Matthew 13:1-23 The Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8)
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore. And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings. Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. He who has ears, let him hear.”
The Purpose of Jesus’ Parables (Mark 4:10-12; Luke 8:9,10)
”Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained (Mark 4:13-20; Luke 8:11-15)
Consider, then, the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
Jesus has come to the seaside and has gotten into a boat floating just off land enough to protect him from the crowds. Sound travels far over water so when Jesus speaks, people can hear very well. Once more the village boy is telling villagers stories with which they can all identify. Many of these people have grown up on farms and have sown crops, scattering the seed as they walk. Jesus speaks about four kinds of soil-compacted soil on a path, rocky soil, soil full of thorns, and good soil. Jesus also admonishes his audience, “He who has ears, let him hear.”
The disciples are frustrated. Why doesn’t Jesus just explain everything to the entire group at once? Why does Jesus speak in parables? Jesus says that the truths of the kingdom will be made clear to those who are prepared to receive them. In any group, there are those actively searching for the Kingdom of God, and they are likely to grasp the meaning of the parables without any further explanation. There are those who may not understand the parables immediately but who will go away, think about them, and realize what Jesus is teaching. There are those whose hearts have been hardened by religion who reject the parables as being simple-minded, childish, and unsophisticated. This group includes religious leaders who spend much of their time debating in the temple over tiny details. Some of these men comprise the most dangerous group of all, namely, those who would report Jesus to the religious hierarchy and to the Romans to curry political favor. The more this last group withdraws from Jesus, the less they will understand.
It’s likely that those who understand Jesus’ parables best are the common people closest to the events Jesus is describing. Although Jesus doesn’t give the explanation of the parable to the entire group, he does explain it to his disciples.
“When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
Where do we fit into this parable? Are our hearts and minds prepared for the message of the kingdom of God, or are we rejecting it because it is too simple? Are we enthused when we first hear the message but then refuse to discipline ourselves further to live out the message? How deep are our spiritual roots? What happens if we face trouble or persecution or worry? What if we are depending on money or social position? Can we describe our spiritual condition as that of good soil?
The thing about Jesus’ parables is that they are deceptively simple but working on multiple levels simultaneously. May God help us so that our hearts and minds will be prepared to receive everything God wants to impart to us!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please calm our hearts and help us to leave everything that distracts us behind so that we can receive Your Word and act on it. Lord, let our hearts be good soil that will produce a hundredfold crop! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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