The Parable of the Sower

“Believe” in Matthew, Mark & Luke - Part 9:

We are examining the Greek word Pisteuo, unusually translated “believe,” found 248 times in the New Testament (NT) and have begun in Matthew, Mark and Luke where the following individuals are recorded as having used this word:

1. Once by the Angel Gabriel sent from God to speak to the Priest Zacharias, see Vol 3, No 35,

2. Once by Elizabeth, wife of the Priest Zacharias, mother of John the Baptist, speaking to Mary, mother of Jesus, see Vol 3, No 36,

3. 25 times by Jesus Himself,

4. 5 times by Chief Priests, Scribes & Pharisees,

5. Once by the father of the demon possessed boy,

6. Twice by the Gospel writer Mark in his narrative.

We have already covered the first two items as well as 6 of the 25 occurrences when Jesus is recorded as having said, “believe.” We continue here with Him using this word twice while explaining the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4 - 154 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:

5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:

5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

. It should be noted that while both Matthew 13:3 - 93 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

& Mark 4:1 - 91 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

1 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

also record this incident they do not use the word “believe” in their narratives. This parable is one of several that Jesus identified as “mysteries of the Kingdom,” Matthew 13:1111 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

; Mark 4:1111 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

; Luke 8:1010 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

. Before we examine the parable itself we need to understand the significance of the words “parable” and “mysteries.” The Greek word translated “parable” is “parabole” (Strong #3850), which is found 48 times in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke, twice in Hebrews where it is translated “figure” but nowhere else in the NT. Thus parables are unique to Jesus' teaching about the Kingdom that God promised His people Israel here on earth. A parable is defined as a similitude, or something that is symbolically a fictitious narrative, a comparison, a figure or proverb.

The word “mysteries,” as in “mysteries of the Kingdom” is the Greek word “musterion,” (Strong #3466) which literally means “to shut the mouth,” i.e., a secret. It is only found once each in Matthew, Mark and Luke, where Jesus used it in the context of this parable. It is used most often, that is 20 times, by the Apostle Paul in his epistles and 4 times by John in Revelation. Paul used it when he wrote about the message revealed to him from the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven, the message about the “secret” of God's heavenly calling to the Body of Christ made up of both Jews and Gentiles, Romans 16:25 & 2625 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

; Ephesians 3:3 - 63 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

.

Jesus explained to His disciples that He spoke to them in parables so they could understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, while others could not, Matthew 13:10 - 1710 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

, Mark 4:10 - 1310 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

, Luke 8:9 & 109 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

. This is noteworthy because God promised a Kingdom to Israel back in Old Testament times, long before Jesus was born, in such passages as Isaiah 11 & 12; 65:17 - 25; Ezekiel 37, etc., and thus Israel looked forward to the blessings of that Kingdom (see Vol 3, No 39dated October 22, 2010.) Jesus Christ pointed out to His diciples “...That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” Matthew 13:1717 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

. And so it was not until He came to earth as a man that He identified things about His Kingdom that had not been revealed before, Matthew 13:3535 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

(see also Psalms 78:22 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:

) and He did so in parables, explaining them only to His disciples.

As mentioned above, all 3 Gospel writers recorded the parable of the sower and it is recommended that you read each of them: Matthew 13:3 - 9; Mark 4:1 - 9; Luke 8:4 - 15. If you read them closely you will see that each recorded what Jesus said from their individual perspectives and they used different qualifying words to describe why the seed did not produce fruit in some ground while it did in some. These qualifying words are: hear, believe, understand, received and keep. Examined together, the three narratives summarize Jesus' lesson (not a word for word transcript.) Only Luke was inspired to use the word “believe” when he recorded Jesus' explanation of why the seed was lost while Matthew and Mark used other words. The point of all this is that by comparing the words used as qualifiers in the three accounts we can come to a full understanding of what it takes for the Word of God to take root and produce fruit.

Matthew records Jesus' interpretation of the parable in chapter 13, verses 18 - 23. He explains the reason some people produced fruit was because they “heard and understood” the Word: “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:2323 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

. The Greek word translated “heareth” is “akouo,” (Strong # G191) which is found in almost every book in the NT for a total of 437 times, but it is used by far most often in the four Gospels. It means “to hear, give audience, understand, etc.” Strong indicates the word “understandeth” is the Greek “suniemi,” (Smith #4930) which means “to put together, that is mentally to comprehend, by implication, to act piously; consider, understand, be wise.”

Mark's Gospel indicates Jesus explained that those who produced fruit did so because they “hear” (Greek akouo, same as in Matthew) and “receive” the Word; “And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” Mark 4:2020 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

. The word “receive” is the Greek “paradechomai” (Strong #G3758) found only 5 times in the NT and only this one time in the Gospel records. It means, “to accept near, that is, admit or delight in.”

Luke writes that those who produce fruit are those who “heard” the word (same as in Matthew and Mark) and “keep” it: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” Luke 8:11 - 1511 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

. The word “keep” here is from the Greek “katecho,” (Strong #G2722) found 19 times in the NT meaning to “hold down fast, have, hold fast, keep, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.”

Only Luke uses the Greek word “pisteuo,” unusually translated “believe” when documenting Jesus' explanation of why some of the seed failed to produce fruit: “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe (Gr. Pisteuo) and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, (pisteuo) and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.” Luke 8:11 - 1411 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

.

As mentioned above, although God promised the Kingdom to Israel in Old Testament times, the information Jesus imparted to His disciples in this parable was not explained before, it had been a secret. So this was “progressive revelation,” revealed by the living Word of God incarnate, Jesus Christ. And He revealed it only to His disciples, that is, to those Jews who truly believed in Him as their Messiah. By comparing the three accounts of this parable we see that Jesus taught, to truly “believe” is to: 1) “hear” (to hear, give audience, understand, etc.); 2) “understand” (to put together, that is mentally to comprehend); 3) “receive” (to accept near, that is, admit or delight in); and 4) “keep” (hold down fast, have, hold fast, keep, possess, retain, seize on, stay, take, withhold.) Most of Israel at that time, including the Scribes and Pharasees, did not truly hear Jesus, they did not understand, receive and keep His Words, i.e., they didn't “believe” Him and so they were not saved to produce fruit. Only those who truly believed the Living Word of God, Jesus Christ, were saved and produced fruit.

But what does it mean to be saved and to produce fruit? To be continued.