Chapter 4

Chapter 4. — On the Parable of the Sower. On the Rebuking of the Waters

¹ And again he began to teach by the sea-side; and a great crowd was gathered together unto him, so that he entered into the boat, and sat in the sea; and all the crowd was by the sea, upon the land. And he taught them many things in parables. He seemed to have sent his mother away, yet again he hearkens to her, for it is on her account that he goes forth by the sea. And he sits in the boat, that, having all before his face, he might speak in the hearing of all, and have none at his back. And he said unto them in his teaching: Hearken; Behold, the sower went forth to sow; and it came to pass, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of heaven came and devoured it. And another fell on the rocky ground, where it had not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun was risen, it was scorched, and because it had no root, it withered away. And another fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And another fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit that sprang up and increased, and brought forth, one thirtyfold, and one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold. And he said unto them: He that has ears to hear, let him hear. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked him of the parable. And he said unto them: Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto those that are without, all things are done in parables; 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. This first parable he sets forth, the one concerning the seed, that he may make the hearers more attentive. For since he is about to say that the seed is the word, and, falling among the heedless, is destroyed, for this cause before the rest he says such things, that the hearers may be earnest not to be made like to that earth which destroys the seed. Who, then, is the sower? Christ himself, who went forth from the bosom of the Father, in love for mankind and condescension, yet without departing thence. And he went forth, not that he might burn up the accursed earth, and the wicked hearts; nor that he might cut out the thorns, but that he might sow the seed. And what seed? That of Moses, perhaps? that of the prophets? No, but his own—that is, that he might preach his Gospel. He, then, sowed. And of the seeds, one fell into a soul trodden down by many; and the birds of heaven—the demons, I mean, who hold the air—devoured the seed. For such are the men-pleasers, a way trodden down by many; for whenever one does all things to please this man and that, he is trodden down by many. And mark: he did not say that He cast it upon the way, but, It fell. For the sower casts it as upon good ground; but that ground, being found wicked, destroys the seed, that is, the word. But certain ones gracefully understood the It fell by the wayside to mean that it fell into an unbelieving heart; for the way is Christ, and beside the way are the unbelievers, who are outside the way, that is, outside Christ. And another falls upon a rocky soul; he means those who easily receive, and then cast away; the rocky ones are in some small part like to the Rock, to Christ I mean, in that they received the word; but in that they receive it for a season, and then cast it away, they are unlike. And another into a soul full of cares; for the thorns are the cares. And the fourth, into good ground. Mark, then, how rare are the good, and how few they that are saved; for only the fourth part of the seed is found to be preserved. To the disciples, then, who asked him privately, he says that Unto you it is given to know the mysteries. Is it, then, by lot and by fate from nature that to some it is given, and to others not? God forbid! but it is given to those who seek. For ‘Seek,’ he says, ‘and it shall be given you.’ But the rest God blinded, that the understanding of the right and the not doing of it might not be unto their greater condemnation. In another way: Will you know that God made all to see the right? Hear. That seeing—this is of God; that they see not—this is of their own wickedness. For God made them seeing—that is, understanding the good; but they see not, willingly shutting their eyes, lest they should be converted and corrected; for they grudge, as it were, their own salvation and betterment. And it is possible also to understand it thus, that, To the rest I speak in parables, that, if seeing they see not, and hearing they understand not, they may yet, even from this, perhaps be converted and corrected.

² And he says unto them: Know you not this parable? and how then will you know all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown; and when they have heard, straightway comes Satan, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. And these likewise are they that are sown on the rocky ground, who, when they have heard the word, straightway receive it with gladness, and have no root in themselves, but are temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises for the word’s sake, straightway they are offended. And these are they that are sown among the thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for the other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And these are they that were sown on the good ground, such as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, one thirtyfold, and one sixtyfold, and one a hundredfold. There are here three ranks of the perishing of the word. For those by the wayside are the heedless; those by the rock, the faint-hearted; those by the thorns, the pleasure-lovers. Of those, however, who received and preserved the seed, there are again three ranks: those bearing fruit a hundredfold are they who have the perfect and most exalted life; those sixtyfold, they who are of a middle state; and the thirtyfold, as many as bring forth little, yet they too according to their power offer it; for instance, some are virgins and solitaries, others mingled in life and in community, others laymen and in marriage. Yet the Lord receives all who bear fruit; and thanks be to his love for mankind. And he said unto them: Does the lamp come that it should be put under the bushel, or under the bed? Is it not that it should be set upon the lampstand? For there is nothing hidden, except it should be made manifest; neither was anything kept secret, but that it should come to manifestation. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. Here he exhorts the apostles to be bright in their life and conduct; for just as the lamp, he says, is set for shining, so also your life shall be conspicuous to all, and all shall look unto it; therefore be earnest to have a good life. For you sit not in a corner, but you are beacons. And the lamp is not hidden under a bed; set upon the lampstand it shines. And each of us also is a lamp, which ought to be set upon the lampstand—that is, upon the height of the godly life—that it may be able to shine to others also; but not under the bushel, that is, under gluttony and the care for food, nor under the bed, that is, ease. For no one who is earnest about food, and longs for repose, can be a lamp shining to all through his own life. For there is nothing hidden which shall not be made manifest. Whether one do some good thing, or some wicked thing in secret, it shall be made manifest both here, and much more in the age to come. For who is more hidden than God? yet nevertheless he also was made manifest in the flesh.

³ And he said unto them: Take heed what you hear. With what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you, and unto you that hear shall more be added. For he that has, to him shall be given; and he that has not, from him shall be taken even that which he has. He rouses the disciples to soberness. For take heed, he says, what you hear; let nothing of the things spoken by me escape you. For with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you—that is, how great a measure of attention you bring, so great also a benefit shall be given to you. For if the hearer attend very greatly and to the utmost, God gives him in return also much benefit; but if he be slack, according to the proportion is also the gain of the benefit. For he that has eagerness and earnestness, to him shall be given benefit also; but he that has not eagerness and earnestness, even that which he seems to have shall be taken from him. For through slackness even the little spark which he had before is quenched, just as by diligence it is kindled.

⁴ And he said: So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast the seed upon the earth, and should sleep and rise, night and day, and the seed should sprout and lengthen, he knows not how. For the earth bears fruit of herself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is yielded, straightway he sends forth the sickle, because the harvest is come. By the kingdom of God understand the dispensation of God concerning us. For the man is God himself, who became man for our sake. And he cast seed upon the earth, the preaching of the Gospel; and having cast this, he sleeps—that is, he went up into the heavens; but nevertheless he rises night and day. For even if God seems to sleep, yet he rises: by night, when through trials he raises us up unto the knowledge of him; and by day, when through pleasant and joyful things he orders our life. And the seed lengthens, he knows not how; for we are self-determining, and it lies in our own choice that the seed should grow or not. Since neither do we bring forth fruit by constraint, but of ourselves—that is, of our own selves we bear fruit, first putting forth the blade and showing the beginning of the good, when we are babes, and have not yet attained unto the measure of the stature according to Christ; then the ear, when we are able also to withstand trials. For the ear is now girt about with joints, and stands upright, and is more perfect. Then also the full grain in the ear, when one brings forth the perfect fruit. And when the harvest is yielded, then the sickle gathers the fruit. And by the sickle understand the word of God; and by the harvest, the season of the consummation.

⁵ And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what parable shall we compare it? It is as a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown upon the earth, is less than all the seeds that are upon the earth; but when it is sown, it grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts forth great branches, so that the birds of heaven can lodge under the shadow of it. And with many such parables he spoke the word unto them, as they were able to hear it. But without a parable he spoke not unto them; and privately to his disciples he expounded all things. Small indeed is the word of the faith. For, Believe in Christ, and you shall be saved. You see how great the word is—as great as the grain of mustard seed. But the preaching, when sown upon the earth, was spread abroad and increased, so that the birds of heaven—that is, all those who are lofty and high in mind and in knowledge—lodge upon it. For how many wise men, having left the Greek wisdom, found rest upon the preaching? Greater, then, than all became the preaching, and put forth great branches. For one of the apostles went to Rome, another to India, another to Achaia, and another into another part of the earth—they were divided abroad like branches. And he spoke to the crowds in many parables, fitting the parables to the capacity of the hearers. For since the crowd was rustic and unlearned, for this cause he makes mention of a grain of mustard seed, and of grass, and of seed, that from the names familiar and customary to them he might teach them something profitable, or at least might move them to come forward and ask, and through the asking to learn the things they knew not. For to the disciples he expounded all things privately, when they came forward, that is, and asked. And he solved all things, as many as they asked as not understanding. The things they learned by asking were clear to them, and familiar.

⁶ And he says unto them on that day, when evening was come: Let us pass over unto the other side. And having sent away the crowd, they take him even as he was in the boat. And there were also other little boats with him. And there arises a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was now filling. And he himself was in the stern, asleep upon the pillow; and they awake him, and say unto him: Master, do you not care that we perish? And having arisen, he rebuked the wind, and said to the sea: Be silent, be muzzled. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them: Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? And they feared with a great fear, and said one to another: Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? Matthew related these things in one way, and Mark in another; for the things which the one told more at large, this one abridged; and on the contrary, what the one abridged, this one enlarged. He takes, then, only the disciples, making them spectators of the wonder that was to be; and that they might not be lifted up because, having sent away the others, he kept them, he suffers them to be tossed by the surge, and at the same time that he might teach them to bear trials. And he sleeps, that the wonder might appear the greater to them, who were first troubled; for if, while Christ was awake, the surge had arisen, either they would not have feared, or they would not have entreated him. He suffers them, then, to fall into fear of danger, that they might come to a perception of his power. For since they saw the others being benefited, but themselves enjoyed nothing of the kind, there was danger that they should become more slothful. He permits, then, the tempest to come on; and he sleeps upon the pillow of the boat, which was assuredly of wood. And being awakened, he rebukes first the wind (for this it is that makes the sea to rage), then also the sea. And he rebukes the disciples also, as having no faith; for if they had had faith, they would have believed that even while sleeping he could keep them unharmed. And they said one to another: Who then is this? For they were still in doubt concerning him; for inasmuch as by a mere command he laid the sea to rest, and neither with a rod, as Moses, nor by invocation, as Elisha [parted] the Jordan, nor with the ark, as Joshua the son of Nun, for this cause he seemed to them above man.