Matthew 13:8

Good ground. This does not mean that the heart of man is naturally “good” before the seeds of divine truth have made it so, for “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13). In man there naturally “dwelleth no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). The “ground” is “good” simply because it yields to the plowshare of truth, because it responds to the softening influence of the Holy Spirit.

Brought forth fruit. See on ch. 7:16-20. This refers to the fruit of character (see on Gal. 5:22, 23). The fruit of the Spirit manifested in the outward life is evidence of a healthy Christian experience. In the hearts of the wayside hearers the truth found no response. With the stony-ground hearers truth produced nothing more than a momentary impulse. With the thorny-ground hearers it was a response that began well but withered in the face of difficulty and opposition. But in the hearts of the good-ground hearers the response is permanent and effective. The result is a life transformed according to the pattern of the perfect life of Jesus Christ. The successful Christian is not a creature of circumstances; he perseveres to the end (see Matt. 24:13).

An hundredfold. This would be a truly remarkable yield (see on Gen. 26:12). The average yield of wheat in the United States is 17.1 bu. per acre, a yield of approximately 15 fold. Mark reverses the order of yield from the lesser to the greater, and Luke omits mention of the lesser yields.