2. Stood on the shore Our Lord’s pulpit was a ship; his Church the broad beach; and his congregation the standing multitude. It was an outdoor scene, beautiful for the thought to dwell upon. It may have been a quiet day in autumn, when the husbandman upon the distant hills was seen scattering the seed, from which our Lord drew his discourse. read more
3. Behold The animated introduction gives plausibility to the view that our Lord pointed to some distant sower in sight scattering his seed. A sower went forth The sower is the preacher, the seed is the word of truth, the soil is the receptive attention of the people. Went forth That is, the preacher does not wait for the people to come to him. How truly our Lord drew his images from the scenery around him, Dr. Thomson thus illustrates: “Behold a sower went forth to sow. There is a... read more
FIRST PARABLE The Sower, Matthew 13:3-23. That this parable of the sower was the first of our Lord’s parables is probable from several reasons. It was so new a mode of instruction that the disciples, in verse tenth, inquired why he used it, and the reason that he gave them was, that truth might be revealed to them and hidden from others. read more
4. Fell by the wayside Dropped in the hard path and so lay on the surface, a ready food for birds. “The ordinary roads or paths in the East lead often along the edge of the fields, which are unenclosed. Hence, as the sower scatters his seed, some of it is liable to fall beyond the ploughed portion, on the hard, beaten ground which forms the wayside.” Prof. Hackett. Devoured them up In the old English, the phrase “devoured them up” was intensive and energetic. read more
5. Stony places Rocky places. These were not spots infested with numerous stones, but thin layers of soil over a surface of rock. Stanley vividly describes “the long sheets of bare rock laid like flagstones side by side along the soil.” He quotes Keith as saying: “The rounded and rocky hills of Judea swell out in empty, unattractive, and even repulsive barrenness.” Sprung up There being no chance for a root to penetrate downwards, the sap struck up and produced a sudden but feeble stock.... read more
6. Sun was up The hot Oriental sun would soon wither the rapid and tender stock. read more
7. Some fell among thorns Briers and brambles in hot countries have a quick and plentiful overgrowth. They crowd and choke every other form of vegetation. “Every one who has been in Palestine must have been struck with the number of thorny shrubs and plants that abound there. The traveller finds them in his path, go where he may. Many of them are small, but some grow as high as a man’s head. The Rabbinical writers say that there are no less than twenty-two words in the Hebrew Bible... read more
9. Ears to hear Who hath faculties, let him remember that he is responsible for their use. Whoever has powers of attention, let him now exert them; lessons most important for him to hear will now be presented. read more
10. Why speakest thou… in parables It was (evidently from this question) a new form of our Lord’s teaching. Why was it now so plentifully adopted as to furnish seven in a single discourse? Unto them That is, to the people. This included no doubt the cavillers who had abused his more literal teaching. read more
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Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 13:1-52
§ 49. THE SEVEN PARABLES, Matthew 13:1-52 . As Matthew has in chapters eight and nine exhibited our Lord as a performer of mighty works, namely, ten miracles, so now he here presents him as a parabolist. SEVEN PARABLES FOUR at the sea side, and THREE indoors are grouped together. read more