The Parables of Jesus

The Sower, the Seed, and the Soils Matthew 13:3–23; Mark 4:3–25; Luke 8:15–18 Introduction - All humanity is facing a very troubling dilemma. Ultimately their physical life will be spent and each of must stand before a just and holy God. • Some think that it’s not really a problem. They proclaim their goodness. • Yet scripture is firm, all mankind stands guilty before God! Guilt must be answered. ◦ The soul that sins must die! - Ezekiel 18:4 (KJV 1900) “4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. “ ◦ Every mouth may be stopped and all the world become guilty before God. Romans 3:19 (KJV 1900) Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. • The perplexing question before mankind is how can men that are sinners be pardoned and accepted before a Holy God? • Jesus plainly states that a men and women must be born again. – John 3 • So what is the new birth, and how can a man be born again? ◦ 1 Peter 1:23 (AV) 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. Jesus gives us a very direct answer in the parable of the seed and the sower. Luke 8:4–21 (KJV 1900) 4 And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 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. 14 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. 15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. 1. The Setting a. Since wheat was a staple of the diet in Palestine, the procedure of raising wheat would have been very familiar to the Lord’s hearers. b. In preparation for sowing the seed, the ground was cleared of all old growth. This caused the entire field to look the same. c. The sower had no idea of what roots or rocks lay beneath the surface soil. The soil was not plowed as is done today, but rather the seed was broadcast by the sower on the surface of the soil. d. The seed was then scratched into the soil with a primitive wooden plow. The sowing was done before the early rains that caused the seed to germinate. e. The sower waited through the growing period for the coming of the latter rains that brought the grain to full fruition and thus provided a bountiful harvest. 2. The Problem a. Christ, at the outset of this series of parables, faces the question of how the truth He is revealing will be disseminated and what response may be expected. 3. The Solution a. The Lord Himself interpreted the parable to His hearers. He Himself was the sower, and the field represented those who heard His words (Matt. 13:37). b. Since the seed is referred to both as the “word of God” (Luke 8:12) and as “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:38), we see that the Word of God will be sown throughout the age through those who are counted as sons of the kingdom. c. Further, we see that the sower is good and the seed good and that the field gives prospect of a fruitful harvest. d. However, we note that there are varying responses to the same sowing by the same sower. e. The response does not depend on the sower or on the seed but on the soil, that is, on the hearer. f. Some of the good seed was heard by those whom Christ likened to the footpath that bordered the field. i. This path would not have been plowed after the seed was scattered. The seed could easily be eaten by the birds. ii. Christ likened other hearers to rocky soil. The underlying rock had only a thin layer of soil on it. The rock would absorb the sun’s heat and cause the seed to germinate unusually fast and to have a rapid growth. However, there was not sufficient soil for the roots to grow. Any moisture the soil received would quickly evaporate, and there would be no moisture to sustain the original rapid growth. Therefore the new growth would quickly die. iii. Christ likened other hearers to soil that is choked with thorns. Because the field had been purged of the previous year’s growth, the sower would not know that underneath the soil were the roots of thorns. Consequently, when the good seed was sown, it grew up among thorns. The thorns soon choked out the wheat that was in its midst. iv. Some of the good seed fell on good soil and was able to produce a bountiful harvest. g. In interpreting the parable Christ explained what prevented the good seed sown by the sower from coming to fruition. i. The birds that ate the soil along the path represented Satan, who is antagonistic to the Word of God and seeks to prevent the seed from germinating or coming to harvest. ii. The seed sown on the rocky place germinated but could not put down roots. Our Lord was explaining that lack of growth or lack of depth in the truth will cause a person to fall when persecution or testing comes. iii. The seed that fell among thorns pictured the unfruitful life of one who is concerned with the pursuit of wealth, the cares of this life, or with material things. iv. The good soil represented one who not only hears the Word but understands it. h. This process, as Jesus taught elsewhere (cf. John 16:13–14), is through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who causes a person to understand and to appropriate and consequently live by the Word that has been received. i. Thus from this first parable in a series, we learn that in the present age there will be a sowing of the Word of God by our Lord (Luke 8:12) and by those whom He calls “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:38). There will be responses that vary, depending on the preparedness of the hearer. j. In spite of the lack of fruit among three classes of hearers, we are assured that there will be a bountiful harvest.1