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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 the wayside, and
"Some fell by the wayside, and
"Some fell by the wayside, and
the fowls came and devoured
the fowls of the air came and
it was trodden down, and the
them up."
devoured it up."
fowls of the air devoured it."
"Some fell upon stony places
"Some fell upon stony ground
"Some fell upon a rock."
where they had not much earth."
where it had not much earth."
"Forthwith they sprung up,
"Immediately it sprung up,
"As soon as it was sprung up, it
because they had no depthness of
because it had no depth of earth;
withered away, because it lacked
earth, and when the sun was up
but when the sun was up, it was
moisture."
they were scorched; and because
scorched; and because it had no
they had no root, they withered
root, it withered away."
away."
"Some fell among thorns; and
"Some fell among thorns, and
"Some fell among thorns; and
the thorns sprung up, and choked
the thorns grew up, and choked it,
the thorns sprang up with it, and
them."
and it yielded no fruit."
choked it."
"Other fell into good ground,
"Other fell on good ground, and
"Other fell on good ground, and
and brought forth fruit, some an
did yield fruit that sprung up and
sprang up, and bare fruit an
hundred-fold, some sixty-fold,
increased; and brought forth,
hundred fold. And when He had
some thirty-fold. Who hath ears
some thirty, and some sixty, and
said these things, He cried, He
to hear, let him hear."
some an hundred. And He said
that hath ears to hear, let him
unto them, He that hath ears to
hear."
hear, let him hear."
One of the differences between Matthew's account and that of Mark is that Matthew
speaks always in the plural, "they," "them," whereas Mark speaks of the seed in the
singular, "it." Luke adds the words, "and it was trodden down," in the first sowing, and
omits the reference to "no depth of earth" and the effect of the sun, telling us that it
withered because it lacked moisture. The addition of the words, "with it," in Luke's
account of the thorns is also suggestive.
In the interpretation of the parable, the following differences are noteworthy. We
print them in tabular form to save space.
John 20: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through his name.