FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (YEAR A)
Is 55:10-11; Ps 65; Rom 8:18-23; Mt 13:1-23 or Mt 13:1-9
COMMENTARY
The parable of the generous sower
Following the path of Jesus’ public evangelizing activities in Matthew’s Gospel along the Sundays of liturgical year A, we now come to the beginning of a new peculiar section, the one of the parables. In this part, the evangelist shows a Jesus Master and the Wise of God, revealing the mystery of the Kingdom through the simple stories of daily life. We, who have heard these parables of Jesus many times before, face the risk of no longer feeling awe or paying attention before these gems of religious narrative, which originally amazed quite a few listeners. Parabolic narratives were in fact the hallmark of the teaching of the Master of Nazareth, rightly regarded as the genius of parables. It is therefore necessary to make ourselves humble and small even today in the school of Jesus, in order to taste anew the freshness and ancient but always new wisdom of His parables, beginning with that of the sower, which Jesus offers as the first of the whole series and therefore the most important.
1. “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” A Key Parable of Jesus for Every Listener
Actually, the prominence of the parable of the sower over the others is highlighted by the fact that the synoptic evangelists report it at the beginning of Jesus’ teaching in parables. Indeed, as St. Mark the evangelist pointed out, Jesus himself emphasized the fundamental role of this parabolic account in understanding the others: “Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?’”(Mk 4:13). It is therefore the key parable because it is intended to provoke a fundamental “ jolt” in the listeners, recalling in them a right attitude toward the teaching of Jesus who spoke almost exclusively in a parabolic way, as remarked by the evangelist Mark: “Without parables he did not speak to them” (Mk 4:34).
The importance of this parable emerges even more from its particular conclusion: “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” It is the phrase often found on Jesus’ lips and thus can be called the “wisdom refrain” in His speeches (cf., e.g., Mt 13:43). It is the exhortation to reflection and understanding of the teaching given, translatable as, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” It recurs throughout the Synoptic traditions as well as in the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas (as many as 6 times). Moreover, it is also found in the speeches of the risen Jesus to the communities of the faithful in Rev. (cf. 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22; 13:9); this demonstrates the great “popularity” of the saying that can be traced back to the historical Jesus..
With St. Jerome and many modern authors we can point out that the fundamental meaning of these formulas is not parenetic (invitation to obey and act) but noetic: it is the invitation to reflect, to pay attention in order to understand. This is also confirmed by Jesus’ exhortation in Mk 7:14: “Listen to me all and understand!” (cf. also Mk 7:18). In any case, regardless of the problem of interpretation, it is sufficient to note that behind Jesus’ saying there is a glimpse of the image of the wise man or even the Wisdom of God calling, as he did in the Old Testament tradition, particularly through the voice of the wise man at the end of the wisdom psalm praising God’s wonders in creation and salvation history: “Whoever is wise will take note of these things, and ponder the merciful deeds of the LORD.” (Ps 107:43). It therefore always takes a wise listening that comes from an awareness of being small before the divine message, which is now revealed with and in Jesus through parables. That is why, in the liturgy of the Eastern Church, before every proclamation of the Gospel, the deacon literally “cries out” in Greek: Sophia! That is to say, Wisdom!
2. “A sower went out to sow.” The Mystery of Christ the Sower and God the Farmer
With the right attitude of wise listening, let us now taste more closely the sweetness and beauty of the parabolic story heard today which is, we would like to reiterate, the most important of Jesus’ parables.
Aside from the pressing message for all of us to think about “improving” the soil of our hearts in order to make the seed of the Word received bear fruit, the most beautiful aspect of the story concerns the generosity of the protagonist who sows without too much calculation or reservation not taking into account the various conditions of the soil. Such generous action even borders on folly if not downright foolishness: why did he not avoid “the path,” the “rocky ground,” the “thorns”? Obviously, it should be pointed out that these are probably the parts pertaining to the field. Moreover, from what the story and the sowing practice of the time suggest, what the sower does is simply to throw the seeds into the field, while a portion still ends up in the neighboring no-good soils precisely because of this abundant and generous sowing. In any case, it is an analogy, though not a perfect one, of the mystery of Christ the sower par excellence who sows the Word of God to all without any discrimination.
Thus, rather than a story about the fate of the seed, an image of God’s Word, whether or not it produces fruit in the soil of each hearer’s heart, this is the parable of the generous sower who always “went out” on mission despite the possible poor yield that awaited him. Only a quarter of the seeds sown bear fruit, and in varying quantities. Apparently, this will be precisely the most important message for Jesus’ disciples-missionaries today, those called to continue his own mission of the divine Sower. Despite the reality that arouses no small amount of perplexity and distrust in the “appropriateness” and “usefulness” of proclamation, the disciples-missionaries are invited to always go forward fearlessly and always with generosity to bring the Word of God with and in Christ to all. It is, after all, the same determination and generosity as Christ during his public ministry to the end.
3. Renewing the Mission of Evangelization Based on the Word of God
So, the message of today’s parable urges us to renew the zeal of sowing the Word of God, and at the same time, to revive the fervor in listening wisely to It in life as disciples-missionaries of Christ. We must allow ourselves to be evangelized by the Word of God heard and meditated upon daily, so that we can share with others the joy and inspiration that come from It. Interestingly, Christ himself after the resurrection continued to proclaim and explain the Word. He actually approached His lost and frightened disciples like those at Emmaus to “open” the Holy Scriptures to them again. Therefore, we know how to listen and wisely listen again to his voice so that we can share with neighbors and friends the beauty of God’s Word lived in us. There is so much need to renew more and more the mission of evangelization well founded on the Word of God. In this regard, this is the Pope’s authoritative teaching to us in his Message for World Mission (Sun)Day 2023:
It follows that knowledge of Scripture is important for the Christian life, and even more so for the preaching of Christ and his Gospel. Otherwise, what are you passing on to others if not your own ideas and projects? A cold heart can never make other hearts burn!
So let us always be willing to let ourselves be accompanied by the Risen Lord as he explains to us the meaning of the Scriptures. May he make our hearts burn within us; may he enlighten and transform us, so that we can proclaim his mystery of salvation to the world with the power and wisdom that come from his Spirit.
Let us pray then (in the words of the alternative Collect prayer in the Italian Missal for Sunday XV, Year A):
Increase in us, O Father, by the power of your Spirit the readiness to accept the seed of your word, which you continue to sow in the furrows of humanity, so that it may bear fruit in works of justice and peace and reveal to the world the blessed hope of your kingdom. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Useful points to consider:
Leo XIV, General Audience, Saint Peter’s Square, Wednesday, 21 May 2025
Cycle of Catechesis – Jubilee 2025. Jesus Christ our Hope. II. The life of Jesus. The parables 6. The sower. He spoke to them at length in parables (Mt 13:3a)
[…] Today I would like to dwell on a parable which is somewhat peculiar, because it is a sort of introduction to all the parables. I refer to that of the sower (cf. Mt 13:1-17). In a certain sense, in this account we can recognize Jesus’ way of communicating, which has a great deal to teach us for proclaiming the Gospel today.
Every parable tells a story that is taken from everyday life, yet wants to tell us something more, to refer us to a deeper meaning. The parable raises questions in us; it invites us not to stop at appearances. Before the story that is told or the image that is presented to me, I can ask myself: where am I in this story? What does this image say to my life? In fact, the term “parable” comes from the Greek verb paraballein, which means to throw in front of. The parable throws before me a word that provokes me and prompts me to question myself.
The parable of the sower talks precisely about the dynamic of the word of God and the effects it produces. Indeed, every word of the Gospel is like a seed that is thrown on the ground of our life. Jesus uses the image of the seed many times, with different meanings. In chapter 13 of the Gospel of Matthew, the parable of the sower introduces a series of other short parables, some of which talk precisely about what is happening on the terrain: the wheat and the weeds, the mustard seed, the treasure hidden in the field. What, then, is this soil? It is our heart, but it is also the world, the community, the Church. The word of God, in fact, makes fruitful and provokes every reality.
At the beginning, we see Jesus who leaves the house and gathers a great crowd around him (cf. Mt 13:1). His word fascinates and intrigues. Among the people there are obviously many different situations. The word of Jesus is for everyone, but it works in each person in a different way. This context allows us to understand better the meaning of the parable.
A rather unusual sower goes out to sow, but does not care where the seed falls. He throws the seeds even where it is unlikely they will bear fruit: on the path, on the rocks, among the thorns. This attitude surprises the listener and induces him to ask: how come?
We are used to calculating things – and at times it is necessary – but this does not apply in love! The way in which this “wasteful” sower throws the seed is an image of the way God loves us. Indeed, it is true that the destiny of the seed depends also on the way in which the earth welcomes it and the situation in which it finds itself, but first and foremost in this parable Jesus tells us that God throws the seed of his Word on all kinds of soil, that is, in any situation of ours: at times we are more superficial and distracted, at times we let ourselves get carried away by enthusiasm, sometimes we are burdened by life’s worries, but there are also times when we are willing and welcoming. God is confident and hopes that sooner or later the seed will blossom. This is how he loves us: he does not wait for us to become the best soil, but he always generously gives us his word. Perhaps by seeing that he trusts us, the desire to be better soil will be kindled in us. This is hope, founded on the rock of God’s generosity and mercy. […]
Pope Francis, Angelus, Saint Peter’s Square, Sunday, 12 July 2020
In this Sunday’s Gospel passage (cf. Mt 13:1-23), Jesus tells a great crowd the Parable […] of the Sower, who casts seeds over four different types of terrain. The Word of God, symbolized by the seeds, […] is […] Christ himself, the Word of the Father who became flesh in Mary’s womb. Embracing the Word of God therefore, means embracing the personage of Christ; of Christ himself. […]
The Word is given to each one of us. We can ask ourselves: what type of terrain am I? Do I resemble the path, the rocky ground, the bramble bush? If we want, with the grace of God, we can become good soil, ploughed and carefully cultivated, to help ripen the seed of the Word. It is already present in our heart, but making it fruitful depends on us; it depends on the embrace that we reserve for this seed.
Benedict XVI, Angelus, Courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo, Sunday, 10 July 2011
In this Sunday’s Gospel (Mt 13:1-23), Jesus recounts to the crowd the well-known Parable of the Sower. In a certain way it is an “autobiographical” passage, for it reflects the very experience of Jesus, of his preaching. He identifies himself with the sower who scatters the good seed of the Word of God and notes the different effects it obtains, in accordance with the way in which people hear the proclamation. […]
However this Gospel also puts the accent on Jesus’ preaching “method”, that is, on his use of parables. “Why do you speak to them in parables?”, his disciples ask (Mt 13:10). And Jesus answers distinguishing between them and the crowd: to his disciples — namely to those who have already decided for him — he can speak openly about the Kingdom of God, to others, instead, he must proclaim it in parables, precisely to encourage their decision, conversion of the heart; indeed, by their very nature parables demand the effort of interpretation, they not only challenge the mind but also freedom. St John Chrysostom explained: “And this he [Jesus] says to draw them unto him, and to provoke them and to signify that if they would covert he would heal them” (cf. Homily on the Gospel of Matthew, 45, 1-2).
Basically, God’s true “Parable” is Jesus himself, his Person who, in the sign of humanity, hides and at the same time reveals his divinity. In this manner God does not force us to believe in him but attracts us to him with the truth and goodness of his incarnate Son: love, in fact, always respects freedom.
