention to what is about to be said.
8:9–10 / These verses, especially as they are found in Mark 4:10–12, have provoked more debate and scholarly discussion than any other two or three verses in all the Gospels. The chief difficulty lies in what appears to be a very harsh and judgmental reason for speaking in parables. This harshness is most explicit in Mark’s version, which literally reads: “When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve asked him about the parables. He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those who are outside everything is said in parables in order that, “they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; lest they repent and be forgiven!” ’ “Two specific elements make this text so harsh: (1) its paraphrase of Isa. 6:9–10, itself a harsh, judgmental passage; and (2) its citation as Jesus’ purpose for speaking parables (as seen by its introduction, “in order that”).
Although influenced by the Aramaic version of Isa. 6:9–10 (as is especially seen in the last clause, “and be forgiven”), the Marcan paraphrase retains the telic, or final, sense of Isaiah’s terrible word of prophetic judgment: “And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people: “Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive.” Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed’ ” (RSV). Jesus’ parables could have been interpreted by Mark (or the tradition before him) as analogous to Isaiah’s strange message (Isa. 6:9, an instance of a riddle or parable). (In Hebrew the word māšāl could mean riddle, proverb, parable, or any sort of enigmatic or paradoxical saying; see Raymond E. Brown, “Parables and Allegory Reconsidered,” NovT 5 [1962], pp. 36–45.) Just as Isaiah’s parabolic word was to produce obduracy (for that was its purpose, as is attested in Isa. 6:10: “Make the heart of this people fat …”), so the parables of Jesus would have a similar effect. Frank Eakin (“Spiritual Obduracy and Parable Purpose,” in James M. Efird, ed., The Use of the Old Testament in the New and Other Essays [Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1972], pp. 87–107) has suggested that it is very probable that Jesus regarded himself and his rejected message as parallel to the rejection of Isaiah and his message centuries earlier. But the parallel may extend even further. Just as Isaiah’s word of judgment would result in actual judgment (Isa. 6:11–13b, originally in reference to the Assyrian invasion, but later probably understood in reference to Jerusalem’s first destruction at the hands of the Babylonians) and the emergence of a “holy seed” (Isa. 6:13c), so Jesus’ word of judgment would result in actual judgment (the second destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Romans?) and the emergence of a fruitful seed (i.e., his followers). John Bowker (“Mystery and Parable: Mark iv. 1–20,” JTS 25 [1974], pp. 300–317) has suggested that Mark’s entire passage (4:1–20) is a unified interpretation based on the “holy seed” of Isa. 6:13c; see Craig A. Evans, “A Note on the Function of Isaiah, VI, 9–10 in Mark, IV,” RB 88 (1981), pp. 234–35. The parable may reflect Isa. 55:10–11 and Jer. 4:3 as well. Note that Isa. 6:9–10 is employed in the same telic sense in John 9:39 and 12:40; see Craig A. Evans, “The Function of Isaiah 6:9–10 in Mark and John,” NovT 24 (1982), pp. 124–38.
In his version of the question concerning the meaning of the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:10) Matthew makes numerous modifications, mostly by way of addition. First, he takes Jesus’ answer in Mark 4:11–12 to be more of an answer to why he spoke in parables at all (as opposed to plain, non-parabolic speech); hence Matt. 13:10 asks: “Why do you speak to them in parables?” Second, Matt. 13:13 introduces the paraphrase of Isa. 6:9–10 with “because” (not Mark’s “in order that”). Jesus speaks parables to people because they will not see, etc. He does not speak parables in order that they will not see, etc. Third, Matt. 13:13 omits the second half of the Isaiah paraphrase that begins “lest”; and, fourth, Matt. 13:14–15 is a formal, verbatim quotation of Isa. 6:9–10 according to the LXX, not the Hebrew (whose meaning Mark in essence has captured). In comparison with the Hebrew there are noticeable and significant differences in the LXX of Isa. 6:9–10: “You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them” (as cited in Matt. 13:14b–15, RSV). There are three major differences between the LXX and the Hebrew: (1) The verbs of Isa. 6:9 (=Matt. 13:14b) are in the future tense and not in the imperative mood. Thus Isa. 6:9 is no longer interpreted as an attempt to prevent hearing and seeing, but it is now recognized as a prediction of the refusal to hear and see. (2) The causative imperatives of Isa. 6:10 (“Make the heart … fat … close their ears … shut their eyes …”) have been transformed into passives (“their heart has become dull … their ears are heavy … their eyes they have closed …”); and (3) the word “for” has been added signifying that the prediction of v. 9 will come true because of the dull and insensitive nature of the people. Matthew replaces Mark’s “in order that” with “because,” drops Mark’s “lest” clause in Matt. 13:13, and quotes the LXX (instead of the Hebrew) of the OT in order to show that Jesus spoke parables because people would not listen. The idea in Matthew, just as it is in the LXX of Isa. 6:9–10, is that the people make themselves insensitive; God does not (nor does Jesus).
Rather than producing an elaborate expansion of the Marcan material, as Matthew does, Luke elects to abbreviate. Although he does retain Mark’s conjunction meaning “in order that,” he drops the second half of the paraphrase in Isaiah (the equivalent of Isa. 6:10), which begins in Mark 4:12 with “lest” (NIV: “otherwise”). The way that Luke presents the passage, however, suggests that his understanding of Mark’s Isaiah paraphrase is virtually the same as Matthew’s: Jesus speaks parables in order that those who refuse to heed Jesus’ words will become even more blind. For a full discussion of Mark’s parables and how Matthew and Luke understand them, see Charles E. Carlston, The Parables of the Triple Tradition (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975).
Lachs (p. 220) cites an interesting rabbinic tradition that alludes to Isa. 6:9: “Since the day that Joseph was stolen, however, the Holy Spirit departed from him [Jacob], so that he saw yet did not see, heard yet did not hear” (Genesis Rabbah 91.6). The significance of this saying lies in the idea that without the Holy Spirit there can be no spiritual perceptivity.
8:13 / Those on the rock are the ones who … have no root: Compare Sir. 40:15: “The children of the ungodly will not put forth many branches; they are unhealthy roots upon sheer rock” (RSV).
8:18 / Lachs (pp. 219–20) cites rabbinic sayings that parallel Luke 8:18: “The Holy One … puts more into a full vessel but not into an empty one” (b. Berakoth 40a and b. Sukkah 46a); “what they desired was not given to them, and what they possessed was taken from them” (Genesis Rabbah 20.5).
8:19–21 / Leaney (pp. 153–54) suggests that Luke removed the implicit criticism of Jesus’ mother and family because in the Marcan context from which Luke had taken this material (Mark 3:21, 29–35), Jesus had warned of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, thinks Leaney, Luke wished to avoid leaving the impression that Jesus’ family was guilty of such blasphemy.
For more on the theme of preaching the word in this section, see William C. Robinson, Jr., “On Preaching the Word of God (Luke 8:4–21),” in Leander E. Keck and J. Louis Martyn, eds., Studies in Luke–Acts (New York: Abingdon, 1966), pp. 131–38.