And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a sower went out to spread some seed. As he was scattering the seed, some seeds fell by the road; and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil. They sprang up immediately, because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched; and because they had no roots, they withered away. Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked them out. But others fell on good soil and were producing fruit. They yielded a crop—some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:3-9
If you have spent any time in church, you have heard this parable. It is referred to as the Parable of the Sower but my pastor and bible teacher both refer to it as the Parable of the Soil.
What is a parable? It is a short, instructive and often metaphorical scenario from ordinary life used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. A parable prompts the listener to make a judgment and self-reflect. The dictionary says it is a simple story (wildly inaccurate) with the universal truth (agreed).
I think the soil parable has a clear surface message. One farmer. Four kinds of soil. Each soil results in a different outcome for the seed.
One rabbinical teaching method that Jesus readily employs is called, pardes. Pardes literally means orchard but it is also an acronym (keep in mind that Hebrew doesn’t us vowels):
Peshat: literal or simple meaning. Simple does not mean easy. This level of understanding is critical. The inability to understand the literal meaning will skew further interpretation.
Remez: hinted meaning. These hints point us back to same words used in other passages of scripture typically within the Tanakh or Old Testament that further explain the concept.
Drash: expounded meaning. A creative process calling us to explore, search and develop a deeper understanding of the text and the scripture it points back toward. Examples are the Midrash or Biblical commentaries.
Sod: secret meaning. A meaning that cannot be taught but only revealed by God, Himself through the Holy Spirit or Ruach HaKodesh. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Jesus answers the question why parables in Matthew 13:10-16 (the verses directly following the parable of the soils), The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah (6:9-10):
‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
Recently after reading the Parable of the Soils, I was struck by the crop yields mentioned. Why did Jesus list the numbers in reverse order, and what is the significance of those numbers?
I want to back
up just for a second to point out that we STILL struggle today with hearing, understanding,
seeing and perceiving. As Christians we are quick to judge but
if you look in the mirror, I think you will see an accurate reflection of the
western church. Read Revelations.
Reversing the numerical order. Can I know if Jesus did this himself or if it was Matthew or even the translator? No. I cannot know if Jesus reversed the order or if Matthew wrote it down accurately or purposely changed the order (Mark has it 30-60-100), or if the translator changed what was written. Does it matter? Perhaps but perhaps not.
Significance of the numbers. Without going down too much of a rabbit hole, there is meaning in these numbers. My opinion, Jesus is pointing us to the idea of pardes and progressive spiritual growth. The goal is the hundred times harvest which could be why it is mentioned first BUT if you have ears and you hear, you WILL reap something regardless …hundred, sixty, thirty.
One hundred (100) implies holiness. The letter representing the number of 100 is kuf which is the “k” sound. Kuf points us to kadosh (holiness) which in turn leads us to Kedushah. Kedushah are prayers based on Isaiah 6:3 and Ezekiel 3:12 which exalt the HOLINESS of God. 1 Peter 1:16, Instead, just like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in everything you do. For it is written, “Kedoshim you shall be, for I am kadosh.” Leading us straight to Leviticus 11:44-45, “For I am Adonai your God. Therefore, sanctify yourselves, and be holy, for I am holy. You are not to defile yourselves with any kind of creeping thing that moves on the earth. For I am Adonai who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. Therefore, you shall be holy, for I am holy.
Sixty (60) represents blessing. The letter is samech. It sounds like “s”. Samech means support, abundance, the infinite presence of God or divine providence. Numbers 6:22-27, The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” This is known as Aaron’s or The Priestly Blessing. It was bestowed by Adonai upon the priests called to spiritually lead a nation or kingdom of priests (Exodus 19:6 and 1 Peter 2:9).
Thirty (30) is ministry. Specifically, it is age at which you were mature enough to begin ministry. Joseph become administer of Egypt at 30. David took the throne at 30. Jesus becomes rabbi at 30. At age thirty, Levitical priests were eligible to serve in the tabernacle or temple. Numbers 4:3-4, from thirty years old up to fifty years old, all who can come on duty, to do the work in the tent of meeting. This is the service of the sons of Kohath (son of Levi and grandfather of Moses, Aaron and Miriam) in the tent of meeting: the most holy things. Thirty is the letter lamed. Lamed sounds like “l”. Its meaning is related to teaching and learning. It signifies a readiness to lead, dedication, strength, responsibility and energy. It is also the symbol of the King of Kings representing royalty and authority.
Scholars from the catholic faith associated these numbers with levels of chastity (snort laugh):
30: Represents
those who are married and live a life of faithfulness and good works.
60: Represents
chaste widows who have chosen to devote their lives entirely to God after the
death of their spouse.
100: Represents
virgins and clergy who have taken vows of celibacy, signifying the highest
level of dedication.
Protestant scholars settled on spiritual growth (eye roll):
30: Represents
the initial conversion and the first fruits of a believer's life.
60: Represents
a deeper commitment and more productive phase of ministry and service.
100: Represents the highest level of spiritual maturity, which may include martyrdom or a life of perfect self-sacrifice for the gospel.
Here are my insights. Use them as you see fit. Each choice carries its own reward.
We accept Yeshua as Messiah which is salvation (peshat). The reward of salvation is eternal life and relationship with God. We are filled with the Holy Spirit, surrendering our will, and thereby granted authority and ministry, thirtyfold (remez). We diligently seek Him, sixtyfold (drash). We seek righteousness, hundredfold (sod).
Mic drop...SNORT
Love God. Love people. - Warren Beemer
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