A Sower Sows the Word
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Let’s read verses 1-9
1 Again he began to teach by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around him. So he got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was by the sea on the shore. 2 He taught them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly, since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce fruit. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and it grew up, producing fruit that increased thirty, sixty, and a hundred times.” 9 Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”
For those that have been Christians for a while, this is a pretty familiar passage to us. However, we want to be careful not to let ourselves get ahead of the game when we get to examining it. We want to approach the text with fresh eyes as much as possible, approach it was one who has never heard this parable before.
Let’s loot at a few details in this parable.
First we see Jesus saying “Listen” and then he closes the parable by saying “Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen.” Pay attention to that because listening and hearing is a key theme in Jesus’ explanation of His parable.
We see a sower going out and throwing seed seemingly indiscriminately on various type of soils. We have seed thrown on the path, which is eaten by birds, the rocky ground which sprouts but is scorched, the thorny ground which chokes out the sprout, and then the good soil, which produces a large crop.
Now why would a sower sow seed into an area that is obviously not good for producing fruit? One theory about that is that
That large crop is interesting as well. In that time period, a crop that large was absurd. Very few times did any crop produce that much. So this seed that is sown is producing more than any farmers highest aspirations for his crops.
Let’s read on. Verses 10-12
10 When he was alone, those around him with the Twelve, asked him about the parables. 11 He answered them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those outside, everything comes in parables 12 so that they may indeed look, and yet not perceive; they may indeed listen, and yet not understand; otherwise, they might turn back and be forgiven.”
Here Jesus explains why He uses parables. That fact that this is sandwiched in between the parable and the explanation of the parable actually shows us that this is a very important point, but a point that is very difficult to grasp and understand.
Jesus speaks in parables, it seems, in order to hide the secrets of the kingdom from the “outsiders.” They are revealed for the those that are with Him, for the insiders, but for those on the outside, everything comes in parables. This continues the theme that was began in the previous chapter about Jesus being in the house and those on the outside sought to restrain him and hinder his ministry, but those on the inside were those that did the Will of God.
First, notice that the Kingdom of God is a secret. Not everyone is going to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom.
Jesus seeks to teach the things of the Kingdom to those on the inside, rather than those on the outside. There are examples throughout the book of Mark of those who were on the outside and move to the inside, and also, unfortunately, those that appeared to be on the inside, but then moved to the outside.
Jesus quotes from the book of Isaiah here, and the context there has God calling Isaiah to speak to the Israelites, but its a message that won’t be headed. They were so far gone in their rebellion against God that God says they will not listen. The message is to preached, but it serves to confirm them in their unbelieving state, and thus the preaching is an act of judgment against them. Similarly Jesus spoke in parables which in many ways was an act of judgment against the religious leaders. They refuse to accept the messiah, so they are confirmed in their unbelief through Jesus teaching these parables and only giving the meaning to those on the inside.
What is interesting, however, is that the reason those who on the outside are where they are is because of the condition of their own hearts, and their receptivity, or lack thereof, of Jesus Christ and Gospel. This is made clear through the explanation that Jesus offers as He shows the meaning to the disciples.
Let’s read Jesus’s explanation
13 Then he said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand all of the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them. 16 And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away. 18 Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”
The sower sows the Word. That sentence alone is packed with so many things. I’m going to take a moment to highlight each word that isn’t an article.
The sower sows the word.
In His day, Jesus sowed the Word during His ministry. He taught his disciples to do the same and they carried on the missions of sowing. Today those who are faithful to sow the Word carry on that same message, that same gospel that was sowed by Jesus Christ. Here’s the point: It takes people to get the message out. If there is no sower, there is no harvest. If no one plants the seed, it cannot grow to produce fruit. We are to be the sowers. You and me.
The sower sows the word.
There is an action that is taking place. The sower is not just walking around in life minding his own business, but rather is active in an activity that is intended to bring about a harvest. Farmers that don’t plant crops aren’t profitable, and really should not be called farmers. The sower is intentionally active in activity that is intended to bring about a harvest. He can’t control what that harvest will look like, but he is trusting the Lord of the harvest to do the work of bringing the rain to cause the seed to grow. But there has to be an intentional action, an action of faith in the Lord of the harvest, an action that is intended to bring about results. Will the result be there? That part is in God’s hands, but there has to be a sower active in sowing if the results are to happen. We recognize and affirm that God is sovereign in salvation, but God has called us to sow the seed to bring about His purposes in that salvation.
I heard a story years ago about two farmers who lived during a drought. Both men prayed for rain, but only one actually went out and planted crops. When the rains came, which man had faith, and which man reaped a harvest? The one who planted. We are to be sowers and we are to be sowers who sow. When was the last time you sowed the Gospel? I challenge you to make sowing a regular part of your spiritual walk, that you view evangelism as a spiritual discipline. The sower sows.
The sower sows the word.
The third word here is
Notice that the sower doesn’t go out sowing whatever he feels like. The seed is something specific and if we are to be faithful sowers of the word, we have to know what the seed is. The seed is not a health, wealth, and prosperity message, it’s not a feel good story of how God wants you to be victorious in all you do in life. The word is the message of the Gospel. It’s the message that Jesus has been proclaiming, the message that the disciples proclaim, and the message that we are called to proclaim as we act as good sowers of the word. What is that message? Jesus has been preaching a message of repentance and faith. Repentance implies that we are going the wrong way. We have to make a U-turn and orient ourselves according to God’s word. Faith implies an object of that faith. Jesus calls everyone to faith in Himself. Faith that He is who He says He is and can do what He says He can do. He offers forgiveness of sins to those who repent and believe in Him as the crucified and risen Lord of the universe. That’s the message. That is the only message that produce fruit. That is the only message that’s worth our time in planting. Any other message will not produce a good crop, but only more thorns and thistles of which the world is already full.
So the sower sows the word, it takes individuals to do the task. That’s you and that’s me.
The sower sows the word, it takes intentional activity that is intended to bring about a harvest. We must actually speak to people about the gospel. We must be active in sowing.
And the sower sows the word. This intentional activity is governed by the message. We speak about a Savior who was crucified, dead, and buried, rose again the third day conquering death and offers salvation to all who forsake their sin and cling to the savior for eternal life.
It’s a great message. But as this message is sown, it is not received equally across all areas where it is sown. There are varying degrees of receptivity to this message, and the results are not always what we would want. But as you sow, you can expect to have these different results:
15 Some are like the word sown on the path. When they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them.
People who hear and manifest no signs of anything penetrating their hearts are these individuals. I would say this is the majority of people that I have interacted with. They hear the gospel, but it just seems to bounce off. In one ear and out the other. No receptivity. Not even genuine or serious consideration of the words that I say. Some in this category might even be hostile to the words of the Gospel and antagonistic. In Jesus’ day there were certainly those that rejected Jesus entirely. The religous leaders are the prime example, but then we just saw some of Jesus’ own family seek to restrain Jesus and call him a madman, a lunatic.
So that’s the first group of hearers. The second:
16 And others are like seed sown on rocky ground. When they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy. 17 But they have no root; they are short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately fall away.
Mark 4:16-17
This group seem promising. The immediately receive the word, and they receive it with joy! But it doesn’t seem to last. When hardship comes they abandon the faith they once claimed. Some that claimed to follow Jesus fell away out fo fear of the Pharisees or fear of being excluded form the synagogues. In history there have been numerous examples of those who fall away in the face of severe persecution. I have encountered individuals who seem to have abandoned their previously espoused faith due to peer pressure and wanting to not upset their social sphere. They had initial joy at their profession of faith, but that joy quickly faded when pressure came. That’s the second group.
Third Group
18 Others are like seed sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, 19 but the worries of this age, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Mark 4:18-19
This group is also intersting. They hear the word, and perhaps have a positive initial response, but ultimately the cares of this world prevent them for producing fruit. We see men like the rich young ruler who was willing to do anything to enter the kingdom....except give up his wealth. Judas sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. There are others like Demas in who, though he has been ministering alongside of Paul abandoned him because he loved this present world.
I’ve known many who fit this group. They might hear the word and might even say “yeah that sounds good” but they are not willing to give up a sinful lifestyle. They like their immorality and rebellion. I’ve known others who professed faith, but later walked away in favor of the things of this world. That’s the fourth group.
Then we come to the last group.
20 And those like seed sown on good ground hear the word, welcome it, and produce fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundred times what was sown.”
Here are individuals who hear the word, welcome it, or receive it, and then produce fruit to varying degrees. These are individuals who profess faith in Christ and do not waver from that confession. Not only do they not waver, but their lives are characterized by an abundant harvest of fruit. They become sowers in their own right and they grow in their walk with Christ and grow in sanctification, they grow in holiness.
Now, here’s the question. This is where things can be uncomfortable. Four groups. Who are the insiders, and who are the outsiders? Jesus has said that the secrets of the kingdom is for the insiders, and the word has gone out to these four groups. Which of the four are the insiders?
Group one. Seed on the path that is snatched away by the devil. Everyone agrees. Outsiders. Not saved. They reject the gospel outright.
Groups two and three. I’m lumping together because even though they have different reasons for their actions, they both end up falling away and being unfruitful. These are also the groups that create the most debate on the condition of their souls.
They may make an initial profession of faith, especially group two, and do so with joy. However, they end up falling away. In or out? Saved or not? This can be hard because we know many who once professed faith in Christ and even seemed to be really excited about God but now are not walking with him. How do we understand them? Are they just backslidden? Are they just carnal Christians? Have they lost their salvation? Or were they never saved to begin with?
The text has an answer for us. It’s not an answer that we might like, but it does provide clarity, and clarity is important. The text gives us two indications that the only one who are on the “inside” are those in the fourth group.
The first indication is found in the word “hear” I wish translators brought this into the English, because this really does make a difference. All four groups have one thing in common: they hear the word. But the hearing is different in groups 1-3 than it is for group 4. In groups 1-3, Jesus says these individuals “hear the word” but that word is in what is called the aorist tense. This speaks of a action that simply occured in the past, but we see it did not have lasting effects. The hearing of those in group one, which everyone agrees is not a hearing that leads to saving faith, is the same hearing that occurs in groups 2-3. They heard the word. But they didn’t listen.
However, in group four, when Jesus says they “hear the word” its in the present tense. That’s an important change in language. This indicates an ongoing hearing, a genuine listening to the word. It’s not a one time deal, it’s not in one ear and out the other, but an ongoing listening, receptivity and obedience to the Word which produces much fruit. In verse 9 Jesus said “He who has ear to hear, let him hear”. This is also in the present tense and indicates an active listening. This distinction in hearing makes It’s clear who is in and who is out from these four groups.
The second indication is found by observing which groups are producing fruit. Only the fourth group produces fruit. The Scriptures are clear throughout the entire Bible that Christians produce fruit. If you claim to be a Christian but there is a complete lack of christian character in your life, if you are living in willful, unrepentant sin and rebellion against God, you need to do as Paul instructs and seriously examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.
So that’s the parable and its meaning, what are we to do with that?
First, we should examine our own hearts. What kind of soil are you? Is your heart hard? Are you resisting the word of God? Do not harden your heart, but turn to the Lord today.
Have you made a profession of faith, but you have been led into sin and have followed after the things of this world? Repent now while you can.
Have you made a profession of faith and you come to church on Sundays, but maybe during the week you interact with people that you fear would not accept you if they knew you were a Christian, so you don’t talk about it, and you go along with those around you in course speech, crude joking, or other things inappropriate for a Christian? Is it possible that even though you’re here today that you have fallen away? You’re not bearing fruit in keeping with repentance. Face reality. Come to Jesus today.
We need to have hearts that are always hearing and receiving the word. Present tense hearing. ongoing action. And when we hear, we obey and produce fruit in increasing measures.
For those that are producing fruit, this passage is intended to be an encouragement to you. Here’s why:
a Sower sows the word. That’s us.
A sower sows the word. That’s our responsibility and action. Intentionally engage in activity that is intended to produce a harvest.
A sower sows the word. That’s our message. Jesus Christ died, was buried, rose again and reigns with God on high.
As we sow the word, the word is going to fall on many different kinds of hearts. We don’t know whose hearts are hard, who will receive with joy only to fall away, or who will be enticed by the things of the world. But we do know that if we are faithful to sow the word, that God will produce fruit from some of that seed. We don’t know how much. But it will be there. We are the fruit someone else’s sowing. Let’s carry on that message and sow into other’s lives as well. Let’s be good soil that hears the word of God and obeys it.