I was recently reading in M.R Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament, and in his comments on the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 he points out something I hadn’t noticed before. I thought I would pass that along.

In Matthew’s version of this parable, the Lord, in explaining which ones are the “good earth,” says,

…this is he who hears the word and understands, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some indeed a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold.
— Matthew 13:23

So, we first need to “hear” the word; all three accounts of the good earth begin with hearing, for unless we first hear the word, we have no chance to believe in the gospel in the first place (Rom. 10:14).

Matthew then goes on to say we need to “understand” the word to be the good earth. In Mark’s account, however, we are told instead that the good earth is he who “receives” the word (Mark 4:20). And in Luke, it is he who “keeps” the word (Luke 8:15).

So, as is often the case, we need more than one of the Gospels to get the full sense of the truth they present. In this case, to be the good earth, we surely need to be those who first “understand” the word of God. However, we must also be those who “receive” it, and ultimately, we must be those who “keep” it. (cf. Rev. 1:3). Only then can we be the “good earth” and bear fruit, “some indeed a hundred-fold, some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold.”

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—  15 October 2024 —