Parable of the sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears,[a] let him hear.”

The Purpose of the Parables

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:

“‘“You will indeed hear but never understand,

and you will indeed see but never perceive.”

15 For this people's heart has grown dull,

and with their ears they can barely hear,

and their eyes they have closed,

lest they should see with their eyes

and hear with their ears

and understand with their heart

and turn, and I would heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

The Parable of the Sower Explained

18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.[b] 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Dedicated to my daughter, who was named after this parable, and who will always have a special place in my heart.

Sweetheart, proclaim the gospel knowing God is the one who will change hearts. Nutshell

Big Question -

Structure & plot -

Vs 1-9

Vs 10-17

Vs 18-23

Main Idea -

Many will not understand the word of the Kingdom, but those who have ears will be transformed.

Intended Response -

Bear fruit of the gospel

Bottom line -

Sow the seed of the gospel, knowing God is the gardener

Biblical Theology -

Amos 9:3

Psalm 1

Revelation - tree of life

2 Timothy 4:2

Message Content

Recap

Last series — Hostile to the gospel

Same day - what happened that same day?

Tension

Big Question

Can we choose God?

Truth

Vs 1-9 — the parable

What is a parable?

A story that proves a point. What is happening in this story? There are four soils, what are they?

Path Rocky Full of weeds Right soil What happens to the stuff on the path?

Gobbled up Rocky Soil

Not soil with rocks - rock bed shallow Warm soil = rapid growth Thorns

Competing things Good

Lets the seed become what it is supposed to be.

Vs 10-17 —

Confusing passage Who is the “you” in verse 11? Who is the “them” in verse 11? Notice at this point we’re talking about specific people Vs 12 we move to generalities. What Jesus is teaching us is how people are saved. “I want those people who can actually hear to know how the world works” Jesus is warning people about freely choosing sin. Parables hide the point from those who are chasing after anything but God. Romans 9 says this

18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory

Paul is saying

God picks whom he will save and who will go to hell Let that sink in… Is this evil of God to choose some and not others?

No Goalie vs savior Parables are a way that God changes some people’s hearts and hardens others. Which leads us to the point of this parable

Vs 18-23 —

First soil - those who hear the gospel and reject it immediately

Hearts so hard nothing can penetrate it Second soil - hear it and don’t take time to understand the truth of it.

Believe in something, but something that they don’t take time to understand fully. So when someone shows them the whole truth, they reject it because they liked what looked good on the surface. Third soil - hear the gospel but allow competing things to take root and therefore choke out the seed that should have produced something beautiful. Fourth soil - one that has nothing in their way to prevent the gospel to grow, therefore they produce infinite fruit of the gospel.

How does the ground become unrocky? How does soil remove thorns or weeds? How does a path become fertile ground?

Notice something here. It's not dependent on the soil

The soil can’t change itself. This story isn’t even about the soil it's about the sower. Jesus tells this parable to encourage the disciples to …

Bottom Line

Sow the seed of the gospel, knowing God is the gardener

So if you’re sitting here and thinking that you might be one of the not-good soils and you’re afraid that God might not have chosen you.

Don’t try to change yourself The gardener is the only one who can change the soil. The holy spirit is the only one who can change your heart of stone for a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:25-26 says

25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Hate to love The point of this parable isn’t to get rid of the

Rocky soil Kill the weeds You have no agency over them - you love them too much to change anyway. The only thing you can do is pray to God who can change your heart. The point of the passage isn’t to be better and try harder.

This isn’t about you becoming a better soil It's for the disciples Jesus is saying to them, you will have to proclaim the good news of the gospel to all, and some won’t come to believe in the gospel.

We’re not the ones who change the soil, we’re the ones to spread the seed. How do you apply this passage to you? Paul says it best in 2 Timothy 4:2

2 PREACH THE WORD; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

Bottom Line

Sow the seed of the gospel, knowing God is the gardener

Do you choose God

No, he chooses to give mercy to whom he will give mercy

Landing

Why can God give us mercy when we lived our entire lives in rebellion against him?

On the cross, the Father gave his son the wrath — the hatred — that we deserved so he could give us the love the son deserved.

Bottom Line

Sow the seed of the gospel, knowing God is the gardener

Pray with me

What is a parable?

A story that proves a point. Is it wrong that God chooses some people to save, and doesn’t choose others? Is this unfair?

No, because we all deserve not to be chosen, the fact that God chooses any of us to save is an act of mercy. Do you feel like you are one of the soils?

General answer (but I assume most students will say yes, and that they feel like the third soil). What comfort does this parable give us as Christians if we feel like we are one of the soils — besides the good one?