The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;” -Matthew 13:3
The more I think and pray about the parable of the seed and the sower, the more I am amazed at its accuracy and significance. I believe that in this parable, every human being fits into one of the four categories that Jesus spoke of. His parable describes in a nutshell one of four possible reactions that people have toward the gospel.
So, let’s take a look at the parable. If you aren’t familiar with it, you can find it in three different chapters in the Bible: Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8.
First of all, we have the sower, who went forth to plant (sow) seeds, and when he was planting these seeds, he came across different types of soil and terrain. We ought to understand from Scripture that “the seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11b). This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and depending on the condition of the soil, the seed will be received in different ways. The soil into which God’s word is planted is “that which was sown in his heart” (Matthew 13:19b).
Jesus says that when the word of God is preached and taught to a man, there are four different outcomes:
1. The seed is stolen by birds. That is, in the parable, the fowls of the air are representative of Satan and his demons, which come and steal away God’s words, and blind the people, lest they should believe and be converted. “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side” (Matthew 13:19).
The Bible tells us that Satan has blinded the eyes of the people, so that they should not truly understand the gospel. The devil is sometimes referred to as “the god of this world” (with a lower-case “g”) to show how much of a stranglehold he has upon this world and its people. “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
2. The seed falls upon stony ground and sprouts without taking root. That is, a man’s heart is hardened, and he only accepts the gospel superficially in his thoughts. These are the people who think they are converted, and yet they have not truly received Christ into their hearts, and after a while they leave Him, since they did not truly have any root in Him at all. “They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13).
As in many big, emotion-driven revivals of modern times, there were also many that “came forward” and walked after Jesus while the Lord was still upon the earth. “And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan” (Matthew 4:25). And yet, for all these “great multitudes” that were following Him, where did they all end up? For after Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, there gathered of His followers only about 120 people. “And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)” (Acts 1:15). Where had all of the “great multitudes” gone? No doubt they were of the company that immediately received Christ’s words, but the seed fell on stony ground and had no root, and at the beginning of difficulty, (when Christ was arrested and crucified), they withered away.
3. The seed takes root, but is choked by thorns and weeds. These are people that would have otherwise received the gospel and been saved, if it were not for the “thorns” of life to distract them and keep them from true riches. They understand the message, (there are no devils to steal it away from them as in the case of #1), and they have a receptive ground on which to take the message to heart (they do not have the stony ground as in the case of #2), but for all this, they do not come to the fruition of eternal life. They hear the life-giving message of salvation, and even take it into their hearts and consider it diligently, yet shortly thereafter, they allow other thoughts to spring up in their heart, and amidst the cares and distractions of this life, God’s word is strangled out and has no measurable effect. “And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection” (Luke 8:14).
We see the story in the gospels of the rich ruler who asked Jesus what he had to do to inherit eternal life. He even called Jesus “Good Master,” and said that he had kept the commands of God from his childhood on up. Yet when Jesus told the man to sell his possessions, and give to the poor, and follow after Him, he refused—because he loved the riches of this present world more than the eternal riches of God. “And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:23-25).
4. The seed falls on good ground, and grows up and bears fruit. These are the people that are ready to hear the truth, and take it to heart, and are not drawn away or distracted by the cares or pleasures of this life. And perhaps they are not all exactly equal, yet all bear some measure of fruit; whether it be 30, 60, or 100. “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (Matthew 13:23).
And so with the fourth example in this parable, we ought to take great care to ensure that we too have hearts of good soil: not filled with hidden cares of this world, ready to spring up as thorns and weeds to choke out God’s work; not superficial and shallow, keeping God’s words only in our intellect, and refusing Him access to our heart, and not surrendering our lives to Him; not blinded and inhibited by Satan and his devils, who steal the seed away and keep us from truly understanding the gospel; but understanding, and repenting, and believing.
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” -Matthew 7:13-14
Related posts:
Leave a Reply