THE PARABLE OF THE
SOWER:
PERSONALITY TYPES AND THE GOSPEL
The Rev. Harold Shepherd, C.D., M.A., S.T.M., LL.B., LL.M.,
Ph.D.
Listen! A sower went out to sow. And
as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds
came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground,
where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up
quickly, since thy had no depth of soil. But when the sun
rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they
withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the
thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good
soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some
sixty, some thirty... Matthew.
13:1-9
The parable of the sower is rooted in the agricultural life
of first century Palestine. One way in which wealth was
measured was by ownership of land and livestock by those
who have large families. The Hebrew Bible used the term
“Shalom”- peace to refer to this. Family
members, domestic staff and day labourers assisted in the
maintaining the estate. People in this class could serve as
elders in the community and were often influential leaders
in the synagogues. All members of society recognized he
importance of agriculture. Although there was trade
throughout the Roman Empire, this could not used to provide
staples to an entire region. Draught was a real concern.
Into this world, Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God using
its language.
When seeds are sown, one of four things can happen. First,
the seed can fall on a path after which it is eaten by
birds. This represents a person whose heart is so hard that
the Gospel is meaningless. Generally speaking, it denotes
those who are so absorbed in their own world and so
concerned about looking out for their own interests that
they have no interest in anything else. Their world has a
clearly-defined boundary outside of which nothing matters.
Poverty, injustice, famine are mere items on the news to be
ignored. This person is self-sufficient and feels no need
for God or the support of a faith community. They live and
die unto themselves.
The second seed falls on rocky ground, springs up quickly,
but then dies because its roots are not deep enough to draw
sufficient water to survive in the open sun. This refers to
the person who jumps from bandwagon to bandwagon. They get
enthusiastic about something and devote great energy to the
cause, but then lose interest and move on to something
else. Over the years, they never develop enough training
and experience in any one thing to make a significant
contribution. They lack focus in life. They are often
driven by the emotions of the moment, rather than by a
long-term commitment that is made as the result of a
serious decision-making process. When the going gets tough
or things do not go their way, they leave. Rather than
facing the challenges of life head-on, they run from them.
They remain enthusiastic as long as they agree with the way
things are done. When this is not the case, rather than
providing some constructive criticism, then getting on with
the job, they take it personally if their views are not
immediately implemented. They then move on to something
else. In other cases, they get bored easiliy and want a new
challenge. This lack of roots prevents them from making a
serious contribution to the Kingdom of God.
The third seed fell among thorns. Its roots were deep and
it thrived. However, eventually the plant was overwhelmed
and killed by the thorns. Jesus is speaking of those who
are part of the people of God and have become rooted in a
faith community. They are will-connected and devote much of
their time to God’s work. They are well-trained and
experienced. So, what’s the problem? They have lost a
sense of perspective. The values of the Kingdom of God have
been forgotten because of preoccupation with other things.
There are a lot of things that can displace the Kingdom of
God- desire for power, prestige, money, fame in the world
to name just a few. This can also be found within the life
of Christian communities that focus inwardly on questions
of power- who gets to rearrange the deck chairs on the
Titanic. Anything that draws attention away from the values
of the Kingdom of God and the proclamation of the Gospel
can qualify as thorns.
The fourth seed falls on good soil and bears much fruit.
Its roots go deep into the soil and its branches serve as a
haven to birds, shelter from the sun and produces fruit.
This represents those who have committed their life to
Christ and have remained faithful to that decision. They
have discerned God’s call in their life and have
focused on that vocation. Like many prophets, they remain
faithful to their calling in adversity. Because they have
interiorized the values of the Kingdom, their sense of
priorities reflects this. This having been said, the lines
between these four personality types are not rigid. Even a
person in the fourth category will, on occasion, have
problems with disractions. If a gardener sits back and says
that all the work is done, the weeds will quickly take
over. This parable represents a challenge and a vision, not
a static place in life. May God help us to bear much fruit
for his Kingdom! Amen.