Soil, Seed and Sower

Soil, Seed and Sower

Scripture

“As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop — a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear” ().

Matthew 13:4–9 NASB95

and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. “Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. “Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. “And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. “He who has ears, let him hear.”

Message

Although this is often known as the parable of the sower and the seed, it is actually the parable of the plow.

Strange as it may seem, all four soils are actually from the same soil. When the New Testament was written, the communities were agriculturally based. A family would be appointed a section of land to farm. However, in this parable, we see four different qualities of soils.

What made one more responsive and the other less?

Picture a plot of ground amongst other plots. It would normally be located just outside the city walls. Every farmer’s plot was adjacent to his neighbor’s. In order to get to their fields, they would walk along the boundaries bordering each field to avoid stepping on any crop. Over time, simply by reason of constant use, the soil would compact and become known as the path. It was never plowed or never fertilized. The first condition of soil was the path or land held “in common” by all the farmers. The seed was not able to penetrate the ground because of the constant use.

Ever allow something that held great potential to become common? Remember how your spouse was so precious in the beginning but now what was once precious is now common? What about a ministry, a family, a friend? These can be made common and soon lose its potential to be fruitful.

When the precious becomes common, it is often soon replaced.

The second was the “rocky places” or the shallow soil where the plow didn’t cut deeply enough to break up the shale or hard ground just below the surface. This soil produced only temporary results and the plant soon died. Then the area of thorns were most likely in the corners of the field where the plow couldn’t reach so weeds overtook what was planted.

And the good soil?

Remember, all the soils were actually from the same plot of ground with one major difference — only one area was fully yielded to the plow. That area was called the good soil.

The greatest amount of fruit produced was not determined by how gifted the soil was, but how yielded to the plow it was. All conditions received seed, but not all produced quality fruit.

Everyone receives seed. Everyone has potential for the harvest, but the ones who will actualize it to its fullest may not be the most gifted. The ones who will produce the most fruit will be the ones most yielded to the plow.