Parable of the Sower

Intro

Good evening students! Tonight, we are jumping back into the Gospel of Mark as we begin a new series looking at the parables of Jesus. As we go through the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, one thing that is easily noticeable is that Jesus continues to teach in these verses; however, a transition seems to take place as Jesus begins to teach in parables or short stories.

Danny Akin says that parables are, “earthly stories with heavenly meanings.” So, as we read through these parables, understand that Jesus is truly teaching truth about the Kingdom of God.

As we have this understanding of what a parable is, let’s look at Jesus’s first parable in the Gospel of Mark: the parable of the Sower.

Mark 4:1–20 ESV

1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And 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 did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Pray.

From this passage of Scripture, Jesus is surrounded by a large crowd that has gathered around Him. Remember that in this crowd were those that truly followed Jesus and were seeking to follow Him as the Son of God. Others in this crowd were simply following Jesus to simply see what miracle He would perform or were following only so He might benefit them through healing or the casting out of a demon. Then, the religious leaders were in this crowd seeking how they might come against Jesus or oppose anything He said.

As this crowd is gathered around Jesus, He got into a boat as the crowd stood at the shoreline. He began to teach in the boat. Let’s read back through what Jesus taught.

Mark 4:3 ESV

3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

So here, Jesus begins teaching this crowd from the boat. He first calls them to listen and then he mentions that a sower went out to sow seed. Now, in the first-century, it was not uncommon for someone to be out in a field with seed dispersing it upon the ground. During this time period, farmers would throw the seed out by hand upon the ground seeking for the seed to fall upon good soil, grow, and produce crops. So, this parable is no different. The sower has gone out with seed to throw it in order that a plant may grow.

Mark 4:4 ESV

4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

As the sower threw the seed, some of the seed fell upon the path in which people walked. So many people would walk upon a certain path that the ground would become very hard almost like pavement. Because of this, the seed would simply sit on top of the dirt and the birds would come and pick up the seed to eat it.

Mark 4:5–6 ESV

5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.

Next, some of the seed fell on rocky ground. Israel is a land full of rocks. However, the rocky ground in Israel was oftentimes covered with a light layer of soil. So, when the seed was scattered, the seed’s roots would sprout and the plant would flourish at first as it settled into the soil. However, as the roots sought to grow deeper into the soil, the rock hindered the growth and led to the plants death. The sun would scorch the plant as the rock hindered its roots to grow.

Mark 4:7 ESV

7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.

As the sower continued to throw out his seeds, some of the seeds fell among the thorns. As the plant tried to grow, it was ultimately unsuccessful because the thorns would steal all of the nutrients needed for the plant to grow. The thorns stole the water and nourishment needed for the plant to thrive.

Mark 4:8 ESV

8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

Lastly, other seeds fell on good, soft, fertile soil. As the seeds fell on this type of soil, the roots of the plant were able to grow into the ground to get proper nutrients in order that the plant could grow and bring forth crops. Jesus even says that they plant would produce thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold many that it would produce a tremendous among of crops.

Mark 4:9 ESV

9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus then commands the crowd with a common saying. He says anyone who has ear to hear let him hear. What Jesus is saying there is anyone who has spiritual ears meaning that they believe in Him, let that person hear the teaching of this parable.

Many of you right now may be thinking what in the world does sowing seeds have to do with anything. You see, Jesus taught using parables for a particular reason. He wanted those who were truly following Him and believing in Him to hear the teaching and understand truth about the Kingdom of God. However, He taught in parables in order that those truly seeking Him could ask and understand the truth. The truth was veiled from those seeking to turn Him in or persecute Him such as the Pharisees or Sadduccees and others. These were the ones who had rejected Jesus. “Their hearts and ears were closed off to the teachings of Jesus” (John MacArthur).

We understand this more in the next few verses.

Mark 4:10–13 ESV

10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” 13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?

After teaching the crowd using a parable, Jesus was alone and his twelve disciples along with others gathered around Him and were asking Him about the meaning of the parable. These were the ones truly following Jesus seeking to know Him and believe in Him. The crowd and gone away and now Jesus could instruct those truly seeking to believe in Him. So, as they questioned Jesus, he responded with what is called a “hard saying of Jesus.” He said,

Mark 4:11–12 ESV

11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ”

Jesus told them that the secret or mystery of the kingdom of God had been revealed to them; however, it had been veiled to others. You see, these disciples along with the crowd did not even know how to interpret the parable of the sower. Because of this they came asking questions.

MacArthur says, “Jesus offered a twofold explanation for using parables to conceal truth from the hard-hearted while revealing it to those who believed.”

So, as Jesus had those around Him who believed, He sought to explain to them this parable. As those who follow and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus was happy to explain the truth to them. It was dependent upon the heart of the hearer as to whether or not they could understand the truth of the parable. You see, God in His sovereignty allows for some to hear and repent while knowing others will hear and reject.

As R. Kent Hughes says, “God confronts us with his truth, but if we do not positively respond to it, we will lose it. What a solemn reality for those who sit under the teaching of God’s Word week after week and do not respond to it.”

For those who belong to Christ through saving faith, they are able to understand the Word of God.

Let’s seek to understand the full meaning of this parable together.

First, the sower is Christ or the Christian who is seeking to share the Gospel.

Second, the seed is the Word of God or the saving message of Jesus Christ, the Gospel.

Third, the soil is the heart of the human.

Now, as we understand each of these things lets begin to dive into Jesus’s explanation for the parable of the Sower. Each of the soils mentioned represents a condition of the human heart.

There are those who hear the Gospel and reject the Gospel.

Let’s look back at verses 14-15

Mark 4:14–15 ESV

14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.

The sower or the person sharing the Gospel goes out and shares that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for the sins of the world and then rose from the grave after three days. As the Gospel is shared, the one whose heart condition is like that of the path immediately rejects the Gospel. He or she hears the Gospel clearly proclaimed, but because of his or her hard heart he or she rejects Jesus. Satan hinders them from hearing the Gospel, repenting of sin, and believing.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Satan, known as the god of this world, blinds the mind of unbelievers to keep them from hearing and placing their faith in the Gospel. These are those who outright reject the Gospel because their heart is so callous toward God. They hear the Gospel and willingly choose to reject the Gospel. This could be because life circumstances have been tough and they are mad at God. It could be because they are so busy with life that they continually neglect to think upon spiritual matters and reject the Gospel due to their lack of concern. This could also be because they are living a life full of sin and will not repent to follow God. However, they end is tragic as they reject the Gospel and will ultimately face death and hell.

I do want to point out that this does not mean that the Gospel is unable to cause such a person to repent and believe. The Word of God has the power to save even the hardest of hearts. The person must simply believe in the Word. God has the power to save whomever He wants to. Those with such hard hearts are simply too busy to think about God and are entirely hardened to hearing the truth of the Gospel that they reject.

There are those who hear, receive, and flee as persecution and trials arise.

Mark 4:16–17 ESV

16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.

As the sower threw seed, some fell on the rocky ground. These are the ones who hear the Gospel and receive it gladly as long as it is convenient for them. They ultimately reject the Gospel and are in the same position as those who outright reject the Gospel.

Some will hear the Gospel and immediately receive the Gospel with joy as it seems great. They understand that Jesus died upon the cross for their sins and rose from the grave on the third day and now is in heaven where is talks to God on our behalf. They seem as though they truly have placed their faith in Christ. Immediately after hearing the Gospel they may be very excited and go out telling everyone and be fired up. However, whenever the slightest wave of persecution comes because they are a Christian, they run away and reject the Gospel. Their faith is shallow and empty they do not truly repent and follow Jesus.

This one is scary as it may speak to several people we know. Think of the one who says they have placed their faith in Jesus and then maybe are made fun of or face some type of pushback. Then, they give up on Jesus and the church. They reject Jesus.

Understand this, as Christians, you will face persecution in this world. Trust me, it is coming at some point. When it does, may you be found rooted in Christ. Those who flee at the sight of persecution were never truly in Christ. Those who say they are Christians and then turn that back on Jesus in the face of persecution never truly placed their faith in Christ.

As MacArthur says, “True believers, by contrast, possess a faith that endures persecution and even martyrdom for the sake of following Christ.”

That is the absolutely cold hard truth.

There are those who hear the Gospel but are overcome by the world’s offerings.

Mark 4:18–19 ESV

18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.

As the sower threw his grain, some fell among the thorns. This one is another hard truth. There will be some who hear the Gospel and want to place their faith in Jesus; however, they will reject Jesus because they are overtaken by the offerings of this world. The thorns are the offerings of this world such as fame, wealth, health, and others offerings. These things compete with the desire to follow Jesus and when the offerings of the world win out, they succumb to rejecting Jesus.

We see this all the time. The call of the true follower of Christ is to die to himself or herself. This means that we die to our desires to follow Jesus.

Matthew 16:24–27 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Jesus calls for those who follow Him to give up the world. We must worship God and Him alone. We see people sell out to pursue sports, money, and fame like nobody’s business. They will devote their entire lives to such things and reject Jesus.

Does this mean we shouldn’t enjoy sports or pursue an education?

You can absolutely play sports and should seek to excel in education. However, we must never allow these thinks to become our god and worship them rejecting Jesus. This is exactly what Jesus is saying here. The offerings of the world choke out the Gospel that is shared with them. They consider following Jesus, but they are led to reject Him because they cannot give up the deceitfulness of the world and its offerings.

This is why the church is suffering today. So many have pursued the world, failed, and rejected Jesus. Their hearts are divided between sports, school, and fame that they reject Jesus and fall to sin.

Matthew 6:24 ESV

24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

We must choose if we will serve God faithfully or follow the world. I am not saying we cannot enjoy sports, education, and wealth. We must be very careful that they do not take the place of God and led to a rejection of Christ.

There are those who will hear the Gospel, repent, and believe living their lives in total submission to Christ.

Mark 4:20 ESV

20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

These are the true believers. They have heard the Gospel, repented of their sin, and follow Jesus faithfully. Their roots are deep in Christ and their life is lived to honor Him. We seek to honor God at all cost. And those that have allowed for the Gospel to take root in their lives faithfully follow Jesus and notice they produce fruit. This means they take the Gospel wherever they go seeking to spread the seed that is the Gospel. This is the call of the believer tonight.

As Christians, we are called to take the Gospel that has taken root in our lives to others. Understand that there will be many different reactions to the Gospel as this parable points out. Understand this, the call remains the same.

Matthew 28:18–20 ESV

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We are still called to share the Gospel. We are called to be faithful in sharing the Gospel and allow for the chips to fall where they may. What I mean by that is this. Share the Gospel understanding that only God has the power to save. As we share the Gospel, we sit back and allow for God to do the work. They person who hears the Gospel may repent and believe and truly follow Christ. Others may reject, some may follow then fall away when trials come, others may want to but be pulled away by the world’s offerings. Whatever the case, if you are a Christian tonight, share the Gospel.

Non-Christian: Share the Gospel. Ask: You have heard the Gospel just now clearly presented. Now, how will you respond?