If asked, most Christians can name a number of the parables that Jesus told, and which are recorded in the Gospels. Several are easily familiar to most of us. The Parable of the Good Samaritan and the Parable of the Prodigal Son would likely be right up there as one and two, with the Parable of the Sower coming in a close third. The Parable of the Sower is the subject of our Gospel reading for this week. Let’s take a closer look at this familiar teaching of the Lord Jesus.
A parable is a short, simple story that teaches a spiritual lesson. Jesus often used parables to teach His lessons when He spoke to the common people, rather than preaching a deep, theological sermon. To those who read the Parable of the Sower, we might think that it is just a brief account of someone who was rather careless in planting seeds for the next harvest. However, Jesus had a very specific lesson to teach.
As Jesus presents this story, He describes the sower as a man who randomly scatters the seed he has, not giving much care as to where the seed lands (vs. 3-9). Some land off to the wayside, not even in the field, where the birds quickly eat them up. Some land on stony places, an area where there is very shallow soil which is on top of a layer of bedrock. Here the plants may start to grow, but there is no room for roots to develop or to reach water, so they quickly die. Some seed lands where there are weeds which choke the plants, and they can’t fully grow to their potential. Then, fortunately, some seed lands on good ground, where they grow and thrive.
This tale wasn’t just told to entertain people. There was a lesson that the Lord wanted us to learn. In the second half of our Scripture passage, Jesus explained to the disciples what this parable meant (vs. 18-23). The seed that the sower was scattering represents the Word of God. We, as believers, are to be active in bringing God’s Word to others. The various soils represent the hearts of those who hear God’s Word. We are given good seed, but it’s the soil that sometimes has problems.
The wayside represents those who give no response at all to the Gospel that they superficially hear (vs. 19). The Gospel never penetrates these souls, so it disappears from the surface of their understanding. The “birds” or demon spirits snatch it away. These people have a closed heart. It is not that they are incapable of understanding, but they have no desire to understand. Their heart is hardened against the truth. No truth is able to penetrate because their mind is closed to any message that they don’t want to follow.
The next group Jesus speaks about are the seeds that fell on the stony place (vs. 20-21). A lot of people say that they believe, and get all excited. But their seeming “faith” is very shallow. It has no root. They are not true believers. When trouble comes, or they have to deal with suffering, they are out. Some people make an emotional, superficial commitment to salvation in Jesus, but it is not real. They seem interested only until there is a sacrificial price to pay, and then they abandon their “faith”.
God uses trials to strengthen our faith. Jesus said that those who don’t truly believe fall away when afflictions arise. To go through suffering and remain true to Christ testifies to others about our salvation. Each test we go through will make our faith stronger. That second type of soil showed a shallow heart. They seemed passionate when they first heard the Gospel, but they fell away when difficulties came. They would never learn how Jesus provides in hardship.
The third type of soil is one filled with weeds and thorns, and represents those who have a cluttered heart (vs. 22). These are those who hear the Gospel and receive it superficially. Their commitment to Jesus is not strong, as they just cannot break with their love of money and the world. The “thorns” in their life are the cares of the world, and their materialistic belongings and desires which they don’t wish to part with. The cares and values of the world distract them, and they have no room in their heart for a committed devotion to Jesus. They produce little or no fruit for Him.
The final group is the good soil, which represents an open heart for the Lord Jesus (vs. 23). This is a heart that hears, understands, and applies the truths of Scripture. Jesus relates about these believers that some would bear a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. Not all are equally fruitful, but a true and faithful believer will bear some fruit.
Are we listening to God? We have ears - are we hearing Him through the Bible and worship? (vs. 9). Whenever God speaks to us, it’s up to us to pay attention. What kind of “soil” condition is your heart? As believers, we are to be like the sower, spiritually sowing God’s Word to the world. We might not always see results, just as many times this sower didn’t, but we are to be faithful in spreading God’s message.
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