Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

The Parable of the Sower

This study will discuss the Parable of the Sower in terms of its content, its original meaning, its application to modern-day situations, and its value as an expression of a specific literary form. The study will include consideration of the origins of the parable, and a comparison and contrast to other parables.

A.M. Hunter provides us with literary, theological and historical contexts in which to understand the purpose and meaning of this and other parables. Specifically, as Hunter writes,

the word 'parable' . . . means a 'comparison'. . . . A parable [is] a comparison drawn from nature or from daily life, and designed to teach some spiritual truth, on the assumption that what is valid in one sphere---nature or daily life---is also valid in the spiritual world (Hunter 10).

Of course, as a literary form, the parable must do something besides teach---it must involve the hearer in some emotional or psychological way which activates his or her interest. The parable does this in a number of ways. First, it speaks of matters with which the listeners in Jesus' time were very familiar. In the case of the Parable of the Sower, the audience was obviously a rural group which had to make its living in part by growing crops from the earth. The hardships of agriculture were also well-known to the listeners, and they were therefore familiar with plantings that were successful and plantings which were not. They were aware that a wise planter will plant in good soil, where birds could not eat the seeds and where weeds would not crowd out the new crops. Immediately, then the sower parable provided the audience with familiar points of reference. It "made sense" to them immediately on an earthly level. They could connect to its story in such a way that it could be seen as fulfilling the requirement of a literary form to "entertain" the audience.

Of course, the parable is more than mere entertainment, as any authentically literary creation ...

Page 1 of 7 Next >

More on The Parable of the Sower...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
The Parable of the Sower. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 09:12, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708795.html