Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 13]
indeed. The thorns flourish and the character sickens and dies,
choked to death for lack of spiritual food, air, sunshine.
13:23 {Verily beareth fruit} (\d• karpophorei\). Who in reality
(\d•\) does bear fruit (cf. Mt 7:16-20). The fruit reveals the
character of the tree and the value of the straw for wheat. Some
grain must come else it is only chaff, straw, worthless. The
first three classes have no fruit and so show that they are
unfruitful soil, unsaved souls and lives. There is variety in
those who do bear fruit, but they have some fruit. The lesson of
the parable as explained by Jesus is precisely this, the variety
in the results of the seed sown according to the soil on which it
falls. Every teacher and preacher knows how true this is. It is
the teacher's task as the sower to sow the right seed, the word
of the kingdom. The soil determines the outcome. There are
critics today who scout this interpretation of the parable by
Jesus as too allegorical with too much detail and probably not
that really given by Jesus since modern scholars are not agreed
on the main point of the parable. But the average Christian sees
the point all right. This parable was not meant to explain all
the problems of human life.
13:24 {Set he before them} (\pareth•ken\). So again in 13:31.
He placed another parable beside (\para\) the one already given
and explained. The same verb (\paratheinai\) occurs in Lu 9:16.
{Is likened} (\h•moi•th•\). Timeless aorist passive and a common
way of introducing these parables of the kingdom where a
comparison is drawn (18:23; 22:2; 25:1). The case of
\anthr•p•i\ is associative instrumental.
13:25 {While men slept} (\en t•i katheudein tous anthr•pous\).
Same use of the articular present infinitive with \en\ and the
accusative as in 13:4. {Sowed tares also} (\epespeiren ta
zizania\). Literally "sowed upon," "resowed" (Moffatt). The enemy
deliberately sowed "the darnel" (\zizania\ is not "tares," but
"darnel," a bastard wheat) over (\epi\) the wheat, "in the midst
of the wheat." This bearded darnel, _lolium temulentum_, is
common in Palestine and resembles wheat except that the grains
are black. In its earlier stages it is indistinguishable from the
wheat stalks so that it has to remain till near the harvest.
Modern farmers are gaining more skill in weeding it out.
13:26 {Then appeared also} (\tote ephan• kai\). The darnel became
plain (\ephan•\, second aorist passive, effective aorist of
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