THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
Here is how the parable of the sower is told in the New Testament:
1. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
2. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.
3. Then he told them about some of the mysteries of God in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his good seeds.
4. As he was scattering the good seeds, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate them up.
5. Some good seeds fell on rocky places, where there was not much soil. They sprang up quickly, but because the soil was shallow, they did not grow roots.
6. When the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because of the heat and because they had no roots and they soon died.
7. Other good seeds fell among thorns, and because the thorns were big and thick, they soon choked the plants.
8. Still other good seeds fell on good soil, where each sprouted, grew roots as necessary, and at the right moment, blossomed. In the end, those seeds produced a crop. Such a seed produced a hundred seeds, another good seed produced sixty seeds, and the third seed produced thirty seeds.
9. “He who has ears and is already able to hear, let only him hear.”
10. The disciples came to Him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
11. He replied, “The knowledge of the Godly mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven has been given only to you, but not to them. Mind this, because you were chosen to know these mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.
12. Know that whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance and surplus. But know that whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13. This is why I speak to them in parables: only those who are ready to see will see; and only those who are ready to hear will hear, and in this way those who deserve will understand.
14. And thus the prophecy of Isaiah will be fulfilled: “Although many of you will hear with your own ears, not all will be able to understand; and although many of you will see with your own eyes, not all will be able to see what is shown. Because everything mysterious will be hidden from those without an open heart, and not all will be able to comprehend these mysteries.”
15. Blessed are the eyes of the few who, beyond the appearances, will see. And blessed are the ears of the few who, beyond the appearances, will hear what they should hear. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears what they should hear, and they have closed their eyes so as not to see. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears what they should hear. Because their heart is stoned, they cannot understand the Truth. All this happens so that they would not turn to the Truth, and thus I would heal them.
16. But blessed are your eyes because they see what is to be seen, and your ears because they hear what is to be heard.
17. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18. Only you will be able to listen to the meaning of the parable:
19. When anyone hears the words of the Truth of God about the Kingdom of Heavens and does not understand it, then the evil one (Satan) comes and snatches away the good seed that was sown in his heart. This is the good seed sown along the path.
20. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the words of the Truth of God and at once receives them with great joy.
21. But since the good seed sprouts but it has no root in itself, it lasts only a short time. When trouble or hard time comes to that man, or when he is persecuted because of the words of the Truth of God, he quickly loses his mind and gives up.
22. The good seed that fell among the thorns refers to the man who hears the words of the Truth of God, but the excessive worries for the wealth of this world and the deceitfulness that this ephemeral wealth awakens in him soon choke the words of the Truth of God, making them unfruitful.
23. Learn now that the good seed that fell on good and fertile soil is the man who hears the words of the Truth of God and understanding them, he acts wisely according to them. In his case the good seed produces a great crop, and, thus, one of these good seeds shall yield a hundred other good seeds, another good seed shall yield sixty other good seeds, and yet another good seed shall yield thirty times what was sown.
(adaptation of the Gospel of Matthew 13:1-23)
