(verse 6), `greater than the prophet Jonah' (verse 41), `greater than the king Solomon' (verse 42), and in all

these capacities He is rejected. The reason for this rejection is given in verses 43-45.

The captivity of Babylon had cured the Jews of idolatry, but they were like a room `empty, swept and

garnished', inhabited by a spirit more evil than that which bound their idolatrous `fathers'; the last state is worse

than the first, for rejecting Christ they reached the climax sin. This leads on to Matthew 13, with its secrets or

mysteries. Up to this point nothing had been secret but now the Saviour reveals to the hearing ear and seeing

eye that the rejection of the King and His message was foreknown, that the efforts of the apostles themselves

would meet with a similar fate, and that not until the end, when the Lord returns to take the kingdom and deliver

Israel, will the sowing of the seed of the kingdom yield its bounteous harvest.

Matthew 13:1-9,18-23.

We now approach the consideration of this initial parable. Initial, not only because it is the first in order of

utterance, but because its interpretation supplies a model for the interpretation of all parables, `Know ye not this

parable? and how then will ye know all parables?' (Mark 4:13).

John tells us that although he has recorded eight `signs' to support the particular purpose of his Gospel (John

20:31), yet the number actually wrought by the Lord far exceeded this, so much so that `if they should be

written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written' (John

21:25). What is true concerning the Lord's works is also true concerning His words; each Gospel narrative

gives a divinely inspired selection of His wonderful teaching. If this is so, what importance must be placed

upon that miracle, parable or discourse which is repeated twice or even thrice! The parable of the Sower occurs

in the three Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 13:1-9; Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8). In each record we read of the four

sowings, or four kinds of ground. It will be instructive to consider the various ways in which this parable has

been recorded.

MATTHEW 13:4-9

MARK 4:4-9

LUKE 8:5-8

`Some fell by

`Some fell by

`Some fell by

the wayside; and it

the wayside, and

the wayside, and

was trodden down,

the fowls of the air

the fowls came and

and the fowls of the

came and devoured

devoured them up'.

air devoured it'

it up'

`Some fell on

`Some fell upon

`Some fell upon

a rock'.

stony places, where

where it had not

they had not much

earth'.

much earth'.

`Forthwith they

`Immediately it

`As soon as it

sprung up, because

sprang up, because

was sprung up, it

they

no

it had no depth of

deepness of earth:

earth: but when the

because it lacked

and when the sun

sun was up, it was

was up, they were

because it had no

because they had no

root,  it  withered

root, they withered

away'.

away'.

among thorns; and

among thorns, and

among thorns; and

the thorns sprung

the thorns grew up,

the thorns sprang

up,  and  choked

and choked it, and

up with it, and

it yielded no fruit'.

choked it'.

`Other fell into

`Other fell on

`Other fell on

good ground, and

good ground, and

good ground, and