Matthew 13:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.

NIV: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

NASB: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road.

CSB: When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path.

NLT: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.

KJV: When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

NKJV: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.

Jesus is beginning to explain the meaning of the sower parable (Matthew 13:3–9). In the New Testament, a parable often takes the form of a very short story meant to illustrate profound theological truths. Not every single detail is meant to carry an important message. Rather, it's the overall message that's meant to be grasped. Jesus' parables, especially, described truths about the kingdom of heaven.

This parable described a sower planting grain in his field. Farmers would scatter seeds across every part of a prepared field as they walked, distributing some of the seed right on top of the borders to ensure every inch was covered. In those cases, some seed would fall along the hard-packed path. When that happened, Jesus taught, the seeds would sit and wait for the birds to come and devour them.

Now Jesus shows that the seeds represent the "word of the kingdom" or His teaching about the kingdom of heaven. Different soils represent people with different levels of interest. Seeds falls onto the hard-packed earth represent those who do not understand spiritual teaching. This may be the crowds, in general, or the hardened, unmovable hearts of the Jewish religious leaders. The truth fails to penetrate below the surface, and Satan easily snatches it away from them.

A major point of controversy in this parable is whether Jesus is describing the difference between those who come to faith in Christ and those who do not. Interpreters have disagreed on where among the four options the line of salvation is drawn, or if it's even part of the lesson. Most scholars are cautious about what Jesus means about not understanding the "word of the kingdom." The same is true of shallow commitment due to persecution or worldliness, as in the following verses (Matthew 13:20–22). Christ is speaking most directly about whether Israel will receive Him as the Messiah. His emphasis is on producing "fruitful" plants who multiply themselves into more and more participants in His mission.

In short, while this parable presents useful parallels to how people respond to the gospel of salvation, most interpreters do not think this passage is meant to teach anything regarding eternal salvation for people in general.

Matthew 13:18–23 explains the lesson behind the parable of the seed-thrower who dropped seeds on four different types of soil (Matthew 13:1–9). The hardpacked soil of the path represents those who don't understand teaching about the kingdom of heaven, so the evil one steals it away. The rocky soil is those who receive the Word gladly but fall away under pressure. The thorny soil is those who are unproductive because of the cares of life and lies about money. Only those who receive the Word and reproduce it represent the good soil. While this is an important explanation, Christians often differ about how those categories relate to specific issues such as salvation. The four groups represented are not necessarily meant to form a spectrum; each has its own lessons to teach.

Matthew 13 follows Jesus from the overcrowded house at the end of the previous chapter to a crowded beach on the Sea of Galilee. He teaches a large crowd in a series of parables, which He doesn't fully explain. However, He reveals their meaning to His disciples inside a nearby house. Jesus pictures the kingdom of heaven as a sower, a sabotaged field of wheat, a mustard seed, and a pearl dealer, among other things. He then travels to His original hometown of Nazareth where He is rejected by the people He grew up with. This leads Matthew back to depictions of Jesus' miracles, after sadly recording John the Baptist's death.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.