The parable of the sower

Of all the parables that Jesus spoke, perhaps none is more powerful or well known than the one commonly referred to as “the parable of the sower.” Jesus himself showed how powerful this parable was in Mark 4:13 when, speaking of the parable of the sower, he said, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable?” In this simple parable Jesus illustrates some of the most basic truths about the nature of the kingdom of God as well as our own hearts. As we look at these truths we will discover that they are applicable to every one all of the time. Here is the parable of the sower as recorded in Matthew 13:3-8:

“Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

The first thing that strikes me when I read this parable is that Jesus said it was a “sower” that “went out to sow” seed. This word “sower” is another form of the word translated “sow” and literally means “one who sows or scatters seed.” In other words, this was not just someone throwing some seeds around – it was someone who did this all the time, on purpose, and with a depth of knowledge and experience about sowing seeds. This act of sowing was not merely left up to “the birds and the bees” but rather was engaged in deliberately by someone with knowledge and experience about the best methods and techniques for sowing seeds, their potential and their optimum growing conditions.

The next thing that stands out in this parable is seen in Luke 8:5, where we are told not only that the sower went out to sow seed, but that he “went out to sow his seed.” We know from nature that there are many types of seeds, for the simple reason that there are many types of plants. The obvious implication here is that the sower in this parable is not just sowing any seed, but deliberately chosen seed, designed to produce a specific crop. Luke 8:11 tells us plainly that the seed in this parable represents the word of God. From this we may gather that the act of sowing or planting of God’s word in our hearts cannot be merely left up to “nature” as it were, but must be done with deliberation and purpose – by a spiritual “sower” if you will.

In addition to the seed being specifically chosen by the sower, there were also several conditions that had to be met before a field could be sown with any seed. One of these conditions was that the seed was not to be sown with more than one type of seed. God stated clearly in Leviticus 19:19, “Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.” In this same passage He also told them that they were not to mate different kinds of animals together or wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. Ultimately the reason for these commands was that God wanted his people to embrace purity in every area of their life.

From the very beginning of God’s relationship with his people He made it clear that they were a “Holy Nation” and that they were not to mingle, associate or make covenants with the other nations around them. Psalm 106:35 tells us, “But they mingled with the nations and learned their practices” and in Ezra 9:2 the scribe Ezra confessed, “the holy seed has intermingled with the peoples of the lands.” Notice that the result of this “intermingling” of God’s Holy “seed” with other seed was that Gods people “learned the practices” of the corrupt nations around them. And the same thing will happen to us if we sow the “field” of our hearts with the “seed” of Gods word and the “seed” of the world.

Another condition that needed to be met before seed could be sown was that the seed itself had to be ceremonially clean – that is it could not be defiled by any dead thing. In Leviticus 11:37-38 God said that if seed came into contact with water and then afterward came into contact with the carcass of an animal, it was unclean and could not be used. The significance of the seed coming into contact with water first was that once it did it would begin to germinate – the first step of which involved the hard, protective outer shell or hull coming off. Once the hull integrity had been compromised, the seed was susceptible to infection and defilement, just as our bodies are when our skin has been broken through or punctured in some way.

The spiritual implications of this principle are powerful. All too often something is passed off as the pure “seed” of God’s word even though it has been defiled by the “carcass” of the flesh. It happens like this: God gives someone His “seed” in the form of some revelation about His word, but not long after that seed begins to germinate in that person’s heart, it comes into contact with their own thoughts, interpretation and understanding and, as a result, the seed becomes defiled. (Proverbs 3:5, 16:25, 2 Peter 1:20) Seed that is defiled in this way will always result in a corrupt crop, and this defilement is perpetuated as the fruit of that crop continues to reproduce “after its kind.” (Genesis 1:11-12)

There is another passage that gives us still more insight into this principle. The first chapter of Daniel focuses on the lives of Daniel and three of his friends who had been taken captive in their youth and were being trained up serve in the court of the king of Babylon. Daniel 1:5 tells us that Daniel and his friends were given “a daily ration from the king's choice food and from the wine which he drank.” But in Daniel 1:8 we are told that, “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine.”

It is quite possible that the king’s food and wine was somehow made ceremonially unclean through some type of idolatrous ceremonies. If so we can easily see why Daniel chose to act as he did – especially in light of Paul’s words in 1^st Corinthians 10:20-21: “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”

Regardless of whether the king’s “choice food” had been defiled through some kind of idolatrous ceremony, this story teaches us a powerful principle. A king’s “choice food” consisted of fine flour, fattened livestock and the choice wine. (1 Kings 4:22-23) As a result of his refusal to defile himself by eating the king’s “choice food,” Daniel asked that he and his friends be given “vegetables to eat and water to drink.” (Daniel 1:12) The word translated, “vegetables” in this verse comes from a verb that means, “to sow seed.” Literally Daniel and his friend’s diet consisted of things “sown from seed” – in other words, it was food that had not been processed in any way, whether by grinding and sifting (as the kings “fine flour” – a word that literally means “stripped” - like today’s pastry flours are “stripped” of almost all their nutritive qualities) or through digestion (as by the kings fattened livestock.)

The spiritual significance of this is enormous. Many Christians today are eating the spiritual equivalence of the “choice food” than Daniel and his friends refused – food that has been processed in one or more ways by the hand of man. But Daniel 1:15-20 tells us that if we, like Daniel, choose to eat only things that have grown directly from the pure seed of God’s word, then we will be better off for it in every way, as well as more effective in the service of the King!

Seed needs soil

When Jesus was explaining this parable to his disciples, he made it clear that the soil in the parable represented the heart of man. From this it is clear then that these four different types of soil represent four different possible conditions that the heart of man can be in when the “seed” of God’s word falls upon it. In fact, we may even go as far as to say that our hearts are always in one or more of these conditions, and we can expect the exact results Jesus described in this parable depending upon the condition of our heart.

The very fact that God’s word is described as a seed is very significant, because it shows us the way that God accomplishes his will in the earth. When God wants something done, or wants to give us something, he speaks it – usually in the form of a promise of some kind. Once his word is spoken, it becomes a “seed” looking for the soil of a human heart to grown in. For example, God made the promise to Abraham that he would have a son, and through that son he would become the father of many nations. That promise was “sown” in the soil of Abraham’s heart where it stayed for many years before it finally produced the “crop” of the promise being fulfilled in his life. And Jesus makes it clear through this parable that Abraham was no exception and that this is the way God’s kingdom works in all of our lives.

Once we see this principle, we begin to understand not only the importance of developing a habit of always sowing God’s “seed” in our hearts, but also identifying those things that might cause the “soil” of our hearts to be unproductive. Of the four different types of soil that Jesus describes in this parable, only one actually produced a crop from the seed that was sown upon it. Each of the other three, for different reasons, did not produce the crop that the sower expected. As we take a closer look at all four of these types of soil, we will discover that they reveal to us some simple but powerful truths about the type of “soil” God’s word will and will not grow in.

Hardened soil

In Matthew 13:4 Jesus described the seed of God’s word falling on the first type of soil:

“Some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.” Luke 8:5 also tells us that the seed sown on this type of ground, “was trampled under foot.” The picture here is of a field that is bordered on at least one side by a road – such as was and still is a common occurrence. Some of the seed found its way onto the ground at the edge of the road – ground that had become hardened through much use and exposure to the sun. Naturally seed lying on such a surface would be an easy target for birds circling overhead looking for a mean. The fact that some of this seed was “trampled under foot,” tells us that this was a fairly busy thoroughfare, probably frequented with camels, horses, donkeys, carts and many pedestrians.

In Matthew 13:19, when Jesus explains the parable to his disciples, he tells them that this type of soil represents someone who “hears the word of the kingdom but does not understand it.” Jesus went on to explain that the birds that ate the seed represented the Devil who, “comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.” In Ephesians 4:18 Paul described this type of person as someone who is, “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.” Whether through hurt, neglect, anger, bitterness or a number of other reasons, this person’s heart has become hardened. As a result of their hardened heart, they cannot receive, through faith and understanding, the “seed” of God’s word, and so the Devil is able to steal the word from their hearts, and keep it from producing anything in their life.

Rocky soil

In Matthew 13:5-6 Jesus described the seeds of God’s word falling “on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil.” He went on to say, “But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.” The picture here is of seeds landing on shallow topsoil with rock underneath. The seeds grow quickly at first in the rich topsoil, but as soon as a good hot day comes along they wither and die because their roots do not extend down deep enough to find water.

In Matthew 13:20-21 Jesus told his disciples that these “rocky places” represents the type of person “who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.” The primary distinction of this type of person is that there is “no depth of soil” and they have “no firm root in themselves.” This type of person has no deep, abiding relationship with Jesus Christ, and has not yet developed a means of drawing the “Living Water” of the Holy Spirit in the dry, desert type periods that come in every Christian life.

It is easy to understand this type of “soil” in terms of a marriage relationship. When a couple first meets, no matter how infatuated they may be with one another, there is still no real depth to their relationship. If a relationship is subjected to serious tests or trials at such in infant stage of its development, there is a good chance it will crumble. But after a couple has been together for many years, and have endured many hardships together, their relationship has developed depth, and they are able to weather the dry periods with a fortitude that they have built up by being committed to each other for many years.

Notice that Jesus said that the “sun” that caused the plants to wither in this type of soil is “affliction and persecution” which, he said, “arises because of the word.” This is extremely important to understand. Luke 8:13 simply says that the sun represents a “time of testing.” The bottom line is that anyone who has the word of God sown in their hearts will be tested in one way or another. The word “affliction” in this passage comes from a root that means “pressure” and that is exactly what will happen during this time of testing – they will be pressured to let go of whatever promise, or Word of God that has been “sown” in their heart.

It is essential, during this time of testing, that we have our spiritual “roots” sunk deep into a deep and intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit, so that we can continue to be nourished with his live giving water during these seasons of testing. Otherwise, we will be like those people Jesus described who “believe for a while” but then “fall away” or quit believing his promises when we are faced with seasons of testing.

Thorny soil

I mentioned earlier that the condition of our hearts can always be compared to one or more of these soil types. I say one or more because there are times when the condition of our heart is similar to several of these different soil types at the same time. But I believe that the third type of soil Jesus described is the most common soil type among professing Christians today – particularly Christians living in America. Because of this, I believe that we must give special attention to this particular soil type, seeking to understand its characteristics, so that we don’t become it.

In Matthew 13:7 Jesus described the seed of God’s word falling on this type of soil like this: “Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.”

Luke 8:7 says it slightly differently, telling us that the thorns “grew up with” the seed of God’s word, and “choked it out.” And Mark 4:7 says essentially the same thing, but includes the phrase, “and it produced no crop.” Together these passages paint for us a simple but powerful picture of one plant being “choked” by another one. The word “choked” in this passage literally means, “strangled” and refers to cutting off someone’s source of breath.

Anyone who has done some gardening has probably seen this principle in operation. It happens at several levels. For example, a weed can “choke” a plant in a literal sense by actually wrapping either its roots or its branches around the roots or branches of the plant and so restricting its growth. This can be seen vividly in certain types of ivy-like plants that grow up trees and kill them in the process. But a weed can also “choke” a plant in the sense of simply growing very close to it and using up most of the water and nutrients in the soil – the very water and nutrients that the plant needs to grow.

When Jesus explained this parable to his disciples in Mark 4:19, he made it clear that the “thorns” in this type of soil represented “the worries of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things.” In Luke 8:14 these “thorns” are described in essentially the same terms: “worries, riches and pleasures of this life.” Jesus went on to tell his disciples that once these worries, riches and pleasures “enter in” to the heart of man, they will “choke the word” of God that was sown in them, with the result that it “becomes unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19)

Plants have a limited amount of soil that they can draw nutrients from, depending on the size of their root system. If a weed of some kind is using up the bulk of the nutrients that are necessary for the growth of that plant, then its growth will be stunted. Furthermore, as anyone who has ever gardened knows, there is more to reaping a harvest than simply putting some seeds in the ground and waiting for a few months. Anyone who does that should not expect to get much of anything at harvest time. The simply fact is, farming anything requires a lot of time and energy spent watering, cultivating, fertilizing, guarding, and otherwise nurturing the plants.

The same thing is true when it comes to the seed of God’s word producing a crop in our hearts. It takes time, water, cultivation, fertilization, meditation, and nurturing for the promises of God’s word to produce their fruit in our lives. And if we are giving our time, attention and energy to “worries, riches and pleasures of this life,” then the growth of the word of God in us will be stunted as well, and it will ultimately produce no fruit in our lives. Unfortunately, as I said before, much of the church falls into this category. The soil of our hearts is so crowded with “other things,” that very little real fruit of God’s promises can be seen in our lives.

Good soil

We have looked at the first three types of soil Jesus described in the parable of the sower. We have seen that these different types of soil represent different conditions of the heart of man. It is also important to point out that these first three types of soil that Jesus described were progressively more receptive to God’s word, even though ultimately they all failed to produce its fruit. Recall that the first type of soil was so hardened that the seed could not even penetrate the surface, and so was easily picked up by birds. In the second type of soil the seed actually penetrated the ground, germinated and grew for a little while, but was ultimately withered by the sun while still a seedling. And in the third type of soil the seed germinated and grew for some time, perhaps even developing into a mature plant, and yet it still “brought no fruit to maturity” because it was eventually “choked out” by thorns.

The fourth and final type of soil Jesus described in this parable is the “good soil” – the soil that actually produced the fruit of God’s word. In Matthew 13:9 Jesus described the seed of God’s word falling on this fourth type of soil: “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” We get some insight into the incredible potential of seeds from the fact that the size of the crop produced was anywhere from 30 to 60 times the amount of seed that was sown.

By God’s design, every seed can be expected to produce a certain size crop if it is planted in good soil and given the proper growing conditions. In the same way, God’s word can be expected to produce the “fruit” of whatever God said if it is sown in “good soil” and given proper growing conditions. (Isaiah 55:11) But as we saw before, there are many other elements that determine the overall yield of any seed – such as the amount of water, sunlight, and fertilizer it receives, as well as whether it is affected by weeds or diseases. And of course it goes without saying that the yield of a particular crop will be determined by how much seed is sown. We see this basic law of sowing and reaping in 2 Corinthians 9:6, where Paul said, “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”

So what exactly does this passage teach us about what it means to be this “good soil” that God’s word can grow in? First we see that in order for us to be this “good soil” we have to understand the word. (Matthew 13:23) This is not merely a matter of intellect, but of spiritual understanding, which God alone gives, through the power of His Holy Spirit, to those who hunger and thirst for the word of God. (Proverbs 2:3-6, Acts 16:14) From this we can see that an essential quality of “good soil” is having a heart that hungers and thirsts for the word of God.

In Luke 8:15 Jesus told his disciples that the “good soil” represents those people who, “have heard the word in an honest and good heart.” It is obvious from this statement that having “an honest and good heart” is an essential component of “good soil.” But the only way any of us can have an “honest and good” heart is if we allow God to fulfill his promise to give us a “new heart” by giving us his Holy Spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26-27) Therefore the only way we can be this “good soil” is if we are filled with the Holy Spirit and producing “The fruit of the Spirit.”

In Luke 8:15 Jesus went on to say that those people who heard the word in an honest and good heart “hold it fast,” and “bear fruit with patience.” When God’s word is sown in our hearts, we must “hold it fast” because the enemy is going to try and take it (and he loves to use well-meaning family members and friends to do it!). The only way that we can produce the fruit of God’s word in our lives is “with patience” because that seed takes time to grow, and during that time, we will be tested. But Jesus gave us the assurance that if we will hold God’s word in our hearts with patience, we will bear fruit. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some fruit!

A simple illustration

Now that we have looked at the parable of the sower, let’s look at a simple hypothetical story to illustrate just how the truths we have seen in this parable operate in our daily lives. Suppose a man is diagnosed with a serious illness. Shortly after learning of his disease, this man just “happens” to run into an old friend from college who, as it turns out, has become a Christian. Upon learning of the man’s illness, this old college friend excitedly tells him about Jesus Christ – how he is the “Great Physician” and that he is “The same yesterday today and forever.”

Even though these phrases mean something to most Christians, the man doesn’t really have any idea what his old friend is talking about and, with a little help from some distracting spirits, he quickly finds a way to bring an end to this uncomfortable encounter. By the time he gets home, he has laughed the entire experience off – reminding himself that his friend always was a weirdo! In this simple example, we can see the seed that was sown “beside the road.” Even though the man heard “the word of the kingdom,” he did not understand it, so the enemy was able to come and “take away the word that was sown in him” before it ever penetrated into his heart.

But the next day the man happens to run into another old friend who also has become a Christian and is invited to a healing meeting at his church. Unable to find a way to get out of it, the man reluctantly agrees and goes to the meeting. As the man hears the words of the message, his hardened heart begins to soften and by the end of the meeting he gives his life to Jesus in a tear-filled prayer. For the next few days the man is on top of the world – like a little child at Christmas with a new toy. His faith in Jesus is growing more vibrant and strong by the day and he wonders how he ever doubted him.

But then he has another visit with his doctor, and suddenly his entire, joy-filled bubble is popped and he comes crashing back down to “cold hard reality.” His faith is crushed, and he wonders how he ever allowed himself to be taken in by such wishful thinking. In this example we see the seed that was sown “on the rocky places.” Even though the man “heard the word” and “received it with joy” he had “no firm root in himself, but was only temporary. Then, “when affliction or persecution arose because of the word” he “immediately fell away.” (Matthew 13:20-21)

But over time, and with the help of some believing friends, the man regains his faith in Christ, and again comes to trust him for his healing. Again his faith begins to grow and he can feel himself getting stronger in spirit. But he soon begins to discover that his job is becoming more demanding and he is finding it harder to spend the time he used to worshipping God and reading His word. Also, as a result of a raise at work he is able to take more trips and buy some of the things he has always wanted. Before long, as a result of his work, vacations, and hobbies, he stops going to church so he can enjoy his weekends more, and pulls out of his home groups. In this example we see the seed that fell “among the thorns.” And as these “thorns” - “worries and riches and pleasures of this life” - grew up in the man’s life, and they “choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19)

At some point, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the man realizes what is happening in his life, and decides to make a change. He cuts back some of his hours at work, and cuts down on the amount of time he was spending on his “toys” and hobbies. He then commits to spending time every day communing with God through worship, reading and meditating on His word and praying in the Spirit. He also plugs back in to a local body of believers, meeting together with them throughout the week, where they encourage one another and stir one another up in faith. At this point, this man has become the “good soil” and as he “holds” the seed of God’s promise “through faith and patience” he will “inherit the promise” and enjoy its fruit in his life!

Conclusion

There is one more thing that should be pointed out about this parable. Each of the four types of “soil” or people that Jesus described in this parable heard the word of God. But there are also people who don’t hear God’s word – often by choice. And although it is obvious, we must realize that if the seed of God’s word is never even planted in the soil of someone’s heart, then they will never produce its fruit in their lives. So grab your bag of seed (The Word of God) and start planting today! Let’s be the “good soil” that will produce “the fruit of the kingdom of God!” (Matthew 21:43)