Synoptic Gospels and Acts

Director: Fr Randy Soto

By Johnson Lopez

March 6, 2008

A Story about a Farmer, Mark 4: 1-9

On this work, I intent to study, reflect, and pray with the parable of the sower in Mark’s Gospel. I will do this exercise with the guidance of Elena Bosetti’s Book ‘A contemplative reading of the Gospel, Mark’ : following her method of analyzing, interpreting, and praying with the text, highlighting important words, facts, characters, places, and contents.

This parable about a farmer, according to Mark and Matthew (13: 1-9), was thought by Jesus while setting on a boat in order to reach the entire crowd. The evangelist Luke (8: 4-8), however, does not describe the scene on a boat. Chapter eight, of Luke, began saying that Jesus had traveled through towns and villages and had cured some women, but the picture of the lake is not mention.

Knowing that several teaching of Jesus was given to the Israelites and the apostles in parables, and in order to assimilate and understand the message revealed by him through this particular genre: I may highlight some important aspects of this parable. The subject of this parable is a farmer: to be a farmer implies to have good knowledge in order to labor a particular land either planting crops or harvesting. Other important element in this parable is the seed. A seed represent a plant but not yet in its entire potencies. A seed, therefore, means life, fertility, and production.

Four sorts of field are presented in this particular parable: beside of the road, thin and rocky ground, the ground with bushes, and the last and fertile ground. A farmer never plants seeds along the road or on a rocky land, because nothing will be produced and the seeds will be lost. On the contrary, a sower, who has a good knowledge working lands, surely sows on the fertile land. In order to plant, nonetheless, he knows that the land has to be prepared even though is fertile one.  

Some key words in this parable are the verbs going out and sowing that represent the two actions performed by the sower. To go out implies to leave a place and move forward to a different location; not only leave a place but people, friends, and family. This action signified the mission received by the apostles, going out in order to preach the word of God. Whereas, to sow means to lay into something, in this case the seed. Jesus sowed the word of God to everyone who wants to give his life to him. But no everyone is open to receive it. No every person has the ground prepare in order to assimilate the richness of the word of God. If his hearth is bloodless like the rocky ground, the seed will not get in him.

Who is the sower of the seed? The sower of the seed is a person who teaches. In this case Jesus, who is teaching his word, but also his disciples who are with Jesus on the boat. Elena Bosetti stresses two important considerations about this parable

On one hand, [this parable] is presented as a public teaching, imparted from the boat to a crown seated by the lakeshore; a teaching particularly adapted to the people. On the other hand, it seems as if the parables have the purpose of making a distinction between the crown and the disciples.[1]

Surely, Jesus, and his disciples, took distance from the crowd so that they may reach the whole multitude. The text holds that Jesus thought by side of the lake. This means that the boat must be some yards away from land. How far they might be away from the crowd? It could be from eight to twelve yards. The important point is that there was some distance between Jesus and the audience, and that this distance marks a difference between the people on the boat and the flock.

On one hand, the apostles are those to whom Jesus personally called by their names. They had received the message at hand. They are asked, therefore, to teach and instruct the flock when Jesus is not among them. On the other hand, how the crowd received this parable? The final words of Jesus are: ‘listen then, if you have ears’ (Mk 4: 9). Before experiencing of how much was the flock was able to assimilate, I may ask: what kind of people were there with Jesus? As the Gospel of Luke holds, the people came from all over. There should be fishers, shepherds, sower, and carpenters. Jesus chose a specific profession that was well-known by the people.   

The Israelites and the other groups around the area of Galilee were not any more nomad tribes. They had settled on that region for many years, therefore, their economic was based on agriculture and cattle. Terms like sower, seed, and the sort of ground were of total dominion among the hearers. But, this means that they were able to understand the core of the message? A parable, as a literary genre, has two dimensions: first, the symbols used in the narrative that are of popular dominium by those who heard the message, and second, the meaning that unveiled the symbols. The kingdom of God is not, literally speaking, a seed, but the seed symbolized the word of Jesus give to mankind. The task of the preacher is, through the strength of the Holy Spirit, to bring about this message to the flock so that they realized that what had heard is the word of salvation.             

The disciples were with Jesus on the boat, but they did not understand this parable. One of them approached him and asked: ‘what do you mean with that?’ one can be near, the message can be clear enough, but this does not mean that one is fully understanding. Do am I prepared to receive the word of God? What level of understanding is God asking me? Surely, it is not only an intellectual action that God asks me to perform, but an open heart, an attitude of faith and trust in the Lord so that the message that I receive bring me salvation. Despite of this act, there is such difference between preaching in a close location than out in the open. How was Jesus’ voice? Was it a quiet or loud voice? Certainty, he might have a loud and clear voice in order to reach the crowd with his thought.             

A teacher is the person who has any responsibility under other neophytes to instruct them in the Gospel. Also an adult baptized in the Catholic Church has the duty of teaching other what he had learned. The call to the priesthood is a call to sow the word of God into peoples’ hearts. The priest has received an especial mission of sow the good news. He is asking to move forward and tells the people what he had received and thought.