This brings us to the fourth part of Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:23.
“As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and considers it carefully; who indeed bears fruit, some a hundred times as much, some sixty and some thirty.”
The key to understanding this last part is the meaning of the word “fruit”. This is karpos, used here, as in many other places, as a word picture to illustrate the outward manifestation of the inward character of God. In part three, those who get entangled in the world don’t bear fruit. John the Baptist challenged the religious crowd to bring forth fruit to prove true repentance (Matthew 3:7-8), something most of them had no intention of doing. Jesus explains in John 15:1-6 that this fruit is the result of fellowship with Him. And in Matthew 21:43 Jesus says that the kingdom is taken away from those who don’t produce it and is given to those who do. Paul tells us to strive to produce this fruit by following the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives, tells us what it looks like and lets us know what the flesh produces so we’ll know the difference (Galatians 5:16-26).
The other point that has to be made here is that the hundred, sixty and thirty-fold yield is not a reference to the result of religious evangelistic efforts. This is Jesus’ way of telling us that some, depending on their faithfulness, determination, and in some cases, even their ability, will reach different levels of maturity. The thief on the cross next to Jesus received the promise “today you’ll be with Me in paradise”. He had little opportunity to produce the character of God in his life. But Jesus recognized enough in that moment in time to give him that assurance. Paul, by contrast, had much more time and opportunity, took advantage of it and produced more. How much more is not for us to say; Jesus will sort that out in the end.
So, there you have it, the parable of the sower, the seed and the different types of soil. Jesus describes the four possibilities of what can happen when people hear the Word. Three of them are bad. Three of them are a condemnation of religion and the wrong choices people make. The first possibility is that those who hear the Word don’t take it seriously and fail to consider it carefully. Then religion comes immediately to systematically steal the Word away by replacing it with religious deception. And most people quickly embrace the easier, more enticing message that promises them what their flesh craves.
The second possibility is a continuation of the first. Those who follow religion never develop any stability in God, because religion says it’s not possible. They never learn to experience God for themselves, never gain any real spiritual maturity and aren’t able to stand firm in the face of opposition. They continually compromise truth to protect their own interests. When situations arise that call on them to suffer, sacrifice or humble themselves, they resist and move on.
The third possibility then follows. They’re solidly entrenched in the world and the world’s system. They give lip service to God, but what they really want is to gratify their flesh. They pretend to want God, but only if they can have the world too. So they coexist with the world and the world wins – they can produce none of the character of God in their lives.
Now, back in Lesson 113 I mentioned that there might have been a connection between Jesus’ rejection by His own family and the parable of the sower. It may be that the parable was at least partially meant to warn the family that they were, in fact, guilty of the first three possibilities explained by the parable.
Then there are the “few” (Luke 13:23) who comprehend the message, understand what God is offering them and what they must be willing to do to get it. They don’t water down the message. They don’t try to change it. They take God at His word and determine to do whatever He requires to gain what He has.
The parable of the tares is found only in Matthew 13:24-30 and Jesus explains this parable later in the chapter in verses 36-43. It’s meaning can only be fully understood when examined in the context of the parable of the sower. So, we’ll continue with this parable.
Let’s look at the parable, make a few observations; then in the next lesson we’ll examine Jesus’ explanation and make the applications. This is Matthew 13:24-30.
“Then Jesus presented yet another parable to them saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while he was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed darnel among the wheat, and went his way. Now when the seed grew and began to form grain, the darnel was found. And the man’s servants came to him and asked, Sir, didn’t you sow only good seed in your field? How, then, does it have darnel growing in it? He replied to them, An enemy has done this. So, his servants asked him, Do you want us to go and weed it out? But he answered them, No, as I fear in rooting out the bad, you will damage the true along with it. Let them grow together until the harvest, I will tell the reapers to gather the darnel first and bind it into bundles to be burned; then they can gather the wheat into my barn.”
It would be helpful at this point to go back and read the paper “The Kingdom of Heaven” to refresh your memory regarding Jesus’ use of the term “kingdom of heaven” and how it differs from the “kingdom of God”. This is the first parable recorded in which Jesus uses the introduction “the kingdom of heaven is like”. This parable begins His illustration of a worldwide, religious conglomeration that includes both true believers and false pretenders. It is the description of a time in which false, religious activity blends together with true spirituality and the “few” who travel the narrow road that leads to life coexist in the same realm with the “many” who travel the broad road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14). To the casual observer both may look the same. However, the difference is real, as illustrated in this parable and others like it. And, it is also clear; He will sort it all out in the end, separating the good from the bad, the true from the false, His sheep from the goats.
In the translation above, “darnel” (“tares” in the KJV) is zizanion, darnel or false grain. Darnel is virtually undistinguishable from other common grains when it first sprouts. It is only after the plant grows that the difference can be seen. By then its roots have become entangled with the good grain and it is impossible to uproot it without damaging the good. It was common practice for men to secretly sow darnel in the fields of their enemies. At harvest time the two could be quickly identified when compared to the other grains being grown, because the darnel produced long, black grains. However, great care had to be taken to insure that the darnel wasn’t mixed in with the good grain, as it is poisonous. The other difficulty was that in the harvesting, some of the darnel would fall unnoticed onto the ground and sprout the next year, starting the cycle all over again (which, by the way, is an illustration of religious deception and doctrinal error perpetuated generation after generation in the kingdom of heaven).
In the next lesson we’ll look at Jesus’ explanation of this parable.