I'm constantly getting the impression that the Watchtower don't like Jesus.
It's not that they don't like Jesus. They just think they are Jesus and want to be treated accordingly.
New Light - July 15, 2008 SE of the WT - Sower and Seed - another angle
by independent_tre 38 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Mary
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AnnOMaly
Please note that in the WT article of July 15th 2008, the WTS is referring to Mark 4:26-29. In Mark's account of the parable he doesn't cite Jesus' explanation. However, the cross-reference in v26 of Mark 4 takes you to Matthews account, chapter 13:24. In this instance Jesus exlpains in v36,37 that the sower, while initially described as being a man, is in fact the Son of Man.
The reason I point this out is that JWs will cite Mark 4 as being about a man. However, in Matthew's account we get the clarification from Jesus himself that this man is the Son of Man.I'm glad you brought that out, passwordprotected. The article mentioned in the footnote (w.80 6/15, p.17) indicates that the sower of Mark 4:26,27 was the individual Christian (NOT Jesus):
" Back there in the first century, the Christians to whom the apostle Paul wrote had to sow "seed" in the way of Christian qualities that need nourishment, just as Christians today have to do in connection with the kingdom of God."
Also the previous 1980 article on p.14 says,
"In Jesus’ earlier illustration given from aboard a boat, he described a sower whose seed fell on four types of soil. (Mark 4:1-9) Did that sower picture the same as the caster of seed in this later illustration? Many Bible students think so. They think that the man casting the seed abroad also pictures the foremost proclaimer of God’s kingdom, namely, Jesus Christ. ...
... [p.15] With regard to Jesus’ ascending and appearing in God’s heavenly presence, he is pictured as a lamb just slaughtered, but again alive with "seven eyes, which eyes mean the seven spirits of God that have been sent forth into the whole earth." (Rev. 5:6) Far from suggesting drowsiness or sleepiness, such sevenfold vision of the Lamb of God would signify the state of being wide awake and all-discerning, constantly. Plainly, then, the glorified Jesus Christ could not be pictured by the man who casts the seed upon the ground and who sleeps at night and who does not know how the growth of what he planted comes about. ...... Reasonably, therefore, the man in the illustration pictures each individual who professes to be a disciple or learner of Jesus Christ, the foremost Preacher of the kingdom of God."
Even back in a 1950 WT (12/1, p.492), the implication is given that the sower is the 'Kingdom-preacher.' -
Mary
This is just mind-boggling. Despite the fact that the scripture cited clearly states that Jesus himself is the 'sower', and that the 'sons of the kingdom' are the 'seed', the WT insists that this is not so:
And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels
The article mentioned in the footnote (w.80 6/15, p.17) indicates that the sower of Mark 4:26,27 was the individual Christian (NOT Jesus): " Back there in the first century, the Christians to whom the apostle Paul wrote had to sow "seed"in the way of Christian qualities that need nourishment, just as Christians today have to do in connection with the kingdom of God."
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passwordprotected
Let's be careful. They aren't BLATANTLY being dishonest about how they're applying this scripture. They're focusing on Mark's version of the account. However, the cross-reference to Matt 13 suggests that Mark's accounts corresponds to Jesus talking about the field of wheat being over-sowed with weeds and the sower being the Son of Man.
However, it's clear that the 'man', while having no explanation in Mark's account, is clearly being shown to be Jesus - the Son of Man - in Matthew's account. -
snowbird
The illustration in Mark from The Message Bible:
Mark 4:26 -29 Then Jesus said, "God's kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!
30 -32 "How can we picture God's kingdom? What kind of story can we use? It's like a pine nut. When it lands on the ground it is quite small as seeds go, yet once it is planted it grows into a huge pine tree with thick branches. Eagles nest in it."
33 -34 With many stories like these, he presented his message to them, fitting the stories to their experience and maturity. He was never without a story when he spoke. When he was alone with his disciples, he went over everything, sorting out the tangles, untying the knots.
Even if the sower in this illustration is not Jesus, I didn't - don't - see how this could apply to Christian personalities. A plain reading of this shows how the Kingdom of God grew from a handful of disciples in the 1st century to around 2 billions in our day.
This doesn't fit WT theology, so they had to tweak the Scriptures. What folly!
Sylvia
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AnnOMaly
I don't think Mark 4:26-29 is necessarily a parallel account to Matt 13:24ff despite the similarities. And I don't think the WTS is totally 'out there' when they say the sower isn't Jesus (despite the admittedly tenuous argument that Jesus doesn't sleep and is not unaware of how the seed grows, because cp. Matt 13:25).
Barnes implies the sower is the Christian.
" Verse 26. So is the kingdom of God. The gospel, or religion in the soul, may be compared to this. See Matthew 3:2.
{c} "So" Matthew 13:24
Verse 27. And should sleep, and rise night and day. Should sleep in the night, and rise by day, for so the expression is to be understood. That is, should live in his usual way, without exerting any influence over the growing grain. By this we are not to infer that men are to use no diligence in the obtainment and growth of piety; but the illustration shows this, and this only, that as we cannot tell how grain grows, so we cannot tell the mode in which piety increases in the heart.
He knoweth not how. This is still true. After all the researches of philosophers, not one has been able to tell the way in which grain grows. They can observe one fact after another; they can see the changes; they can see the necessity of rains and suns, of care and shelter, but beyond this they cannot go. So in religion. We can mark the change; we can see the need of prayer, and examination, and searching the Scriptures, and the ordinances of religion, but we cannot tell in what way the religious principle is strengthened. As God unseen, yet by the use of proper means, makes the grass to flourish, so God unseen, but by proper means, nourishes the soul, and the plants of piety spring up, and bloom, and bear fruit. See John 3:8." - http://www.studylight.org/com/bnn/view.cgi?book=mr&chapter=004
The NIV Bible Commentary (1994 ed. Vol 2, p.154), although not definitely identifying the sower, says this:
"This parable emphasizes the mysterious power of the seed to produce a crop. All the farmer can do is plant the seed on suitable ground; he cannot make the seed grow, nor does he understand how it grows. But it does grow and produces grain. In the same way, the hidden and somewhat ambiguous kingdom of God will some day burst out in its full glory. The harvest spoken of is the eschatalogical judgment (cf. Joel 3:13)."
The question could be raised, would Jesus not know how the seed grows? Or are we stretching the parable too far and getting hung up on exact correspondences while missing the overall point?
The New Bible Commentary (3rd ed., p. 861) says,
"The parable of the seed growing secretly is the only one peculiar to Mark. Its principle emphasis is upon the fact that the word of God will do its own work in human hearts if given the opportunity in right conditions, in exactly the same way as the earth produces of itself (Gk. automate) (cf. Is. 55:10f.; 1 Cor. 3:6f.)."
Who sows the word of God? Yes Jesus did originally, but couldn't it be argued that Christians sow seeds when they witness? It's interesting that the NBC notes this parable is unique to the Markan gospel.
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independent_tre
Thanks all for more insight into this parable, and the WT's account of it. It seems very straightforward by the account in Matthew the identity of the sower. I'm going to reread that account in Mark to make sure I have the full understanding. However, I thought that these scriptures were parallel, and were about the same parable right down to the mustard grain parable in both accounts. Matthew had clearly identified the sower, while it seems the account in Mark does not.
I guess my initial ire came about when there was no mention of Jesus being the Initial or Grand sower of seed, although I had remembered learning this a while ago. And the pointing the finger (again) at Christendom as the source of this false belief when in fact I believe interpreting the sower as Jesus himself is far more accurate than interpreting in as each individual JW publisher.
But again, thanks all for your insight and info....
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burningbridges
There is no doubt that this is the same account... the disciples told the same accounts of Christ in their own terms. If you read the accounts, all the stories occured in the same order in both, including what happened immediately prior to (teaching at the sea) and immediately after (curing demons, the john being beheaded at herod's b-day). There is no place for any other "parable" and the incident of coincodence that this would be two different refrences despite the similarities is impossible. The WT refered to MARK rather than Matthew for one simple reason, and that was because it did not cite Jesus as the Son of Man.
burning
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independent_tre
Exactly. If you can convince the average jw that he indeed is the sower in this parable, it lays the groundwork for further WT whip cracking - preach more, do more, increase your hours, pioneer, auxillary pioneer! As the same WT 7/15/08 article states:
Lesson for Us Today
15 What have we learned from our review of these two illustrations recorded in Mark chapter 4? We can clearly see that we have a work to do - sowing. We should never allow excuses and potential problems and difficulties to stop us from doing this work.
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