Matthew 13:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

NIV: As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

NASB: and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.

CSB: As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.

NLT: As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them.

KJV: And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

NKJV: And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.

Jesus begins His first parable (Matthew 13:1–3) by describing the act of planting a field. He pictures a sower, something His audience could easily picture in their minds. The sower would carry a pouch with seeds of grain, or would have held them in the folds of their clothes. The sower grabbed handfuls and scattered them thoroughly across as much of the field as possible. Obviously, this is very different from modern farming practices, where machines deliberately place seeds in massive, straight rows. In the ancient world, sowing a field like this meant hoping for as much seed as possible to take root and grow. The more seed was scattered, the more potential crops there were to gain.

This parable focuses first on the scattered seeds that don't make it to maturity. The first of those are the seeds tossed along the edge of the field, which land on hard-packed, uncultivated walking paths. That ground is not prepared for seed—it has not been tilled, or turned, and its surface is hard. Seeds landing there merely lay on top of the path and wait to be eaten by the birds.

The disciples will later hear what each of these scenarios represents. In this first one, seeds that fall on the path are like people who hear teaching about the kingdom of heaven and just don't get it (Matthew 13:19). They're either disinterested, hardened, or unprepared. One way or another, the "seed" of this teaching never even breaks the surface. Almost immediately, Satan comes and snatches away the eternal truth of the kingdom, before anything else can happen to make it take root in the person's heart.

Matthew 13:1–9 turns the focus back to Jesus' spiritual teachings, with the parable of the sower. As Jesus sits in a boat just offshore, He tells the crowd about a seed-thrower whose seed fell on a path, on rocky soil, among thorns, and on good soil. Only the seed on the good soil is productive. Jesus later explains the meaning of the parable to His disciples (Matthew 13:18–23), but He does not fully explain it for the crowds.

Matthew 13 focuses mainly on a series of parables. Jesus first describes these to a large crowd along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Later, in a house, He explains to the disciples the meanings of the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the fish caught in the net. Jesus then travels to Nazareth, teaches in the synagogue, and is rejected by the people of His original hometown.

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.