Mark § 15

And he said to them in his teaching: Listen; behold, a sower went out to sow. The Lord himself, in the following, explaining this parable, asserts that the seed is the word of God, and that the sower is himself. But when he says that a sower went out to sow, he left it for us to inquire. Therefore, the sower went out to sow because the Lord, coming forth from the bosom of the Father, came into the world, and the word of truth, which he saw with the Father, he sowed to the human race either by himself or by those he appointed, according to what Habakkuk says in his praises of him, You went out to save your people, to save your anointed ones (Habakkuk 3:13), that is, those whom you deign to consecrate with the anointing of your Spirit and make participants in your holy name. Or certainly he went out to sow when, after calling the chosen portion of the synagogue to faith, he also poured out the gifts of his grace to the gathering of the nations. He also signified this by his journey, when after preaching at home, he went out to the sea to teach. Finally, while preaching at home, he abandoned some for the unforgivable crime of their blasphemy; he called others his mother and brothers because of their devotion to piety. This clearly expresses the difference in the Jewish nation, in which many were rebellious to the Lord, yet some were worthy of divine adoption.

(in Marc. i. 19) Or else, He went out to sow, when after calling to His faith the elect portion of the synagogue, He poured out the gifts of His grace in order to call the Gentiles also.

Think of the various ways, dear friends, by which the master points us toward the coming resurrection, by which the Lord Jesus Christ was made the firstfruit when he raised him from the dead. Let us observe, dear friends, how something like resurrection is so often anticipated in the course of nature. Day and night, for example: the night falls asleep, and day arises; day departs, and night returns. Or consider the planting of crops: How and in what manner does the sowing take place? The sower goes forth and casts into the earth each of the seeds. They fall into the dry and bare ground and decay. Then out of their decay the majesty of God's providence raises them up, and from being one seed, many grow up and bring forth fruit. Even more dramatically, recall that remarkable wonder which has been reported in eastern regions in the vicinity of Arabia, of a bird named Phoenix. This bird is said to be a unique species, living perhaps five hundred years. When the time of its dissolution and death arrives, it makes for itself a coffinlike nest of frankincense and myrrh and the other spices, into which, its time being completed, it enters and dies. But as the flesh decays, a certain worm is born, which is nourished by the juices of the dead bird and eventually grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it takes up that coffinlike nest containing the bones of its parent, and carrying them away, makes its way from the country of Arabia to Egypt, to the city of Heliopolis. There, in broad daylight in the sight of all, it flies to the altar of the sun and deposits them there, and then sets out on its return, which the priests who examine records think occurs at the end of the five hundredth year. With all these indications in nature, why should it surprise us that the creator of the universe might bring about the resurrection of those who have served him with holiness in the assurance of a good faith, seeing that he shows to us even by a bird the magnificence of his promise?

These are, he says, what are by all called the secret mysteries, "which (also we speak), not in words taught of human wisdom, but in those taught of the Spirit, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him." And these are, he says, the ineffable mysteries of the Spirit, which we alone are acquainted with. Concerning these, he says, the Saviour has declared, "No one can come unto me, except my heavenly Father draw some one unto me." For it is very difficult, he says, to accept and receive this great and ineffable mystery. And again, it is said, the Saviour has declared, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." And it is necessary that they who perform this (will), not hear it merely, should enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again, he says, the Saviour has declared, "The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of heaven before you." For "the publicans," he says, are those who receive the revenues of all things; but we, he says, are the publicans, "unto whom the ends of the ages have come." For "the ends," he says, are the seeds scattered from the unportrayable one upon the world, through which the whole cosmical system is completed; for through these also it began to exist. And this, he says, is what has been declared: "The sower went forth to sow. And some fell by the wayside, and was trodden down; and some on the rocky places, and sprang up," he says, "and on account of its having no depth (of soil), it withered and died; and some," he says, "fell on fair and good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty fold. Who hath ears," he says, "to hear, let him hear." The meaning of this, he says, is as follows, that none becomes a hearer of these mysteries, unless only the perfect Gnostics. This, he says, is the fair and good land which Moses speaks of: "I will bring you into a fair and good land, into a land flowing with milk and honey." This, he says, is the honey and the milk, by tasting which those that are perfect become kingless, and share in the Pleroma. This, he says, is the Pleroma, through which all existent things that are produced have from the ingenerable one been both produced and completed.

And these (heretics) suppose that this is what is spoken by the Saviour: "A sower went forth to sow; and that which fell on the fair and good ground produced, some a hundred-fold, and some sixty-fold, and some thirty-fold." And for this reason, the (Docetic) says, (that the Saviour) has spoken the words, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear," because these (truths)are not altogether rumours. All these Aeons, both the three and all those infinite (Aeons which proceed) from these indefinitely, are hermaphrodite Aeons. All these, then, after they had been increased and magnified, and had sprung from that one primary seed, (were actuated by a spirit) of concord and union, and they all coalesced into one Aeon. And in this manner they begot of a single virgin, Mary, a joint offspring, who is a Mediator, (that is,) the Saviour of all who are in the (covenant of) mediation. (And this Saviour is,) in every respect, coequal in power with the seed of the fig-tree, with the exception that he was generated. Whereas that primary seed, from whence the fig-tree sprung, is unbegotten. When, therefore, those three Aeons were adorned with all virtue and with all sanctity, so these teachers suppose, as well as that only begotten child-for he alone was begotten by those infinite Aeons from three immediately concerned in his birth, for three immeasurable Aeons being unanimous procreated him;-(after, I say, the Aeons and only Son were thus adorned,) the entire nature, which is cognised by intellect, was fashioned free from deficiency. Now, all those intelligible and eternal (entities) constituted light. Light, however, was not devoid of form, nor inoperative, nor in want, as it were, of the assistance of any (other power). But (light) proportionately with the multitude of those infinite (Aeons) indefinitely (generated) in conformity with the exemplar of the fig-tree, possesses in itself infinite species of various animals indigenous to that quarter of creation, and it shone down upon the underlying chaos. And when this (chaos) was simultaneously illuminated, and had form imparted to it by those diversified species from above, it derived (thereby) solidity, and acquired all those supernal species from the third Aeon, who had made himself threefold.

What is the meaning of this parable? He went out to sow his seed. From where could he "go out" who is present everywhere, and fills all places? He went out, not into a place, but into a life and into a historic dispensation wherein he saved us, being brought close to us by reason of assuming our flesh. Since we could not enter in, for our sins had shut the door to us, he came out to us.… He came to till and to take care of the earth: to sow the word of compassion. For here he calls his teaching seed, the souls of men a ploughed field, and himself the sower.

(in Matt. Hom. 44.) And indeed the prophet has compared the teaching of the people to the planting of a vine; (Isa. 5) in this place however it is compared to sowing, to show that obedience is now shorter and more easy, and will sooner yield fruit.

Then Peter said: "If I were asked to speak of these things only on your account, who come only for the purpose of contradicting, you should never hear a single discourse from me; but seeing it is necessary that the husbandman, wishing to sow good ground, should sow some seeds, either in stony places, or places that are to be trodden of men, or in places filled with brambles and briers (as our Master also set forth, indicating by these the diversities of the purposes of several souls), I shall not delay."

He puts forward the first parable about the seed in order to make the listeners more attentive. Since He intends to say that the seed is the word and that it perishes when it falls among the inattentive, He speaks of this first of all, so that the listeners might take care to be attentive and not resemble that soil which destroys the seed. But who is the Sower? Christ Himself, Who in His love for mankind and condescension went forth inseparably from the bosom of the Father, and went forth not to burn the accursed earth and evil hearts, not to cut down the thorns, but to sow seed. What seed? That of Moses? That of the prophets? No, His own — that is, to preach His own Gospel.

Hearken: behold, there went out a sower to sow. Now the Sower is Christ.

And while he was sowing, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it. In the Gospel of Luke, it is written about this seed: Some fell beside the path, and it was trampled, and the birds of the air ate it. Therefore, whatever the Lord deigned to explain in this parable must be received with pious faith. But what he left silent for our understanding, must be sought and briefly summarized with an equally pious intention. The seed that fell along the path was destroyed by a double injury, both trampled by those passing by and snatched by the birds. The path, therefore, represents the mind worn and dry from the incessant passage of evil thoughts, so that it is incapable of receiving and germinating the seed of the word. And thus, whatever good seed happens to fall near such a path perishes, trampled by the passage of wicked thought and snatched away by demons. Rightly are these called birds of the air, either because they are of a heavenly and spiritual nature or because they fly through the air.

(ubi sup.) Or else, the way is a mind which is a path for bad thoughts, preventing the seed of the word from growing in it. And therefore whatsoever good seed comes in contact with such a way, perishes, and is carried off by devils. Wherefore there follows, And the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And well are the devils called fowls of the air, either because they are of a heavenly and spiritual origin, or because they dwell in the air. Or else, those who are about the way are negligent and slothful men.

As the sower fairly and indiscriminately disperses seed broadly over all his field, so does God offer gifts to all, making no distinction between rich and poor, wise and foolish, lazy or diligent, brave or cowardly. He addresses everyone, fulfilling his part, although knowing the results beforehand.… Why then, tell me, was so much of the seed lost? Not through the sower, but through the ground that received it—meaning the soul that did not listen.… Even though more seed would be lost than survive, the disciples were not to lose heart. For it is the way of the Lord never to stop sowing the seed, even when he knows beforehand that some of it will not respond. But how can it be reasonable, one asks, to sow among the thorns, or on the rock, or alongside the road? Maybe it is not reasonable insofar as it pertains only to seeds and earth, for the bare rock is not likely to turn into tillable soil, and the roadside will remain roadside and the thorns, thorns. But in the case of free wills and their reasonable instruction, this kind of sowing is praiseworthy. For the rocky soul can in time turn into rich soil. Among souls, the wayside may come no longer to be trampled by all that pass, and may become a fertile field. The thorns may be destroyed and the seed enjoy full growth. For had this not been impossible, this sower would not have sown. And even if no change whatever occurs in the soul, this is no fault of the sower, but of those who are unwilling to be changed. He has done his part.

And He sowed; but of the seeds, one fell on a soul like a road trampled by many, and the birds of the air, that is, the demons who rule in the air, devoured this seed. To such people belong the people-pleasers; they are the same as a road trampled by many. Whoever does everything only to please this person or that is trampled by many. But notice, the Lord did not say that the seed was thrown by the wayside, but that it fell by the wayside, because the Sower casts the seed on the ground as on good ground, but the ground itself, having proved to be bad, destroys the seed, that is, the word. However, some have well understood what fell by the wayside in the sense that it fell on an unbelieving heart. For the Way is Christ, and those by the wayside are the unbelievers who are outside the Way, that is, Christ.

Take notice, that He says not that He threw it in the way, but that it fell, for a sower, as far as he can, throws it into good ground, but if the ground be bad, it corrupts the seed. Now the way is Christ; but infidels are by the way-side, that is, out of Christ.

But some fell upon rocky places, where it had not much earth; and it immediately sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. And when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And the Lord explains the mystery of this seed. In this exposition, we learn that these things are not always allegorically placed in the same significance. For stone indicates the hardness of a stubborn mind, earth the gentleness of an obedient soul, and the sun the fervor of a raging persecution; although elsewhere he places the sun in a good light, saying the righteous will shine in the future like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. And in the construction of the spiritual house, he teaches that digging deep, earth must be removed, and stone laid in the foundation, that is, the earthly thoughts are to be cleansed from the innermost recess of the heart, and the strength of invincible faith to be laid in the foundation of good works. In this instance, the depth of earth properly cultivated should have received the seed of the word, the uprightness of a soul exercised in heavenly disciplines and regularly trained in listening and obeying divine words. But rocky places, covered with thin soil, can quickly germinate the received seed, yet do not have the strength to set roots; these are, without a doubt, hearts untrained in the studies of discipline, softened by no trials of temptation, delighted only for a moment by the sweetness of the heard word and celestial promises, but fall away in time of temptation; for when they present the fleeting sweetness of the heavenly oracle to their inherent austerity, as if a place designated for the holy seed, they cover a great heap of stones with a thin layer of soil. Therefore, they cannot reach the fruit of righteousness because of the little amount of saving desire inherent in them to conceive the seed of life, and the abundance of harmful hardness that obstructs the fruit of salvation.

(ubi sup.) It goes on: And some fell on stony ground. He calls stone, the hardness of a wanton mind; He calls ground, the inconstancy of a soul in its obedience; and sun, the heat of a raging persecution. Therefore the depth of earth, which ought to have received the seed of God, is the honesty of a mind trained in heavenly discipline, and regularly brought up in obedience to the Divine words. But the stony places, which have no strength for fixing the root firmly, are those breasts which are delighted only with the sweetness of the word which they hear, and for a time with the heavenly promises, but in a season of temptation fall away, for there is too little of healthful desire in them to conceive the seed of life.

Other seed fell on a rocky soul — I mean those who readily accept the word but then reject it. They are rocky, as having become somewhat like the rock, that is, Christ, inasmuch as they accepted the word; but since they accept the word for a time and then reject it, through this they lose even the likeness.

And if the young shoots of the wheat wither, that is not because of the heat, for he did not say that it withered because of the heat, but "because it had no roots." And if that which he has taught us is choked, neither is it the fault of the thorns, but of those who allow them to grow. For you can, if you will, oppose their evil growth, and make fitting use of your resources. For this reason he says not "the world," but "the care of this world"; not "riches," but "the deceitfulness of riches." Let us put blame, not on created things, but on the corrupted will.

Now pay particular attention. There is not one single way of destruction. Rather there are various ways that differ from one another significantly. Some, like the seed along the roadside, are the coarse-minded, indifferent, and careless. Others, those on the rock, are like people who fail from weakness only.

For who would ever have believed me if I had wished to interpret thorns as riches, especially since the former prick while the latter delight? And yet they are thorns, because they tear the mind with the prickings of their thoughts, and when they drag it all the way to sin, they cause it to bleed as if by an inflicted wound. These, in this passage, as another evangelist attests, the Lord calls not simply riches, but deceitful riches, and rightly so. For they are deceitful because they cannot remain with us for long; they are deceitful because they do not drive away the poverty of our mind. Only those riches are true which make us rich in virtues. If therefore, dearest brothers, you desire to be rich, love true riches. If you seek the summit of true honor, strive toward the heavenly kingdom. If you love the glory of high positions, hasten to be enrolled in that supernal court of the angels.

There are some of them rich, and others immersed in much business. The thistles are the rich, and the thorns are they who are immersed in much business. Those, accordingly, who are entangled in many various kinds of business, do not cleave to the servants of God, but wander away, being choked by their business transactions; and the rich cleave with difficulty to the servants of God, fearing lest these should ask something of them. Such persons, accordingly, shall have difficulty in entering the kingdom of God. For as it is disagreeable to walk among thistles with naked feet, so also it is hard for such to enter the kingdom of God.

Other seed fell on a soul occupied with many things, for the "thorns" are the cares of life.

And some fell among thorns; by which are marked souls which care for many things. For thorns are cares.

Note that Christ has recounted three ways of disaster, and that three likewise are the grades of glory. For the seed that fell upon the wayside was seized by the birds. That which sprang up on stony ground quickly perished. That which grew amid the thorns was choked. But the desirable good earth brought forth fruit, and with a threefold difference, as I have said; some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirtyfold. As the most learned Paul writes: "Everyone has his proper gift from God," one after this manner, another after that. And we don't find the good actions of holy men to be all of equal merit. But it behooves us to strive earnestly after their better actions, and rise above the less worthy; so shall we be rewarded bountifully by Christ, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be praise and glory for ever. Amen.

Why did one soil bear a hundred, one sixty, one thirty? The difference is the readiness of the ground, for even where the ground is good, differences remain in the readiness of soils. The fault lies not in the farmer or the seed, but in the condition of the land itself, its disposition to receive.

Be this therefore the first step to you of three; which step brings forth thirty commands, and the second sixty, and the third a hundred, as we shall expound more fully to you at another time.

But the fourth seed fell on good ground. So observe how rare goodness is and how few are being saved! Only a fourth part of the seed proved to have survived!

See also how the bad are the greatest number, and the few are those who are saved, for the fourth part of the ground is found to be saved.

And he said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." As often as this admonition is interposed either in the Gospel or in the Revelation of John, it is insinuated that what is said is mystical and is salubrious for hearing and learning. For the ears for hearing are the ears of the heart, and the inner senses, the ears for obeying and doing what has been commanded.

(ubi sup.) As often as this is inserted in the Gospel or in the Apocalypse of John, that which is spoken is mystical, and is pointed out as healthful to be heard and learnt. For the ears by which they are heard belong to the heart, and the ears by which men obey and do what is commanded, are those of an interior sense. There follows, And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked of him the parable; and he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God, but to them that are without all things are done in parables.

Remember what is said: If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear. For all who were present there had bodily ears. But he who says to all having ears, If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear, without doubt seeks the ears of the heart. Take care therefore that the word received remains in the ear of the heart.