‘And in the same way these are they who are sown on the rocky places who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy. Yet they have no root in themselves but endure for a while. Then when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they stumble.'
Some hear the word and receive it with joy. But they are in fact in contrast with those who are described for example in 1 Thessalonians 2:13-15 who receive the word with joy in truth, for they are like sprouting of the seed sown on the rocky places, instead of prepared ground. The seed begins to grow enthusiastically as the result of a little rain, but as no root is established they quickly wither and die. The work is superficial. No true spiritual work has taken place in their hearts. They have been swayed by the magnetism of some great preacher, or the enthusiasm of someone whom they admire. But it has not touched their hearts. There have always been many such. And persecutions and troubles soon filter them out. Tribulation and persecution in one way or another has always been the lot of the one who seeks to follow God's word. And it separates the true from the false, the genuine from the fake. If only they had broken up their fallow ground. Then God would have come and rained righteousness upon them (Hosea 10:12).
‘They who are sown.' That is, the word of God is sown in them. They hear the word and receive it with joy and sprout up. We should note again here that all the people spoken of in the parable are both the ground that receives the seed (which is basically at this point Israel) and the grain that results. The seed is sown and produces differing responses within the people, and in those who respond, different behaviour which results from a changed nature (Romans 6:4; Romans 1 Corinthians 5:17). The word unites with responsive people in producing (or not producing) a new life, which is the basis of Jesus' teaching on the new birth (‘born of water') (John 3:1-8).
These, and those choked by thorns and thistles, are like the people spoken of in Hebrews 6 (note Hebrews 6:8). They have been enlightened and have experienced the heavenly gift (compare the temporary ‘forgiveness' which was mentioned in Mark 3:12 which God did not want men to receive), they have gone along with the Holy Spirit in His revealing work and tasted the good word of God, they have witnessed, and even possibly experienced, the miracles of the coming age. Judas was certainly one such. He had cast out evil spirits and done miracles in Christ's name along with the other Apostles. But Jesus knew from the beginning his true state (John 6:64). And like him, many fall away because they have no root (and He knew who they were as well (John 6:64)). They bear thorns and thistles. They are not receptive and fruit producing ground.
Jesus, and John the Baptiser as a sower before Him, were both well aware that some who would at first seem eager would be disappointed and cease to follow because what resulted did not come within their expectations (John 2:23-25; John 6:66; John 12:43), and because they did not want the truth as it was revealed (John 6:60). They would appear to have accepted forgiveness but did not want it on God's terms.
‘Endure for a while' or ‘are temporary'. The word proskairoi occurs only here in the Gospels (and in the parallel Matthew 13:31) and twice more in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 4:18; Hebrews 11:25) indicating that which is temporary, that which only lasts for a while.
‘Tribulation or persecution arises.' Jesus constantly warned that those who followed Him must expect tribulation and persecution (Mark 8:34; Mark 8:38; Mark 10:30; Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:17; Matthew 10:21-23; Luke 6:22; John 15:20-21; John 16:2; John 16:33). He knew it Himself as an everyday fact of life (Luke 4:28-29; Mark 3:6).
‘They stumble.' The verb skandalizein only occurs in Biblical Greek and literature influenced by it. The skandalon (or skandalethron) is the stick which is baited to operate a trap, thus a bait or snare, or even in LXX a stumblingblock. The verb is only used metaphorically and means ‘to ensnare into sin' or ‘to take offence at', also ‘to give offence to', ‘to anger'. Thus here they are ensnared into sin, and they therefore find the word a stumblingblock.