‘And others are those who were sown among the thorns. These are those who have heard the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things, entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.'
Some seed was sown among thorns. This represents those who allow other distractions to choke the effect of the word in their lives. The succint summing up of such distractions (‘the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things'), bears the stamp of the Master. They affect both poor and rich alike. The problems and difficulties that men face, the longing for greater and greater wealth, the lusts and desires of the flesh, how these sum up men's lives. But when they prevent reception of the word they have become a curse indeed. And when the harvest comes and the sickle reaps, where are they then?
‘Those who have heard the word.' There has been some response but it fails to attain its object. They have not sown to themselves in righteousness and broken up their fallow ground.
‘The cares (‘anxieties') of this world (or ‘age')'. ‘Anxieties' (merimna) - compare its use in Luke 21:34 where it is used in parallel with surfeiting and drunkenness. But surfeiting and drunkenness often do result from the fact that men are burdened down with care, so we may see merimna here as referring to all the cares and anxieties that burden men down in this present age. ‘Of this age.' There is possibly a contrast with the fact that the new Kingly Rule has drawn near and the new age is about to begin. And they are in danger of missing it!
‘The deceitfulness of riches' (or possibly ‘the pleasantness of riches'). When men are wealthy they are deceived into thinking that wealth is all. Diversions are open to them, and the very pleasantness of wealth itself is a snare (1 Timothy 6:9-10). It shields men from response to God (compare 1 Corinthians 1:26), and promises what it cannot give, true heart satisfaction. It becomes a god in itself, that rules men's lives. When men are not wealthy they see it as something greatly to be desired and for which all else can be forfeited (Proverbs 15:27). It lures them on with its false promises and destroys lives (Proverbs 1:19; Proverbs 28:20). When they are wealthy their wealth takes possession of them and they become neglectful of spiritual things. We can compare here the rich young ruler (Mark 10:17-22).
‘The desires for other things.' Here epithumia means ‘lusts', desires that grip men's lives, driving them on thoughtlessly without regard for God. In later terminology they are described as the lusts of the flesh (see Galatians 5:16 with 19-21) and of the mind (Ephesians 2:3). It covers all that men desire which stops them thinking about God.
So human cares and anxieties, wealth and the desire for it, and the longings of men for other things, all combine to choke the word, making them unresponsive to the Kingly Rule of God.