Jesus was now sitting by the sea. This of course is
the Sea of Galilee. Although it is called a sea, it essentially is a lake. The
geography of this lake tells us that the ground slopes upward from the shore and
curved sharply over several inlets around the lake. The natural structure of
this lake makes it almost like an amphitheater. The stage would be formed by a
boat berthed at a distance from the shoreline. Audience standing at the shore
can hear a message clearly and distinctly when it is spoken from that boat,
even when it is without a modern sound system.
In verse 1, we are told that a great crowd gathered to
Jesus, who was sitting by the sea. We are not told precisely the number there,
but we surmise that it was a huge gathering of people. So the Lord Jesus did
the most natural thing, He got into a boat and pulled a little distance from
the shore, and from there He taught the people standing by the beach. Here,
Matthew tells us that Jesus taught them using parables.
The parables of Jesus are essentially stories with
Kingdom themes. They contained things and events pertaining to the Gospel. Some
of the parables are narrated to reveal the final outcome of the Kingdom. They
tell us that there will come a time when the Kingdom will be established once
and for all and wickedness will forever be removed. Jesus’ audience probably came
to hear Him with expected hope and many could have suspected that with Jesus,
the judgement of God had begun. They came to hear what He would do to establish
that ultimate Kingdom. Of course they came to hear how the prophecies of the
Old Testament would be fulfilled. In Jesus they saw the wonderful works and miracles
that authenticated Him as the Messiah. So they followed Him with anticipation.
But the stories they hear from Him was not what they quite expected.
When they heard the parable of the sower it must have occurred
to them that it’s not a straight forward message. It seems to be a cryptic
story of both failure and success of the Kingdom. The Lord precisely said, “He
who has ears, let him hear.” It simply means that the story requires a fair bit
of analysis. The gem can’t be seen on the surface. To mine it one needs to
think through and then decipher the key message.
The parable of the sower is actually about the Kingdom
movement. The three negative soils meant the difficulties it will encounter.
However, ultimately the Kingdom will flourish. Like seeds on positive and fruitful
ground, it will yield 100, 60 and 30 folds. The Kingdom movement will have
different degree of impact but it will gather momentum. Here Jesus, the sower, had
introduced it. There will come the moment, when the Kingdom will make
substantiate impact. This parable tells us that what the Kingdom believers long
for, is loosening and gaining ground. It’s working through the words and work of
Jesus. We are invited to stay with Him. Be patient. Don’t give up but stay at
it! Listen to the message then go back and analyze. And then return for more.
Individually what’s in this passage for us? We must
come to the Word of God, read, study, think through and apply. As we watch the
transformation taking effect in our lives, we come back for more. We will see
the amazing transformation taking place like a tree blossoming for His glory!
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