The Parable of the Sower and the Seed
There
is a little fable in which a woman enters the town square and sees a store sign
that reads “God’s Fruit Stand.” “Thank goodness,” she says to herself. “It’s
about time they began selling some decent produce in the square.” She enters
the store and says, “I would like a divine banana, a divine cantaloupe, and
some divine strawberries and cherries.” God (who was behind the counter) says, “I’m
very sorry, my dear woman, I only sell seeds.”
This story illustrates that you
must sow a divine seed to enjoy a heavenly fruit. The outcome of the fruit
depends on the SEED. Sometimes, the seed may be the right kind, but it will not
be effective if it is not planted in suitable soil. When people come to Church or attend a gospel meeting and
hear the same God’s Word of God, they all respond differently when applying and
living according to it. Where in lies the problem? Is it in the Word, the
preacher of the Word, or the listener? To understand the underlying causes for
a lack of bearing fruit, we will turn to one of the Parables of Christ: The
Sower and the Seed.
It
has been said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Lord
Jesus frequently used parables to illustrate profound, divine truths. Stories
such as these are easily remembered, the characters bold, and the symbolism
rich in meaning.
Parables
were a common form of teaching in Judaism. Before a certain point in His
ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies using everyday things that
would be familiar to everyone (salt, bread, sheep, etc.), and their meaning was
pretty clear in the context of His teaching. Parables required more
explanation, and at one point in His ministry, Jesus taught using parables
exclusively. We will look into some Parables of Christ for the next several
weeks. Where
was Jesus when He shared this parable? What kind of people was He talking to?
He had been traveling from town to
town and village to village, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
The twelve disciples followed Him, including several women cured of evil
spirits and diseases. The list of women consists of Mary (called Magdalene),
from whom seven demons were cast out, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Susanna, and
many others.
These women were supporting Jesus’
ministry through their own means. Huge crowds, women, and the twelve disciples
were gathered to hear Jesus teach about God’s Kingdom. Jesus told them the
Parable of the Sower and the Seed to explain the importance of
retaining and applying the teachings of God’s Kingdom in order to live a
fulfilling life. Luke 8:5-15
I.
God’s Word Comes to all of us. (Luke 8:5-15)
The Sower and the Seed parable
appears in the first three gospels: Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20, and Luke 8:5-15.
Our study will examine how the gospel writer Luke saw this parable. Let’s
clarify certain words that appear in this parable. The Farmer: Jesus Christ. The
Seeds – The Gospel of the kingdom-the Word of God. The Bird – The evil one. The
Soil – Our hearts and minds are presented with the Gospel of God’s Kingdom.
Vs. 5, “A farmer went out to sow his
seed.” In this parable, the farmer (Jesus Christ) sowed his Seed, God’s Word regarding the
Kingdom. He preached the same Kingdom message to various people represented in
the crowd. The Word landed on four kinds of soil representing people’s hearts
and minds. Similarly, God’s Word comes to all of us at different places and
stages in our lives. How we respond to it depends on how ready our hearts are
to receive His Word.
Let’s explore four soils that
represent four categories of people. I would call
them: 1. The Skeptic 2. The Exuberant 3. The Compromiser 4. The Implementer.
I. The Skeptic:
Vs. 5, “As he was scattering the
seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled, on the birds ate it up.” Along
the path, people are the skeptics who hear the Gospel preached over and over
again but never respond to believe and get saved because the Devil snatches the
Word from their hearts.
Have you wondered why, despite
many excellent preachers preaching the Gospel and churches doing evangelistic
outreaches, many remain unsaved by the Gospel? Even some who regularly attend Church
and listen to inspiring messages every Sunday could remain unchanged. The apostle Paul explains why, 2
Corinthians 4:3-4 “And even if
our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has
blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel
that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Satan
continues to have control over the minds of skeptics and unbelievers even
today.
II THE
EXUBERANT:
Vs. 6, “Some fell
on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no
moisture. One thing we learned while gardening is that for plants to survive
and bear fruit, their roots must go deep into the ground. If they are shallow,
they will wither and die quickly. We see this in some people, who I call the
Exuberant. When they hear the Gospel, they receive the Word with joy. Their excitement,
however, doesn’t last long. They quickly “throw in the towel” and quit walking
with God when encountering trouble or challenging times.
When God’s Word
comes to you, there is great joy and excitement initially, but you can not ride
on those waves for long. To sustain that newfound joy of knowing God, you must
let your roots go deeper into God’s Word through daily reading, meditating, and
living accordingly. During Jesu’s time,
the crowds followed Jesus because they were excited about his miracles and
message, but when he turned to them and explained the cost of discipleship by
saying, “Unless you pick up your cross daily and follow me, you are not my
disciple,” everyone left except the twelve disciples. They stayed back because
they were willing to go deep with Christ. During my ministry, I have seen
several people who excitedly responded to the Gospel but couldn’t continue with
the Lord because they were unwilling to be discipled and disciplined.
III. THE
COMPROMISERS: Vs. 7, “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and
choked the plants.” The seed that fell among thorns represents the
compromisers. These people hear the truth, respond to it, and seem to grow, but
they compromise with the truth along the way. As a result, they are choked by
life’s worries, riches, and pleasures and do not become mature.
When we let the
worries of life, the love of money, and pleasures control our lives, they
hinder our spiritual growth and render us immature. What worries and what
pleasures are hindering your spiritual maturity? In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus
encouraged us not to worry about matters concerning our lives and instead to seek
His Kingdom and righteousness first. Peter encourages believers to cast all
their anxiety by resisting the Devil as we stand firm in our faith. When we
earnestly seek Jesus as our only treasure, we will find Joy, Peace, and Hope in
Him.
IV. THE IMPLEMENTOR: Vs. 8, “Still other seed fell on good
soil. It came up and yielded a crop a hundred times more than was sown.” The
seed that fell on the good soil represents the implementers. They hear,
receive, retain, and implement the truth. Persevering under trials and testing
produces a bumper crop. They don’t just hear the Word, but they act on it.
After sharing the
parable, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” When God’s
Word is preached, we all hear it. Then why did Jesus emphasize, “Whoever has
ears to hear, let them hear? In the Bible, the word “hear” is not simply
hearing. It often calls for belief and obedience. What does this parable mean
to us today? God’s Word is coming to you today.
We will become
fruit-bearing Christians when we receive it and live accordingly. What does a
fruit-bearing Christian look like? I believe a fruit-bearing Christian will
grow in three areas of love. They love their God with all their heart, soul,
and mind. They love themselves and love their neighbors. God is the one who
plants the seed of His truth. The Holy Spirit enables us to bear fruit. We will
glorify God in our lives by growing in our love for God and others.
