Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 13:18-23

"Hear then ye the parable of the sower. 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. And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth the word, and straightway with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth. And he that was sown among the thorns, this is he that heareth the word; and the care of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty." — Matthew 13:18-23 (ASV)

Glossa Ordinaria: He had said above that it was not given to the Jews to know the kingdom of God, but to the apostles. Therefore, He now concludes, saying, "Hear, then, the parable of the sower, you to whom the mysteries of heaven are committed." ¹

St. Augustine of Hippo: It is certain that the Lord spoke the things the evangelist has recorded. However, what the Lord spoke was a parable, in which it is never required that the events described must have actually taken place. ²

Glossa Ordinaria: He then proceeds to explain the parable: "Every man who hears the word of the kingdom"—that is, My preaching which leads to acquiring the kingdom of heaven—"and does not understand it..." How he fails to understand it is explained by what follows: "...for the evil one"—that is, the Devil—"comes and takes away that which is sown in his heart." Every such person is "what is sown by the wayside."

Note that "what is sown" is taken in different senses. The seed is what is sown, and the field is also what is sown; both meanings are found here. When He says the evil one "carries away that which is sown," we must understand this to mean the seed. But what follows, "is sown by the way side," should be understood not as the seed, but as the place of the seed—that is, the person, who is like a field sown with the seed of the divine word. ³

Remigius of Auxerre: In these words, the Lord explains what the seed is: namely, the word of the kingdom, that is, of the gospel's teaching. For there are some who receive the word of the Lord with no devotion of heart. And so, the seed of God's word sown in their heart is immediately carried off by demons, like seed dropped by the wayside. It follows, "That which is sown upon the rock, is he that heareth the word, etc." For the seed, the word of God, which is sown on the rock—that is, in the hard and untamed heart—can bring forth no fruit, since its hardness is great and its desire for heavenly things is small. Because of this great hardness, it has no root in itself.

St. Jerome: Note what is said: "is immediately offended." There is, then, a difference between one who is driven to deny Christ by many tribulations and torments, and one who is offended and falls away at the first persecution. He proceeds to speak of this latter case: "That which is sown among thorns." To me, He seems here to express figuratively what was said literally to Adam: Amidst briers and thorns thou shalt eat thy bread (Genesis 3:18). This means that whoever has given himself up to the delights and cares of this world eats heavenly bread and the true food among thorns.

Rabanus Maurus: They are rightly called thorns because they lacerate the soul with the piercing stings of thought and do not allow it to bring forth the spiritual fruit of virtue.

St. Jerome: And it is elegantly added, "The deceitfulness of riches chokes the word." For riches are treacherous, promising one thing and doing another. Holding them is a slippery business, as they are carried here and there, and with an uncertain step, they forsake those who have them or return to those who do not. This is why the Lord asserts that rich men can hardly enter the kingdom of heaven, because their riches choke the word of God and weaken the strength of their virtues.

Remigius of Auxerre: It should be known that these three kinds of bad soil represent all who can hear the word of God and yet lack the strength to bring it to fruition for their salvation. The Gentiles are an exception, as they were not considered worthy even to hear it.

It follows, "That which is sown on the good ground." The good ground is the faithful conscience of the elect, or the spirit of the saints, which receives the word of God with joy, desire, and devotion of heart. This good ground manfully retains the word amid both prosperous and adverse circumstances and brings forth fruit from it, as the text says: "And brings forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold."

St. Jerome: It should be noted that just as there were three degrees of difference in the bad ground—namely, the wayside, the stony, and the thorny ground—so in the good soil there is a threefold difference: the hundredfold, the sixtyfold, and the thirtyfold. In both cases, it is not the substance but the will that is changed, and the hearts of both the unbelieving and the believing receive the seed. In the first case of bad soil, He said, "Then comes the wicked one, and carries off that which is sown in the heart." In the second and third cases, He said, "This is he that hears the word." Likewise, in the explanation of the good soil, it says, "This is he that hears the word." Therefore, we ought first to hear, then to understand, and after understanding, to bring forth the fruits of this teaching: either a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Some think this means that the saints, according to the degree of their merits, will deliver some thirty, some sixty, or a hundred persons. They usually suppose this will happen on the day of judgment, not after the judgment. However, when this opinion was seen to encourage people to promise themselves impunity—believing that by this means all might attain deliverance—it was answered that people ought rather to live well. In this way, each might be found among those who intercede for the liberation of others. Otherwise, these intercessors might be so few that they would soon exhaust their allotted number, leaving many unrescued from torment. Among these might be all who, in the most vain rashness, had promised themselves they would reap the fruits of others' merits. ⁴

Remigius of Auxerre: The thirtyfold, then, is brought forth by one who teaches faith in the Holy Trinity; the sixtyfold by one who teaches the perfection of good works (for in the number six, this world was completed with all its features);ⁱ and the hundredfold by one who promises eternal life. This is because the number one hundred passes from the left hand to the right, and the left hand denotes the present life, while the right hand denotes the life to come.

Alternatively, the seed of the word of God brings forth thirtyfold fruit when it begets good thoughts, sixtyfold fruit with good speech, and hundredfold fruit when it leads to the fruit of good works.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Alternatively, there is hundredfold fruit from the martyrs because of their fulfillment in life or contempt for death. There is sixtyfold fruit from virgins because they do not rest from warring against the fleshly appetites; for retirement is allowed to those sixty years of age after service in war or public business. And there is thirtyfold fruit from the married, because theirs is the age of warfare, and their struggle is more arduous, so that they are not vanquished by their lusts. ⁵

Or, in another sense, we must struggle with our love for temporal goods so that reason may be master. This love should either be so overcome and subjected to us that when it begins to rise it can be easily repressed, or so extinguished that it never arises in us at all. From this, it comes to pass that death itself is despised for the sake of truth: by some with brave endurance, by others with contentment, and by others with gladness. These three responses are the three degrees of fruit: thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and hundredfold.

And if anyone desires to depart from this life well, they must be found in one of these degrees at the time of their death.

St. Jerome: The hundredfold fruit is to be ascribed to virgins, the sixtyfold to widows and continent persons, and the thirtyfold to chaste marriage. ⁶

For the joining together of the hands, as if in the soft embrace of a kiss, represents husband and wife. The sixtyfold refers to widows who, being set in narrow circumstances and affliction, are denoted by the pressing down of the finger. For the greater the difficulty of abstaining from the allurements of pleasure once it is known, the greater the reward. The hundredth number passes from the left hand to the right, and by turning around with the same fingers, but not on the same hand, it expresses the crown of virginity.^{i 7}

1. ap. Anselm
2. De Gen. ad lit., viii, 4
3. ap. Anselm
4. City of God, book xxi, ch. 27
5. Quaest Ev., i, 9
6. see Cyp. Tr. iv. 12
7. Hieron. Ep. 48, 2