SECTION VII.

THE RESERVE OF CHRIST AS SHOWN IN THE USE OF PARABLES.

(Mark. iv. 1-34.)

A second time did the Lord withdraw Himself, on account of the hostility of His opposers, to the sea. And now also He was again followed by a large body of adherents, who had not allowed themselves to be alienated from Him by the blasphemies of the ruling hierarchs; so that He was again obliged to enter into a ship, in order, 'sitting on the water,' to teach the people on the sea-shore. The blasphemous spirit, however, which He had already encountered publicly, now compelled Him, in His public discourses to the people, to guard the truth which He taught by enveloping it in parables.

In this form especially He communicated to the people the doctrine of the establishment and spread of the kingdom of heaven. Three of these parables give a graphic representation of the development of this kingdom in its fundamental features.

'Hearken,' He said: 'Behold, there went out a sower to sow. And as he sowed, it came to pass (in the way proper to it). Some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth, and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up, it was scorched;¹ and because it had no root, it withered away. And again some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. But some fell on good ground, and did yield fruit, that sprang up and filled: some of it brought forth thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred-fold. To this the Lord added, 'He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.'

After the Lord had thus delivered the first parable to the disciples, as likewise to the people, it became necessary to instruct the former regarding the nature and the object of parables generally. This also took place without delay, in a conversation which has immediate reference to the first parable, but applies at the same time to all that followed.

When, therefore, He was again alone. His trusted attendants, along with His disciples, asked Him concerning the meaning of the parable. And He said unto them: 'Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but unto them that are without, all these things are imparted in parables, that seeing, they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.' Judgment, that is, cannot stand suddenly still in the midst of its course, but must proceed in its career, even to its completion; which no doubt has again reference to deliverance. It is this judgment which to the blind turns all the discourses of Jesus into dark parables; whilst His disciples, even in the parables themselves, should discern at once the true and proper words of God. Hence the following warning to the disciples, 'Know ye not (already) this parable? how then will ye know all parables? The sower soweth the word. These are they by the wayside (the border of the path), where the word is sown. When they have heard (only with the outward ear have once heard), Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts (on the ground of their heart). And in like manner these are they which are sown on stony ground, who, so soon as they have heard the word (have just first heard it), immediately receive it with gladness (as if it had no difficulties, nothing burdensome, no barb for them); but they have no root in their own inward life, and are dependent on the times (serving the spirit of the times). When thus affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. And these are they which are sown among thorns: such as have heard the word (heard, and at first also, as earnest hearers, have kept it);² and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things (this and the other thing), entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful (in the bearing of fruit pines away). But these are they which are sown on good ground: such as hear the word (ever anew), and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty, some sixty, and some an hundredfold.'³

There are thus three different hindrances which the heavenly sower finds in three different sorts of ground — the different sorts of unsusceptibility, or of insufficient susceptibility. In the first case, the seed does not even spring up; in the second, it does not attain to a strong formation of roots; in the third, it does not attain to fruit. Manifestly a gradation. But the good ground compensates the sower richly: here he obtains a truly miraculous harvest, with a definite succession of degrees in the fulness of blessing.

On this the Lord further laid down two principles in reference to the object of parables, both of them expressed in parabolic form. The first was intended to make the disciples clearly apprehend the positive end of parables — veiling, to unveil the truth; the other' the negative side, according to which, unfolding the truth, they should conceal it.

The first was as follows: 'Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bench (bed)? Is it not brought to be set on a candlestick? For nothing is, even in general, hidden, but that it should be made manifest; and nothing has been concealed, but just that it should come fully abroad into the light.' More strongly could not the Lord have expressed the positive end of parables, in veiling to unveil the truth. His parables appeared indeed, at the first glance, to he like the bushel or the bed, as these might be used m the East to shade the light. Bat they were still in reality to be compared to the candlestick, on which the candle of truth was placed. And if they meanwhile concealed the truth from the unsusceptible, this had only for its object, that the truth thus concealed from the world should all the more brightly be revealed.

This explanation was supplemented by the second principle. 'Take heed,' said the Lord, 'what ye hear! With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again; and unto you that hear (truly hear) more shall be added. For he that hath, to him shall be given; and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.' In these words the Lord gave expression to the fact, that the knowledge of truth is the portion only of those who are susceptible. When the hearer measures out nothing to the preacher, nothing also shall be measured out to him in return. But to him who truly hears shall be given not only according to the measure of his susceptibility, but much more abundantly. He therefore who already has, to him the parables give more; but he who has not, from him they even take that which he has, they serve entirely to conceal the truth from his profane gaze.

Hereupon the Lord added a second parable: 'So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and lay himself down to sleep, and again rise up with the alternation of night and day, and meanwhile the seed should spring and grow up without his knowing it. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of itself (by its own productive power); first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit invites to harvest, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.'

Then once more He spoke: 'Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? It is like a grain of mustard-seed. When it is sown in the earth, it is less than all the seeds that are upon the earth. But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches, so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.'

The first parable shows us the establishment of the kingdom of God in the pre-eminent difficulties which attend the laying of its foundations; the second, in its sure and natural development; the third, in its wonderful and glorious completion.

In these and many such parables spake He the word unto them, as they were able to understand it. But without a parable spake He nothing unto them. And to His disciples he further expounded all in a special manner.

───♦───