Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 13:19

"When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, [then] cometh the evil [one], and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was sown by the way side." — Matthew 13:19 (ASV)

When anyone hears the word — The explanation has become so familiar to us that it is hard to put ourselves in the position of those for whom it was the unveiling of new truths, like holding up a mirror in which they might see their own likeness. Our interest in it may be quickened if we think of it as reflecting what had actually been our Lord’s experience. The types of hearers who had gathered around Him were represented, generally speaking, by the four outcomes of the seed scattered by the sower. All preachers of the truth, from that day to this, have felt that their own experience has presented similar phenomena.

The ethical sequence described is as follows: The man hears “the word of the kingdom”—a discourse, for example, like the Sermon on the Mount or the one at Nazareth (Luke 4:16–21). He does not “understand” it (the fault being moral rather than intellectual), and he does not pay attention to it or “take it in.” The “wicked one” (note the connection with the clause in the Lord’s Prayer, “Deliver us from evil,” or the evil one) snatches it away, even from his memory.

At first, it seems strange that the multitude of “the birds of the air” should represent the single Tempter. Yet, there is a terrible truth in the fact that everything that leads people to forget the truth is, in fact, doing the work of the great enemy. On the other hand, the birds, in their rapid flight and gathering flocks, may well represent the light and foolish thoughts that serve as the Tempter’s instruments. The “wayside” thus corresponds to a character that is hardened by the wear and tear of daily life—what we aptly call its routine—so that the words of truth make hardly even the most fleeting impression on it.

This is he who received seed — Our translators try, unsuccessfully, to combine the parable with its interpretation. Literally, and far better, here and in the following verses, the text should read: this is the one who is sown by the wayside.