Parable of the Sower

Today I want to go over one of Jesus’ most famous teachings. The parable of the
sower is included in three of the four gospel books. Jesus told this parable to make
people consider how they respond to God’s message. He didn’t just to teach morals or
perform miracles … No, He wanted to show them the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE!
He was telling them that whether or not the message had effect depended on how it was
received.
First, it will help us to understand the parable if we know the context. Jesus was
coming into conflict with the Jewish religious leaders, but also was becoming extremely
popular because of miraculous healings He performed. In Matthew 13, we can read
about this particular day. Jesus was healing the demon-possessed and the sick while the
Pharisees and teachers of the law sat around looking for reasons to criticize Him. He was
so busy that day that his own family could not get into the house where He was to meet
Him. Eventually, Jesus went out to the nearby lake, sat in a boat just offshore, and told
the parable of the sower:

Matthew 13:1-23

What is going on here? Jesus told a parable to get the crowd to consider their
own hearts. He didn’t want them to just come and observe what He was doing or to only
seek miraculous signs, but to really consider the implications of what He said and did.
Jesus accurately described the hearts of people in the crowd. He knew most of their
hearts were calloused and insensitive, so that even as they saw miracles and heard the
good news, they did not benefit.

Matthew 13:14-15

Jesus told the disciples either you “got it” or you didn’t. To those who received
Jesus’ words, God would cause the word to bear much fruit in their lives. But to those
who did not seriously consider and accept the word of God, they would receive nothing.

Matthew 13:11-12

So how does this parable apply to us? Let’s consider each type of soil and see if it
describes us.

Seed on the path

v. 19 “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it,
the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown
along the path.”

Jesus describes ground that has not been plowed up and is hard. When the seed
falls on it, it cannot penetrate the surface. Jesus said that, in order for God’s word to have
effect, we have to let it “sink in.” We have to carefully consider the message.
 I was thinking how to explain this and came up with an interesting analogy: God’s
word is like the red pill in The Matrix. In The Matrix, Morpheus said Neo could either
take the blue pill and he would wake up in his bed and everything would be the same.
But if Neo took the red pill, he would “see how deep the rabbit-hole goes.”
In the same way, we have to decide to accept God’s word and see how it will
change our lives—like Neo, we may be in for a big surprise! But first, we have to make a
conscious decision to accept God’s word in order for it to have any effect. If we decide
to leave God’s word on the table for later, Satan will snatch it away.
So what makes people’s hearts hard toward the gospel? Why are some people’s
hearts like the path so that they don’t even consider the message? Some people may have
prejudices that have trampled down the soil so that it is hard. They may accept what
others say about Christianity instead of considering God’s word itself. Maybe all they
know about Christianity is from Hollywood and The DaVinci Code. Or maybe they
knew some hypocritical Christians before and don’t want to be like them.
There could be millions of excuses for us to not truly consider the message of the
kingdom. Maybe we feel we are too young, or too old, too busy, or not the right
ethnicity. Whatever your excuse—Jesus wants you to hear today. “He who has ears, let
him hear.” Make sure your heart is plowed and ready for the message.

Seed on rocky soil

v. 20-21 “The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears
the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short
time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.”

This second type of soil is shallow so that the word is received joyfully, but does
not mature within us. When trouble comes because of that person’s faith, they will fall
away because they do not have the roots to draw spiritual sustenance from God.
One thing I noticed was that in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, this trouble refers to
persecution because of that person’s faith. Sometimes I think we might have stronger
faith if we experienced more persecution. In American society, it’s difficult to think we
are being persecuted in the same way that early Christians were persecuted. Our situation
is not like Abdul Rahman, the Afghan Christian who is currently facing execution for
converting from Islam to Christianity. His roots must be deep, because his faith has not
wilted under persecution. How many of us would be able to withstand such persecution?
So how do we grow roots? We have to train ourselves by living out God’s word.
Don’t just accept the message joyfully, but carry it out to its logical conclusion in your
life. How do you build physical muscles? By exercising them. In the same way, we
need to exercise our spiritual muscles by obeying the Spirit of God who lives inside us.
The person who does this will be a mature Christian.

Philippians 2:12-13
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but
now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and
trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good
purpose.
 Sometimes we have a misunderstanding about what it means to be a mature
Christian. We think that if we can quote the Bible and teach doctrine, then we are
mature. But maturity is not measured by head knowledge, but by the degree that God’s
word is actually working in your life. Even if you only focus on Jesus’ sermon on the
mount in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 and obey that completely, you will be a perfect
Christian.

Seed on thorny soil

v.22 “The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the
word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it
unfruitful.”

The third type of soil has thorns planted alongside the good seed. Those thorns
grow larger until they eventually choke the good plant. Jesus says these thorns are
worldly concerns and pleasures. See how Jesus includes what we consider good things!
Worldly pleasures are deceiving, and we need to be careful about being tricked. We
should live our lives with eternity in mind, not just this world.

 Love your husband or wife, but remember the one who joined you together for
this life and who will welcome you both back into heaven.
 Pay attention to your children and teach them with your life example, but
remember they are entrusted to you by God, who is their eternal Father.
 Yes, you can enjoy a new car every five years, but remember that is a temporary
pleasure and the treasures you store up in heaven are eternal.
 Please enjoy your job and do your best, because God made us to work and be
productive, but remember your boss is God and your real job is being a fisher of
men.
 It’s fine to enjoy and use the things of this world, but don’t be engrossed in them
because the time is short, and this world is passing away.

Luke 9:61-62
61Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good bye to
my family." 62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit
for service in the kingdom of God.”

Once we make a decision to follow Jesus, we have to be careful not to let worldly
attachments distract us. When someone is guiding a plow, they need to keep their eyes
on where they are going in order to plow a straight furrow. In the same way, once we
make a decision to follow Jesus, we cannot allow other things to distract us.
The point here is not to reject all our family and worldly responsibilities, but to
realize that this world is only a temporary home. Jesus said this world is deceitful.
Sometimes we are tricked into thinking this world is all there is, and so we live that way.
I remember being in junior high school—it seemed my problems at that time were
so huge. Now, looking back, I understand there is so much more to life than junior high
and high school. In the same way, sometimes we get so focused on this world that we
forget about eternity.
 So how can we clear thorns out of our heart? First, get rid of things in your life
that make you unfruitful. Is some worldly concern or pleasure choking your spiritual
life? Maybe you ought to consider leaving that thing aside in order to become fruitful in
God’s kingdom.
Tithing and giving is also a great way to put things in perspective. When we
pledge our “first fruits” to God, we affirm our trust in Him. He is able to take care of us.
Therefore, I don’t worry too much because I know God will provide. But if you don’t
tithe, it’s unlikely that you can have that mindset. There is good advice on the one dollar
bill: “In God we trust.”

Seed on good soil

v. 23 “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the
word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times
what was sown.”

This person considers the message, then puts their hand to the plow without
looking back. They overcome each of the obstacles that made others stumble:

1) They considered the message carefully, understood it, and said “Yes.”
2) They grew deep roots by practicing the word and carrying it to its logical
conclusion in their life.
3) They were not deceived by worldly pleasures, nor did they become so caught up
with other concerns that they were unfruitful.

Luke writes in his gospel this: “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a
noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Brothers and sisters, I hope you are not thinking of reasons why you cannot be
this last type of soil. You can be good soil! First, you need to consider God’s message
squarely; don’t put it on the shelf, because the devil will steal it away. Realize what the
consequences will be. Then make a decision to accept it. Work it out in your every day
life. Make sure to grow deep spiritual roots so you can be mature. Watch out for thorns
that grow up to choke your spiritual life. Clear your heart of thorns.