THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

(Or The Parable of the Soils Mark 4:2-20, 23-25)

 

2 He taught them many things by parables[1], and in his teaching said:
3 Listen!  A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil.  It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.
6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.
8 Still other seed fell on good soil.  It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.
9Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10 When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11 He told them, The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you.  But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
12 So that, “They may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!”[2]

13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable?  How then will you understand any parable?”
14 The farmer sows the word.
15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown.  As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time.  When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

23 “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear."
24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued.  “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more.
25 Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

THE “PARABLE OF THE PARABLES”

This parable is one of the few that are found in Matthew, Mark and Luke and it is useful to compare these parallel passages.  Jesus tells us (verse 13) that this parable is the “Parable of the Parables” for it describes the reaction of his hearers to all parables.  It is not only one of the easiest of parables to understand but it is the key to them all.  As he was telling the parable, Christ was sowing the seed of the word and his hearers were part of the parable themselves.  This parable says that our receptivity, perseverance and teachability determine the fruitfulness of the Word of God in our lives.

JESUS EXPLAINED THE PARABLE SO THERE IS NO DOUBT OF ITS MEANING

This parable is one of the few parables that Jesus explained.  The seed is God’s Word (or the message of the kingdom) and the sower is Jesus Christ[3], or any servant of God, who shares that Word with others; the various soils represent different kinds of human hearts; the varied results show the different responses to the Bible’s message.  The same seed produces no crop, some crop or many crops according to the character of the soil.  God’s Word is compared to seed because it has life in it (Hebrews 4:12) and that life can be imparted to those who believe.  The truth of God must take root in the heart, be cultivated and allowed to bear spiritual fruit.

However, three-quarters of the seed did not bear fruit.  Some hearers never grasped the message at all; others were discouraged through difficulties; prosperity and anxiety distracted others, so that only a small percentage became lastingly committed to it.  These things hinder the reception of the word: hard-hearted indifference, lack of spiritual depth, and preoccupation with worldly cares and wealth. 

THE FOUR TYPES OF SOIL REPRESENT FOUR KINDS OF HEARTS

This parable challenges us to ask ourselves what kinds of soil we are.

The hard heart of indifference resists the word of God and makes it easy for Satan (the birds) to snatch it away.  These people heard but they did not pay attention to the truth.  Perhaps these people were only half-converted.  Hard hearts must be ploughed up before they can receive the seed and this can be a painful experience (Hosea 10:12).

The shallow heart is like the thin soil on a rock that is typical of Israel’s geography.  Since there is no depth, whatever is planted cannot last because it has no roots.  This represents the careless or on the surface hearer who enthusiastically becomes a Christian but does not wish to pay the price to become a committed Christian.  In a time of trouble or testing or adversity they fall away.

The overcrowded heart describes the person who has too many other seeds growing in the soil –“the anxieties and distractions of the world, the pleasure and false glamour of riches, and the craving for other things” [4]- and the good seed has no room in which to grow.  These people fill their lives with so many other commitments that there is no room for spiritual fruit.  They never come to maturity because of their devotion to material things.

The fruitful heart pictures those who retain the word and by faith and perseverance are fruitful.  Fruit, a changed life, is the evidence of salvation (2 Corinthians 5:7; Galatians 5:19-23).  Spiritual fruit is evidence of spiritual life.  These are genuine disciples with different amounts of fruit.

AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO SOWERS OF GOD’S WORD

This parable encourages those who preach, teach and lead others.  There is a contrast between the small beginnings and the ultimate rich harvest.  The farmer sowed good seed but not all the soils gave him a high yield.  Many people give one of three negative responses.  But the harvest is sure, despite setbacks.  Only as time passed did each kind of soil reveal itself for what it was.  This should encourage us to sow widely the Word.  Sometimes in our evangelism we discover the seed grows in surprising soil.  We are not called to judge the soil before we sow.

Don’t be discouraged if few people seem to be listening as you faithfully teach the Bible.  The farmer sows in the confidence that, even if some of the seed is wasted, nevertheless the harvest will certainly come.  Our task is to sow the seed and leave the rest to God.  Whenever we sow the seed, we should not look for quick results.  There is no haste in nature’s growth.  It takes a long time for the small acorn becomes a mighty oak.  Often a word sown into a person’s heart lies dormant until later life.  We live in an age that looks for fast results, but in sowing the seed we must sow in patience and in hope, and sometimes leave the harvest to the future.

JESUS MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT

• Different phases or stages in a person’s life as one responds to God’s Word.  For example, a young person who responds to God in his youth may turn away from God later in his life, and vice versa.
• How we receive God’s message in some areas of our life and resist it in others.  For example, you may be open to God about your career but closed concerning how you spend your money.  You may respond to God like good soil in worship but be like rocky soil to his demand to help those in need.  We should try to be like good soil in every area of our life at all times.

A WARNING TO ISRAEL

“Pay attention to what you are hearing” (verse 24, Barclay) is a challenge to careful listening.  It is reminder of human responsibility and a call for discernment on the part of the hearer to understand Jesus’ message.  This warning had a suggestion of judgment because Israel had not listened in the past.  For example, “Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.” (Jeremiah 5:21).  Israel’s spiritual deafness was built up over centuries of listening to and rejecting the message of the prophets.  Again, “But the house of Israel is not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me, for the whole house of Israel is hardened and obstinate.” (Ezekiel 3:7)  If Israel did not obey the light they had received, they would not receive more. 

LISTENING IS MORE THAN SIMPLY HEARING. 

The cryptic warning about the need for careful attention in verses 9 and 23-24 reminds us to search our own hearts first, before we apply the Word of God to others.  Jesus spoke in parables in order to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah (verses 11-12).  It is important that we hear God’s Word because “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 AV).  Jesus said, “Who has ears to hear” (Matthew 13:9), “Take heed what you hear” (Mark 4:24), and “Take heed how you hear.” (Luke 8:18).  Those who understand what God is saying are those who not only listen to the words, but also understand what is being said and respond with changes to their attitudes and actions.  There is no such thing as standing still in the spiritual life; if we cease to grow in grace, then we decline. 

We often put much time and effort into our spiritual life but with little positive outcome.  (Think how many hours you have spent listening to sermons, attending seminars and home groups, etc).  Everything depends on whether our response to God’s Word is personal, heartfelt and practical.  Verses 24 and 25 describe the reward of faithful hearing and the condemnation of careless hearing.  Lack of attention will lead to loss, but keen attention will be rewarded by a fuller measure of understanding.  “Use it or lose it” is a Biblical principle.  It is the law of increase and the law of decrease.

WHEN WE READ THE BIBLE WE SHOULD ALLOW GOD TO SPEAK TO OUR HEARTS

Jesus says that we cannot accept the good seed that God wants to plant in our lives because our lifestyle is not prepared for planting.  Our spiritual lives have rocks, thistles and predators i.e. attitudes, habits, commitments and values that prevent the Gospel from taking root and producing the fruit which God desires and which will bring us the fulfillment we all long for.  Acknowledging this is the first step in doing something about it.  Just as a farmer needs to work hard to improve the fertility of his land, so we also need to work diligently on the soil of our hearts.

SALVATION IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH

The parable with its emphasis on fruitfulness (“thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”) does not mean that entry into the kingdom of God depends upon human effort.  The basis of salvation is faith in Jesus Christ, not in works of “merit”.  Paul says, “God has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:9)  Any religious system that teaches salvation by works is an enemy of the gospel of grace.

CONCLUSION

The Anglican bishop J. C. Ryle comments:

“Let us leave the parable with a deep sense of the danger and responsibility of all hearers of the gospel.  There are four ways in which we may hear, and of these four only one is right.  There are three kinds of hearers whose souls are in imminent peril.  There is only one class of hearers who are right in God’s sight.  Are we?”[5]

FOR REFLECTION

• What kind of soil are you?  What can be done to improve the quality of the soil in your life? 

·        Have you received God’s message in some areas of your life and resisted it in others?

·        What can we do to help people understand the Bible? 

·        Perhaps in each of us there are four kinds of soil.  What practical steps can you take to become “good soil”? 

• How may we sow God’s Word into our community, as a church?  What strategies would the Holy Spirit have us adopt, as a church?
• What kind of sower are you?  Ask God to help you share the gospel with your non-Christian friends.
• How best can I as an individual sow the seed of God’s Word into the lives of others by a smile, kind words, acts of kindness, giving, and prayers of intercession. 

PRAYER 

Father, we thank you for planting the precious seed of the Word in our lives.  We acknowledge its power to change our lives.  We pray that its teaching may be seen daily in our words and in our actions, and that there may be a fruitful harvest to the glory of God.  Amen. 

Jim Peacock MA (Hons), Diploma of Teaching.