with the doctrines which the Scriptures contain, arranged in a dogmatic
system, is necessary as a safeguard in the interpretation of the
parables. A scientific acquaintance with natural history is necessary
not only in order to an intelligent appreciation of the contents of a
museum, but also in order that you may turn to good account your
miscellaneous observation of nature; in like manner, although a correct
exegesis of Scripture supplies us with our only true dogmatics, the
knowledge of dogmatics, scientifically arranged, contributes in turn to
a correct exegesis. This remark has been drawn from me by my own
experience in the study of this department of theological literature. If
we would avoid the mistakes into which his own contemporaries fell, we
must read the Lord's parables in connection with the fuller exposition
of divine truth which he commissioned and inspired the apostles to give.
Except in some cases where an explanation is subjoined, or the
circumstances exclude all uncertainty, it is not safe for us to lean on
a parable as an independent evidence of a dogma. The pictorial
illustrations and the more direct doctrinal statements of Scripture
should go together for reciprocal elucidation and support. More
especially it is extremely dangerous for a theologian, when he has a
purpose to be served and an adversary to be refuted, to grasp a parable
in the sense which suits his view, and wield it as a weapon of offence;
in such a case he will probably do more execution upon himself than upon
his antagonist. The importance of this point will be more fully seen
when we consider the parables in detail.
4. Some knowledge of relative history, topography, and customs should be
at hand for use; but, at the same time, these things should be
resolutely kept in their own place. They may be good servants, but they
are bad masters. Through a signal defect in the knowledge of oriental
antiquity, an interpreter may permit some beautiful allusions to slip
through his hands unperceived; but, on the other hand, it ought to be
frankly conceded, and, if necessary, firmly maintained, that the
profitable use of our Lord's parables does not depend on rare and
difficult erudition. If a deficiency in this department infers the risk
of baldness in the exposition, a redundance supplies a temptation to
pedantic display. It is one thing to place some ancient eastern custom
in such a position that a ray of light from its surface shall pleasantly
illumine a feature of the parable that was lying in the shade, and all
another thing to make the parable a convenience for the exhibition of a
scholar's lore.
With more immediate reference to the exposition herewith submitted, it
is enough to intimate that it is neither a compend of criticism, nor
merely a series of sermons. I have endeavoured to combine the substance
of a critical investigation with the direct exhortation which becomes a
minister of the gospel, when fellow-sinners constitute his audience, and
the Bible supplies his theme. On the one hand, no important difficulty
has been consciously slurred over without an effort to satisfy the
judgment of a studious reader; and, on the other hand, no opportunity
has been omitted of pressing the gospel of Christ on the consciences of
men.
THE
PARABLES OF OUR LORD.
THE GROUP IN MATT. XIII.
"The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And
great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went
into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
And he spake many things unto them in parables."--MATT. xiii. 1-3.
In Matthew's narrative, the first specimen of that peculiar pictorial
method which characterized the teaching of our Lord, is not an isolated
parable occurring in the midst of a miscellaneous discourse, but a group
of seven presented in one continuous and connected report. Nor is the
grouping due to the logical scheme of the Evangelist; we have here, not
the historian's digest of many disjointed utterances, but a simple
chronological record of facts. In this order have these seven parables
been recorded by the servant, because in this order they were spoken by
the Lord. It does not in the least detract from the soundness of this
judgment to concede that some of them were spoken also in other
circumstances and other combinations. There is no ground whatever for
assuming that one of our Lord's signal sayings could not have been
spoken in one place, because it can be proved that it was spoken at
another. From the nature of the subjects, and the form which Christ's
ministry assumed, it might be confidently anticipated that the parables
and other sharply relieved similitudes would recur, in whole or in part,
in different discourses and before different assemblies: with this
supposition accordingly the facts agree, as they may be gathered from a
synopsis of the several narratives.
Among the later German critics, it is distinctly conceded by Lange that
these seven parables were spoken by the Lord in the order of Matthew's
record, although some of them appear to have been spoken also at other
times. If it could have been proved that none of the parables had ever
been spoken a second time, the circumstance would have constituted a
non-natural and inexplicable phenomenon.
A measure of logical order and reciprocal relation has always been
observed in this cluster of parables. While some of the relations, and
these the most important, are so obvious that they have been observed
alike by all inquirers, in regard to others a considerable diversity of
opinion has prevailed. Some, in the sequences of the group, look only
for various phases of the kingdom, presented in logical divisions and
sub-divisions: others find here, in addition, a prophetic history of the
Church, like that which the Apocalypse contains. For my own part I am
disposed to confine my view to that which I consider sure and
obvious,--the representation of the kingdom of God in different aspects,
according to a logical arrangement, not pronouncing judgment regarding
the soundness of the prophetic view, but simply passing it by, as being
from its nature difficult and dim.
The first six readily fall into three successive well-defined pairs,
and the seventh stands clearly designated by its subject as an
appropriate conclusion. The _first_ pair exhibit the RELATIONS of the
kingdom to the several classes of intelligent creatures with which, as
adversaries or subjects, it comes into contact: the _second_ pair
exhibit the PROGRESS of the kingdom from small beginnings to a glorious
issue: the _third_ pair exhibit the PRECIOUSNESS of the kingdom, in
comparison with all other objects of desire: and the remaining _one_
teaches that the good and evil which intermingle on earth will be
completely and finally separated in the great day. Thus--
{ 1. _The Sower_; the relation of the
{ kingdom to different _classes of
I. RELATIONS..........{ men_.
{ 2. _The Tares_; the relation of the
{ kingdom to _the wicked one_.
{ 1. _The Mustard-seed_; the progress
{ of the kingdom under the idea
{ of _a living growth_.
II. PROGRESS...........{ 2. _The Leaven_; the progress of the
{ kingdom under the idea of _a
{ contagious outspread_.
{ 1. _The Hid Treasure_; the preciousness
{ of the kingdom under the
{ idea of _discovering what was hid_.
III. PRECIOUSNESS.......{ 2. _The Goodly Pearl_; the preciousness
{ of the kingdom under the
{ idea of closing _with what is
{ offered_.
{ _The Draw-net_; the separation between
IV. SEPARATION.........{ good and evil in the
{ great day.
It is not a valid objection to this division that in several cases, if
not in all, the subjects reciprocally overlap each other; it is, in the
circumstances, natural and necessary that they should. Thus, in regard
to the first pair, the work of the adversary appears in the sower, and
the contact of believers with unbelievers appears in the tares; but I
think these are in either case incidental and subordinate, while the
leading idea of the first is the reception given to the gospel by
different classes of men, and the leading idea of the second is the wile
of the devil in his effort to destroy the work of Christ.
We must, however, beware of giving too much and too minute attention to
the sequences and mutual relations of the parables. Most of them, in
point of fact, are found in the narrative as isolated lessons, each
complete in itself and independent of others. Even in this group,
although the connections are interesting and obvious, they are not
essential. The meaning of each specimen may be substantially discerned
without reference to its place in the series. By studying each apart you
may learn the lesson well; but by studying all together you may learn
the lesson better.
On the face of the narrative it appears that the first four were
addressed to a multitude congregated on the margin of the lake, and the
last three more privately to a smaller circle of disciples in a
neighbouring house; but there seems no ground for supposing that the two
portions were separated from each other by any considerable interval of
time or space.
I freely concede that there is some ground for the distinction between
the more outward and obvious aspects of the kingdom presented in the
first four, and the more inward and experimental matters which, in the
last three, were subsequently communicated to a more private circle; but
the distinction, though real and perceptible, does not appear to me so
fundamental and so deeply marked as to justify those who make it the
turning-point of their exposition.
There is a parallel which the thoughtful reader of the Scriptures will
not fail to observe, although a prudent expositor will beware of
attempting to trace it too minutely, between the seven parables of this
chapter and the epistles to the Seven Churches of Asia, in the beginning
of the Apocalypse. The two groups agree in this, that both represent by
a series of examples various features of the kingdom, and various
obstacles with which it must contend: they differ in that, while the
examples given in the Gospels are pictures drawn by the imagination, the
examples given in the Apocalypse are facts taken from history. But as
all the characteristics and vicissitudes of his Church were present to
the Head from the beginning, it was as easy for him to exhibit an image
of its condition through the ministry of Matthew, as to record examples
after they emerged in fact, through the ministry of John. In both
cases--alike in the pictures presented to the Galilean crowd and the
registered events sent to the Asiatic Churches--the Master's design is
to exhibit the kingdom on all its sides, that the observer's view,
whether of beauties or of blemishes, may be correct and full.
I subjoin for the reader's information the view of those who see in this
series of parables the subsequent historical development of the Church,
as it is briefly and clearly expressed by Lange: "We ... trace in the
parable of the sower a picture of the apostolic age; in the parable of
the tares, the ancient Catholic Church springing up in the midst of
heresies; in the parable of the mustard-bush resorted to by birds of
the air as if it had been a tree, and loaded with their nests, a
representation of the outward Church as established under Constantine
the Great; in the leaven that is mixed among the three measures of meal,
the pervading and transforming influence of Christianity in the mediæval
Church among the barbarous races of Europe; in the parable of the
treasure in the field, the period of the Reformation; in the parable of
the pearl, the contrast between Christianity and the acquisitions of
modern culture and secularism; and in the last parable a picture of the
closing judgment."
The parallel which the same critic institutes between the seven parables
of this group and the seven beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, is an
attractive study, and some of the coincidences are obvious and
beautiful; but this line of observation should be jealously kept
subordinate to the primary substantial lesson which each parable
contains. On the one hand, I desire that these secondary and incidental
views should not by their beauty draw to themselves a disproportionate
share of our attention; and on the other hand, I am disposed to respect
every earnest, sober, and reverential suggestion which any believing
inquirer may throw out, regarding the lateral references and
under-current secondary meanings of the Lord's discourses; for they
possess a length and breadth, and height and depth, which will exercise
the minds of devout disciples as long as the dispensation lasts, and
pass all understanding when it is done.
I.
THE SOWER.
"The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. And
great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went
into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a
sower went forth to sow; and when he sowed, some seeds fell by the
way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: some fell upon
stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they
sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: and when the sun
was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they
withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up,
and choked them: but other fell into good ground, and brought forth
fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who
hath ears to hear, let him hear.... Hear ye therefore the parable of
the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away
that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by
the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the
same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when
tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he
is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that
heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness
of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 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."--MATT. xiii. 1-9, 18-23.
The parable is, in our language at least, so uniformly associated with
this name, that it would not readily be recognised under any other
designation; but "The four kinds of ground" (viererlei Acker), the title
which seems to be in ordinary use among the Germans, is logically more
correct, inasmuch as it points directly to the central idea, and
expresses the distinctive characteristic.
At this period a great and eager multitude followed the steps of Jesus
and hung upon his lips. A certain divine authority, strangely combined
with the tenderest human sympathy, marked his discourses sharply off, as
entirely different in kind from all that they had been accustomed to
hear in the synagogue. Finding that instincts and capacities hitherto
dormant in their being were awakened by his word, "the common people
heard him gladly." At an earlier hour of the same day on which this
parable was spoken, the circle of listeners that encompassed the Teacher
had become so broad and dense, that his mother and brothers, who had
come from home to speak with him, were obliged to halt on the outskirts
of the crowd, and pass their message in from mouth to mouth. In these
circumstances, the Preacher's work must have been heavy, and doubtless
the worker was weary. Having paused till the press slackened, he
privately retired to the margin of the lake, desiring probably to "rest
a while;" but no sooner had he taken his seat beside the cool still
water, than he was again surrounded by the anxious crowd. At once to
escape the pressure and to command the audience better when he should
again begin to speak, he stepped into one of the fishing-boats that
floated at ease close by the beach, on the margin of that tideless
inland sea. From the water's edge, stretching away upward on the natural
gallery formed by the sloping bank, the great congregation, with every
face fixed in an attitude of eager expectancy, presented to the
Preacher's eye the appearance of a ploughed field ready to receive the
seed. As he opened his lips, and cast the word of life freely abroad
among them, he saw, he felt, the parallel between the sowing of Nature
and the sowing of Grace. Into that mould, accordingly, he threw the
lesson of saving truth. Grasping the facts and laws of his own material
world, and wielding them with steady aim as instruments in the
establishment of his spiritual kingdom, in simple yet majestic terms he
said, "Behold, a sower went forth to sow."
Whether a sower was actually in sight at that moment in a neighbouring
field or not, every man in that rural assemblage must have been familiar
with the act, and would instantly recognise the truth of the picture.
The sower, with a bag of seed dependent from his shoulder, stalks slowly
forth into the prepared field. With measured, equal steps, he marches in
a straight line along the furrow. His hand, accustomed to keep time with
his advancing footsteps, and to jerk the seed forward with considerable
force, in order to secure uniformity of distribution, cannot suddenly
stop when he approaches the hard trodden margin of the field. By habit
the right hand continues to execute its wonted movement in unison with
the sower's steps as he is turning round; and thus a portion of the seed
is thrown on the unploughed border of the field and the public path that
skirts it. Birds, scared for a moment by the presence of the man, hover
in the air till his back is turned on another tack, and then, each eager
to be first, come swooping down, and swallow up all the grain that found
no soft place where it fell for hiding in. Even if it should happen in
any case that no birds were near, the seed that fell on the way side was
as surely destroyed in another way: the alternative suggested in Luke's
narrative is, that "it is trodden under foot of men."
But while the portion of the seed that fell on the way side was thus
certainly destroyed, it does not follow that the rest came to
perfection: "Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth:
and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
and when the sun was up they were scorched; and because they had no
root, they withered away." The stony places are not portions of the
field where many separate stones may be seen lying on the surface, but
portions which consist of continuous rock underneath, with a thin
sprinkling of soft soil over it. Here the young plants burst through the
ground sooner than in spots where the seed found a deeper bed: but when
the rains of spring have ceased, and the sun of summer has waxed hot,
the moisture is quickly exhaled from the shallow stratum of soil, and
forthwith the fair promise dies.
But yet another slip there may be "between the cup and the lip:" even
from the seed that falls on deep, soft ground, you cannot count with
certainty on a rich return in harvest. Although the plants should
without obstruction strike their roots deeply into the soft, moist
earth, and rear their stalks aloft into the balmy air, they may be
rendered barren at last by the simultaneous growth of rivals more
imperious and more powerful than themselves. Unless the grain not only
grow in deeply broken ground, but grow alone there, it cannot be
fruitful: "Some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up and choked
it." Besides those plants that are more correctly denominated thorns, we
may include under the term here all rank weeds, varying with countries
and climates, which infest the soil and hurt the harvest. The green
stalks that grow among thorns are neither withered in spring, nor
stunted in their summer's growth; they may be found in harvest taller
than their fruitful neighbours; but the ear is never filled, never
ripened, and the reaper gets nothing in his arms but long slender straw
adorned at the top with graceful clusters of empty chaff. The roots of
the thorns drank up the sap of the ground, while their branches veiled
off the sunlight, and thus the good seed, starved beneath and
overshadowed above, although it started fair in spring, produced nothing
in the autumn.
As Truth is one and Error manifold, so in regard to the seed sown, the
story of failure is long and varied, the story of success is short and
simple: "Other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an
hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold." The design of the picture
is to reveal the various causes which at different times and places
render the husbandman's labour abortive and leave his garner empty. This
done, there is no need of more. The seed, when none of these things
impeded it, prospered as a matter of course, under the ordinary care of
man and the ordinary gifts of God.
Three distinct obstructions to the growth and ripening of the seed are
enumerated in the parable. The statement is exact, and the order
transparent. The natural sequences are strictly and beautifully
maintained. The three causes of abortion--the way side, the stony
ground, and the thorns--follow each other as the spring, the summer, and
the autumn. In the first case the seed does not spring at all; in the
second it springs, but dies before it grows up; in the third, it grows
up, but does not ripen. If it escape the way side, the danger of the
stony ground lies before it; if it escape the stony ground, the thorns
at a later stage threaten its safety; and it is only when it has
successively escaped all three that it becomes fruitful at length.
In this case, the Lord himself gave both the parable and its
explanation; he became his own interpreter. The Master takes us, like
little children, by the hand and leads us through all the turnings of
his first symbolic lesson, lest in our inexperience we should miss our
way. The Son of God not only gave himself as a sacrifice for sin; he
also laboured as a patient painstaking teacher of the ignorant: he is
the Apostle as well as the High Priest of our profession. His
instructions have been recorded by the Spirit in the Scriptures for our
use; we may still sit at his feet and listen to his voice. He has taken
his seat on the deck of a fishing-boat while the waters of the lake are
still, and is discoursing to a congregation of Galileans from the
neighbourhood who stand clustering on the shore. Let us join the
outskirts of the crowd and hear that heavenly Teacher too.
He speaks in parables: he fixes saving truth in the forms of familiar
things, that it may be carried away and kept. We look with lively
interest on the scene which these words conjure up before our eyes; but
we should look on it reverently: it has not been given to us as a
plaything. Gaze gravely, brother, into this parable, for "thou art the
man" of whom it speaks: it reveals the way of life and the way of death
to thee. If a traveller who possesses an accurate map of his route turn
aside from it and perish in a pit, it will not avail him in his
extremity to reflect that he carries the correct track in his hand.
Alas! a literary admiration of the parable-stories which Jesus told in
Galilee will not avail us, if we do not accept himself as our Saviour
from sin.
From the Lord's own exposition here and elsewhere recorded, we learn
that the seed is the word of God; that the sower is the man who makes it
known to his neighbours; and that the ground on which the seed falls is
the hearer's heart. The main drift of the parable concerns the ground,
and to it accordingly our attention must be chiefly directed. The
lesson, however, is drawn, not from the inherent, essential properties
of the soil, but from the accidental obstructions to the growth of grain
which it may in certain circumstances contain: some notice, therefore,
of the seed and the sower in their spiritual signification is not only
profitable at this stage, but peremptorily necessary to the full
apprehension of the instruction which the parable conveys.
SEED has been created by God and given to man. If it were lost, it would
be impossible through human power and skill to procure a new supply: the
race would, in that case, perish, unless the Omnipotent should interfere
again with his creating power. For spiritual life and food the fallen
are equally helpless, and equally dependent on the gift of God. The seed
is the word, and the word is contained in the Scriptures. When we drop a
verse of the Bible into listening ears, we are sowing the seed of the
kingdom.