Rocky Point Night 1

Parable of the Sower

The beauty of a story, they bring people into our experiences, help people to realize the similarity in us all.

Maybe they make people laugh or cry, or thankful they haven’t had the same experience.

Nicole is the queen of “the moral of the story” always looking for a teaching, something for the boys to learn so they don’t make a mistake or get themselves into future trouble.

Jesus was a story teller, a master story teller

He spoke in a language that people understood, at least on surface level, but His “moral of the story” was only for a few.

So, what was Jesus method or mode of story telling? Parables

Who knows what a parable is? An understandable earthly story with a deeper heavenly or kingdom message or teaching.

Why did Jesus teach in this way? So that those who were serious would take the time to understand, and those that weren’t would just hear a story.

Let’s look at Luke 8 V’s 9-10, I know were are jumping ahead, but this is important to understand before we look at the parable.

Luke 8:9–10 ESV

And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant, he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’

To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, to the disciples, and not just the 12, all the “learners” all the “apprentices” have been given to know the what?

The secrets of the kingdom of God, all the “hidden things”, all the “not commonly known” things but most people.

Why? Why is the parable just for the disciples? Is this restrictive on Jesus part? Is He excluding some? No, for all were invited or being a “learner” or “apprentice” was available to all. His class wasn’t full, He didn’t turn people away.

So, what we are seeing here is that only the few “serious” would even care to know the deeper meaning.

Look at verse 9 again. What do you see? When the disciples asked Him what the parable meant? You see? The disciples wanted to understand, they knew there was a deeper meaning. The rest of the crowd didn’t ask, they didn’t care

So who excluded them from understanding the deeper meaning? They did, they excluded themselves. They chose to not see or understand because they didn’t care enough to ask

So, in typical Jesus fashion, He tells a parable with an easy to understand earthly story for them, which makes me realize how much better I need to get at this, communicating in a language that the people I’m talking to get.

Let’s now go back and look at Luke 8 starting in verse1-3

Luke 8:1–3 ESV

Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

What is Jesus doing? Proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.

So what is this parable going to be about? The good news of the kingdom of God.

So, yes, the 12 are with Him, but other “disciples” were too. V’s 2-3 tells us that some women and “many others” were with them too.

Let’s look at Luke 8:4-8 and also v’s 11-15

Luke 8:4–8 ESV

And when a great crowd was gathering and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable, “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Luke 8:11–15 ESV

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

We read that Jesus gathered a great crowd, assumably some were just curious, and others were searching, desiring to know who this man really is and understand His teaching.

So, Jesus teaches in a parable, why? To separate, to reveal who are the ones who are truly interested and who are there waiting for a miracle, a sign.

Who are the players in this parable? A sower and some birds.

Who is the sower? It’s Jesus, we learn that from Matthew’s account but can also assume it here.

What are the birds? Workers of the devil, verse

So, I’ve heard this parable taught evangelistically, but according to what we have read and talked about, who is Jesus talking to? Followers, disciples. Who is not going to hear what He’s saying? Non-believers. So this is not an evangelistic teaching but rather a teaching about kingdom living, by those in the kingdom. This is for us so see and understand.

So, the basics of the parable, Jesus is out sowing, spreading the word of God on kingdom living and certain things or situations apply to where or who the seed is falling upon.

What’s the first scenario or location and what happens to the seed? It falls on the hard path and birds come and snatch it up

A very normal occurence as sowers back then would just walk with a bag of seed and just throw it everywhere, then they would come later with a plow and drive the seed into the ground.

What does the explanation tells us? The path or their hearts were hard and the devil prevented this word from penetrating, he stole it away so the may not believe and be saved, this is the only “salvation” scenario in this parable, but it’s ineffective, that’s why this isn’t a salvation evangelistic parable.

So that was clearly the effect on a non-believer and the enemies activity to keep them that way.

Side question, what would it take for this individual to believe? The soil to be softer or for the ground to be broken and the seed driven down so it can grow and take root. What does that sound like? Traumatic and painful experience, a breaking of the hardness.

Now the next three scenarios are what we as “Christians” or Jesus Followers need to pay attention to. We are going to look at the last one first. The seed that fell on the good soil.

What does this represent according to Jesus? The individual that hears the message, receives the message, and it grows so that they are producing fruit, having a harvest of increasing measures.

So what is the next scenario and what does Jesus give as the explanation? The seed falls on the rocks, it’s received with joy, but they don’t have deep roots, when life tests them, trials and tribulations occur, they fall away.

Matthews gospel tells us they fall away on account of the problems of life or are being persecuted for believing God’s word.

So who is this “Christian”? The joyful to receive salvation, but the one who doesn’t realize how hard it is to follow Jesus. Maybe the one who expected life to be made easy or better because of Jesus.

How can we be like this person?