Lk 8:4-15
4When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to him, [Jesus] spoke in a parable. 5“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up. 6Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture. 7Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.” After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”
9Then his disciples asked him what the meaning of this parable might be. 10He answered, “Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been granted to you; but to the rest, they are made known through parables so that ‘they may look but not see, and hear but not understand.’
11“This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God. 12Those on the path are the ones who have heard, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those on rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy, but they have no root; they believe only for a time and fall away in time of trial. 14As for the seed that fell among thorns, they are the ones who have heard, but as they go along, they are choked by the anxieties and riches and pleasures of life, and they fail to produce mature fruit. 15But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.”
A Sower went out to sow his Seed: In first century Palestine, there were various practices of planting. One is described in the Gospel—that of plowing after sowing. Some seed is lost because it has no good soil or is choked by thorns. But in the end, the abundant harvest far compensates for the loss. This is a picture of Jesus’ work of ushering in the kingdom. He meets many obstacles, but ultimately he achieves success which far outweighs any failure.
In the interpretation of the parable, the seed is “the word” (Mk 4:14) which Luke qualifies with “of God.” The “seed” of the farming story is the “word of God” in the realization of God’s purpose in Jesus’ ministry. The meaning is grounded in the story of Israel where Yahweh is active in creation and in salvation by the power of his word. The prophets were the bearers of the word of God. But the word of God is spoken in its fullness and finality by Jesus (Heb 1:1-2) who discloses and brings to fruition the divine purpose.