A hundredfold - what does it mean?

[Colo Millz]

4 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

English Standard Version Catholic Edition (n.p.: Augustine Institute, 2019), Mk 4:1–9.

I wonder if my brothers and sisters would like to comment on this passage.

 

[Bob Crowley]

Christ was using hyperbolic language, which simply meant some seed gave a big return.

 

[ViaCrucis]

4 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

English Standard Version Catholic Edition (n.p.: Augustine Institute, 2019), Mk 4:1–9.

I wonder if my brothers and sisters would like to comment on this passage.

When the word of God is preached it's like seed being sown, different things can happen. Sometimes a person doesn't believe, sometimes they believe shortly but fall away, sometimes faith is choked out by the things of this world, and sometimes the seed results in incredible growth, 30, 60, or even a 100 times over.

Not everyone who hears the Gospel is going to believe. But many will, and the abundance of God's love and grace working in that person's life, as they are transformed by the working of God will be many and in different ways.