And these are they who are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
All Commentaries on Mark 4:20 Go To Mark 4
John Chrysostom
AD 407
Hom. in Matt., 44: Which we must understand was not done without a purpose, but that He might not leave any one behind Him, but have all His hearers before His face.
For He rouses the minds of His hearers by a parable, pointing out objects to the sight, to make His discourse more manifest.
Further, as a sower does not makea distinction in the ground which is beneath him, but simply and without distinction puts in the seed, so also He Himself addresses all. And to signify this, He says, “And as he sowed, some fell by the way-side.”.
But further He mentions good ground, saying, “And other fell on good ground.” For the difference of the fruits follows the quality of the ground. But great is the love of the Sower for men, for the first He commends, and rejects not the second, and gives a place to the third.
This, however, the greater portion of the seed is not lost through the fault of the owner, but of the earth, which received it, that is, of the soul, which hears. And indeed the real husbandman, if he sowed in this way, would be rightly blamed; for he is not ignorant that rock, or the road, or thorny ground, cannot become fertile. But in spiritual things it is not so; for there it is possible that stony ground may become fertile; and that the road should not be trodden down, and that the thorns maybe destroyed, for if this could not take place, he would not have sown there. By this, therefore, He gives to us hope of repentance. It goes on, “And He said unto them, He thathath ears to hear, let him hear.”.
Vict. Ant.e Cat. in Marc.: Thus, therefore, they see and they do not see, they hear and do not understand, for their seeing and hearing comes to them from God’s grace, but their seeing and not understanding comes to them from their unwillingness to receive grace, and closing their eyes, and pretending that they could not see; neither do they acquiesce in what was said, and so are not changed as to the ir sins by hearing and seeing, but rather are made worse.
Vict. Ant.e Cat. in Marc.: But His speaking to them only in parables, and yet not leaving off speaking to them entirely, shows that to those who are placed near to what is good, though they may have no good in themselves, still good is shewndisguised.There follows, “And He said unto them, Knowye not this parable, how then shall ye know all parables?”.
in Matt., Hom. 44: And indeed the prophet has compared the teaching of the people to the planting of a vine; in this place however it is compared to sowing, to show that obedience is now shorter and more easy, and will sooner yield fruit.
