;
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
SERIES; The Parables Of Jesus
(Mt 13:3-9 ;Mk 4:3-9; Lk 8:4-8)
Mathew 13:3. And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6. And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Mk 4:13...“Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all parables?”
A. INTRODUCTION
1. As Jesus went about preaching the gospel of the kingdom of heaven He did not always find a receptive audience...
Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, crying out, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Acts 10:38. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
2. Even where He did mighty works, some did not repent –
John 1:11. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Mt 11:20-24. Then He began to censure and reproach the cities in which most of His mighty works had been performed, because they did not repent [and their hearts were not changed].
21. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes [and their hearts would have been changed].
22. I tell you [further], it shall be more endurable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
23. And you, Capernaum, are you to be lifted up to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades [the region of the dead]! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued until today.
24. But I tell you, it shall be more endurable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.
3. Some sought to trick Him, so they might have reason to accuse Him – Example:
A Man with a Withered Hand. Mt 12:9-14. And going on from there, He went into their synagogue.
10. And behold, a man was there with one withered hand. And they said to Him, Is it lawful or allowable to cure people on the Sabbath days?–that they might accuse Him.
11. But He said to them, What man is there among you, if he has only one sheep and it falls into a pit or ditch on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?
12. How much better and of more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful and allowable to do good on the Sabbath days.
13. Then He said to the man, Reach out your hand. And the man reached it out and it was restored, as sound as the other one.
14. But the Pharisees went out and held a consultation against Him, how they might do away with Him.
4. It was for this very reason that Jesus began teaching publicly in “parables”
Mt 13:10-13. Then the disciples came to Him and said, Why do You speak to them in parables?
11. And He replied to them, To you it has been given to know the secrets and mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12. For whoever has [spiritual knowledge], to him will more be given and he will be furnished richly so that he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13. This is the reason that I speak to them in parables: because having the power of seeing, they do not see; and having the power of hearing, they do not hear, nor do they grasp and understand.
5. The problem Jesus faced was that many people, though they had ears to hear, their ears had become “hard of hearing”
Mt 13:14-15. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15. For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
6. To illustrate this problem, Jesus told a parable that has come to be known as “The Parable Of The Sower”
• It can also be properly called “The Parable Of The Four Soils”
• Or “The Parable Of The Seed”
• This parable was told by Jesus to illustrate different reactions to the gospel message
• Most of the parables have been assigned their titles by man.
• Some of the parables, however, have been given their titles by their author, Jesus Christ.
• Such is the case for this parable (Matt. 13:18). Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
7. This is the very FIRST parable we have that Jesus spoke.
• It is recorded in all three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. - (Mt 13:3-9 ;Mk 4:3-9; Lk 8:4-8)
• Mark’s account of the parable is the most thorough (let us read it again)
Mark 4:3-9.Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: and it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: but when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and chocked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, an did yield fruit that sprang up and increased, and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
8. Not only is this parable TITLED by Jesus, it is also INTERPRETED by Him. When will look at Luke’s account of the interpretation (Luke 8:11-15).
• The FOCUS of Jesus is upon the SOILS.
• The SOILS represent the HEARTS of men.
• There are FOUR aspects of this parable we will examine.
• The SIGNIFICANCE of this particular parable is enhanced by the words of Jesus recorded in Mk 4:13...“Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all parables?”
• The VALUE of this parable becomes clearer in the light of Jesus’ explanation, for by it we can SEE OURSELVES as we really are in regards to how we have received the Word into our lives.
I. EXPLANATION OF THE PARABLE
A. “THE SOWER”
Behold, there went out a sower to sow.
• If any seed is ever going to be planted, there must be a sower.
• No sower, no crop.
• This sower cannot be slothful. He must “go out” to sow.
• No activity from the sower, no crop.
1. We will not delve deeply into this, but the sower will engage in a unique task.
• Sowing is hard work.
• A large bag of seed would be strapped upon the shoulder of the sower.
• He would walk long furrows scattering his seed.
• Most of the work was done in the heat of the day.
• Sowing is LONG work. One could work from sun up until sun down.
• Sowing is LONELY work. One person could be in a field alone almost all day.
• Sowing is PATIENT work. Sowing did not bring immediate results.
2. Brethren, we must be the sowers of seed.
• We must be the ones to go out
• Mark 16:15. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
• The original sower is Jesus
• Question: If we don’t go out, who will?
• Remember: No sower, no crop.
B. “THE SEED”
1. The seed is “the word of the kingdom” - Mt 13:19a
• I.e., the gospel of the kingdom, which was the theme of JESUS’ preaching - Mt 4:23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
• It was also an important element of APOSTOLIC preaching - cf. Acts 8:12; But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
2. The sower sowed seed.
• Jesus tells us what the seed is
• Luke 8:11.Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
• Paul commanded Timothy to preach the word. II Timothy.4:2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
• We are not to preach opinions, creeds, or self-help theories.
3. Jesus’ words of the Great Commission harmonize with the words of the parable
• Mark 16:15.And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world (sower goes out) and preach the gospel (the seed) to every creature.
• No seed, no crop.
• The wrong seed; the wrong crop.
4. The seed is powerful
• Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
5. This seed is incorruptible
• I Pet. 1:22-23 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
• 23. Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
6. This seed produces after its kind.
• Apple seeds will only produce apples.
• The Word of God sown into good soil will only produce Christians.
II. THE SOILS
A. The soils represent four different types of hearts.
• All of mankind falls into one of these four categories.
• As we study, we should ask ourselves: “Which one of these soils represents me?”
B. The four soils
1. THE WAYSIDE SOIL
Luke 8:12 Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
• Wayside soil is the soil of the path. It has been hardened by the feet that have walked thereon.
• This soul represents a hard heart. It involves one that hears the word, but that does not allow the seed to penetrate.
• (NOTE: This can involve the alien sinner, but it could involve every individual when it comes to certain truths of God’s Word).
Because the heart is hard, Satan can perform his evil work and remove the Word of God from their hearts.
• Disbelief in what God says
• Delays in obeying the truth
Mathew 13;19. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
• This soil represents one who “hears....and does not understand” - Mt 13:19a
• Most likely, these are those who have hardened their hearts prior to hearing the Word - Mt 13:15
• The “birds” represent “the wicked one” (called “the devil” in Lk 8:12) Who snatches away the Word from those whose hearts are hardened
2. “THE STONY PLACES” (The Second Soil)
Luke 9:13 They on the rock are they, which when they hear, receive the word with joy; and they have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
• The rocky soil involves a plant that spouts and begins to grow.
• Mark’s account says that they “endure for a time” (Mark 4:17).
• The heat of the sun, however, begins to bear down upon the tender plant.
a. Four words describe this heat.
• Temptation (Luke 8:13) – a putting to the test
• Tribulation (Matt. 13:21) – pressure
• Persecution (Matt. 13:21; Mark 4:17) – persecution
• Affliction (Mark 4:17) – pressure, same word translated “tribu-lation in Matthew 13:21).
b. The heat scorches the plant, and it dies.
• The cause of the death is not the heat.
• The cause that the plant has no root in themselves.
c. One of the key actions of the new Christian is to root himself deeply in God’s Word
Col. 2:6-7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanks-giving.
• If a person doesn’t do this, the hot sun of testing will cause him to perish.
• Matthew states: “…by and by he is offended” (Matt. 13:21).
d. This soil represents the one who...
• “hears the word and immediately receives it with joy” - Mt 13:20
• “yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while” - Mt 13:21a
• “when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles”- Mt 13:21b
e. Some hear the Word and receive it with great joy...
• But with no root, they are not grounded in the Word
• So that when troubles arise, there is no endurance and stumbling occurs
3. Here we learn that an emotional reception without a strong foundation based upon the Word will not enable one to stand against tribulation and persecution
3. “AMONG THE THORNS” (The Third Soil)
1. This soil represents the one who...
a. “hears the word” - Mt 13:22a
b. But whose ability to bear fruit is choked by three major thing:
• “the CARES of this world” - Mt 13:22b
• “the DECEITFULNESS of riches” - Mt 13:22c
• “PLEASURES of life” (added in Lk 8:14)
c. How these three “thorns” can cause us to be unfruitful is explained in other portions of God’s Word...
d. The cares of this world
• Can cause us to be unprepared - cf. Lk 21:34-36
• The evil in cares and anxieties is that they can detract our minds from what is truly important - cf. Lk 12:29-32
e. The deceitfulness of riches
• The danger is described in 1 Ti 6:9-10
• Again, the evil in riches lay in diverting our attention away from God, and feeling self-sufficient - 1 Ti 6:17
f. Pleasures of life
• Those involving the flesh in particular divert our minds from the things of the Spirit - cf. Ga 5:17
• Sowing to the flesh make it impossible to reap of the Spirit! - Ga 6:7-9
LUKE 8:14 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.
g. These plants also spring up, but they never produce fruit.
• Why? They are entangled by the cares, riches, and pleasures of the world. Work, family, recreation, hobbies, riches, friends, school, etc. crowd out their growth in Christ.
• The Word of God wants to feed and nourish the plant.
• The carnal things of the world, however, have a choke hold on the plant and the Word is choked out.
4. “THE GOOD GROUND” (The Fourth Soil)
a. This soil represents the one who...
• “hears the word and understands it” - Mt 13:23a
• “indeed bears fruit and produces” - Mt 13:23b
• Luke adds that he hears “the word with a noble and good heart”, and then “keeps it and bears fruit with patience” - Lk 8:15
b. Those with “a noble and good heart”, then, are the ones...
• Who will understand the Word
• Who will keep it, and with patience produce fruit in their lives!
c. They will be like the Bereans, who were commended for being “fair-minded”, as manifested in the way they:
• “received the word will all readiness”
• “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” - Ac 17:11
d. Note the importance of “understanding” in relation to “bearing fruit”...
• Jesus made the connection between the two in this parable - Mt 13:23
• Paul connects the two when he writes of the gospel producing fruit among the Colossians “since the day they heard (NASV says “understood”) the grace of God in truth” - Co 1:5-6
• When one “understands”, they will more likely “bear fruit”; but the key to understanding is having a “good and noble heart” that is willing to listen and learn!
LUKE 8:15 But that on good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
e. Three key elements of the good soil:
• Honest and good heart
• Hears the Word of God and understands it (Matt. 13:23).
• Hears the Word of God and keeps it.
NOTE: this is the soil that brings forth fruit. It is productive and useful.
f. And what kind of “fruit” will one bear? There are different kinds...
• The fruit of winning souls to Christ - Ro 1:13
• The fruit of practical holiness - Ro 6:22
• The fruit of sharing material things - Ro 15:27
• The fruit of the Spirit (i.e., a Christ-like character) - Ga 5:22-23
• The fruit of good works - Co 1:10
• The fruit of praise & thanksgiving - He 13:15
CONCLUSION
When Jesus finished telling His parable of the Sower, He cried out:
• “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” - Mt 13:9
• Clearly from the explanation of Jesus Himself, we learn that not all those who have ears to hear, really listen!
• It is important that we listen well when God’s Word is being proclaimed, for that is how faith is obtained - Ro 10:17
How well have YOU listened to this parable of Jesus and His explanation?
• If you are anything other than that like “the good soil”, you need to repent today!
• For in the next study, we learn what Jesus will do when He comes to gather His kingdom! - cf. Mt 13:24-30,36-43
Dear friends and brethren, may you truly have a good and noble heart...hear, examine, understand, and accept the gospel of Christ and the gospel of His kingdom!
Dr Tg Badia
