LESSON 3
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
THE PARABLES
Let’s start out by asking, what is a parable? A parable is a short, simple story that conveys a moral or religious lesson through comparison or analogy. In the New Testament, Jesus used parables to bridge the gap between deep truths about God and ordinary life. He wanted people to understand that the kingdom of God could be found in everyday events.
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
On that day, Jesus sat down by the Sea of Galilee and told the Parable of the Sower from a boat to a large crowd that stood along the shore. He said, “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold. Whoever has ears ought to hear”.
The disciples most likely noticed the puzzled look on the people’s faces approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. For to him who has, more will be given and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophesy is fulfilled in them, which says: ‘You shall indeed hear, but not understand, you shall indeed look, but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn for me to heal them.’ But Blesses are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.” (Matthew 13:10-17)
Ok, let’s start with, who is the sower and what is the seed? The sower is Jesus Christ, and the seed is “the word of the kingdom”, the gospel, the existence of the invisible spiritual kingdom that surrounds us, and from this source comes everything that man needs and is searching for in life.
The birds that ate the seed represent Satan, or the evil one, who steals God’s message before it can reach the hearts of people, and the soil represents people’s heart and minds. Four hearts are represented by the four types of soil in this parable.
The first heart on the path is hard and narrow, an unresponsive heart. He hears the word, but it doesn’t take root, and the birds quickly eat it. The word comes and they don’t understand it because they don’t take the time to even try to understand it. This is like the materialistic heart that believes only what they can hear, touch, taste or smell. They are not interested, nor do they want to be bothered with thinking about the invisible or spiritual world. “When one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what is sown in his heart; This is what was sown along the path.” (Matthew 13:18-19)
Next is the heart that falls on rocky ground. This is the shallow heart who initially receives the message with enthusiasm and thinks maybe there is something to this, but it quickly falls away when faced with challenges, persecution or negativity from various sources. He initially feels a wonderful impression, but due to the challenges of the day, the thought fades from his heart, and it never comes back again. “The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away.” (Matthew 13:20-21). This person is referred to as “seasonal”. When the season is on to believe the gospel they believe it, but when the season changes and it is no longer a glorious day, they are gone.
Then we come to the third type of heart:
“The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word, and it bears no fruit.” (Matthew 13:22). The thorns represent the worries, cares and distractions of the world that can choke the Word of God, preventing it from taking root and producing fruit in a person’s life. They also symbolize the desires for earthly wealth and the pursuit of material things. As one bible scholar noted, here is the typical American businessman or woman. It’s not that they are uninterested in the gospel; They are interested and capable of thinking in depth. The trouble is they want it all. They want the beautiful house, the swimming pool, two cars in the garage, a TV set in every room and a great social life. The results are that they have no time to think about the word, no time to receive it and meditate. They allow the worldly concerns to take precedence, preventing them from fully committing to a life of faith. They want everything the world can offer, and everything that GOD can offer. God will never settle on those terms. He says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you,” (Matthew 6:33). What shall it profit a man if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Matthew 13:23).
And the fourth heart:
“But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.” (Matthew 13:23) He takes what is sown in and shares the gospel of the kingdom with others, many coming to faith because of his obedience as God works through him. To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower is “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” That of the four hearts, the only one that is genuinely Christian is the fourth one. Many bible scholars point out however that our Lord is describing hearts, he is not describing lives. He is not saying that once a man’s heart is like a certain kind of soil that he cannot change. But hearts do change. They can be altered by many circumstances in our life that make them change. It is also possible that an individual can pass through all four of these conditions. This seems extremely likely if you are studying the scripture. In addition, God is the Creator, so all things are possible. Certainly, God is also able to change the heart no matter what condition it is in. So, I believe Jesus is asking, who are Christians? “What is your heart like when it hears the word?” The word must be constantly received, and we ask Jesus to make our hearts into good soil for the word.
Now let’s pick it up from where Jesus says, “For to him who has, more will be given and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” (Matthew 13:12) Now what does this mean? This is a fundamental law of life, not only in the physical world, but in every realm as well. In contemporary terms, I guess you would say it’s the “use it or lose it” scenario. The principle basically explains if you don’t use a skill, ability, or physical function, it will gradually weaken and eventually be lost. For example, a basketball player who takes a long break from practice due to an injury may experience a decline in shooting accuracy and ball handling skills when they return to the court. What Jesus is basically saying here is that truth must be acted upon, or it will be lost. If you don’t obey truth, it is taken away from you. In the beginning, Jesus spoke to the crowds very simple and straightforward. He spoke the truth, and they knew it. They said, “Never before has anyone spoke like this one. Where has this man received his wisdom? Why is it that he teaches us not as the scribes and Pharisees but with authority?” (John 7:46) So, they knew the truth but rejected it as the pride in their own hearts wouldn’t allow them to admit that they were wrong. Therefore, Jesus began to speak in parables and thereby started to take the truth away from those who would not receive it. Jesus said, “I am going to speak to then in parables I will still tell them the truth because I am truth. I cannot speak anything else but truth. But they will not hear it nor understand it. Only those who are prepared to act upon what they hear will understand it.” If we commit ourselves to studying the word, the apostle Paul says, “In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3). So, when God teaches you something, act upon in right away. Do not wait, or that which is learned might soon be forgotten. Lord, help us see the light. OK, Let’s recap:
The Sower: Jesus, the one actively spreading the message.
The Seed: The Word of the kingdom; The Gospel
The Birds: Represent Satan, the evil one who snatches away the word of God before it can take root in the person’s heart.
The Soil: Represents people’s hearts and minds; The four hearts represent the four types of soil.
THE Hard Path: The hardened, unresponsive, materialistic heart.
The Rocky Ground: Represents people who initially respond with enthusiasm, but it quickly falls away when faced with challenges or hard time.
The Thorns: Represents those that hear the word, but the worries, cares and distractions of life and the lure of riches prevent it from taking root.
The Good Soil: Represents one who hears the word, understands it, and bears fruit a hundred, or thirty or sixty times.
Lord, we ask in Jesus’ name that you take our hearts and make them good soil for the word.
Remember, Jesus asks us to read the bible and spread the good word, but he does not force us to do it. If you’re unsure as to how to spread the word, just invite others to subscribe to this website in a soft and gentle manner.
I will be adding a new page to the site for Questions & Answers, so, in the meantime, if you have questions, please feel free to email me on the contact page.
Until next time, peace, love and joy be with you.
Pasquale