The Parables of Jesus - The Sower and The Seed

Introduction

Today we are going to look at this second parable of Jesus, which He spoke to the crowd, but which He also explained to His disciples. Through it, Jesus shows how souls are to return to God, not for the wrong reasons, nor through a merely religious or superstitious conversion, but with a sincere love, touched by the Word of God, sown in hearts that are ready to receive it and to believe in Him.

This is a parable that we surely all know, but it has to be preached over and over again. 

We have to understand that the Word of God will have an effect in us only if we are willing to leave the past behind, to allow ourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, to be convicted by it, and to let the Word of God work in us. In this way only are the mysteries of the Kingdom of God revealed, and this Word gives us spiritual life in abundance.

The foundation of this teaching of Jesus, and of our faith, have to be based on the knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. These mysteries are the works of God through Jesus Christ, what He came to accomplish and to teach His disciples, and by extension, all those who hear His Word.

Our faith have not be based on what we think we understand, nor on false teachings, nor on traditions or cultures established by men, even when these things seem close to what is found in the Bible. The search for biblical foundations is essential so that our faith may be built on the rock, who is Jesus Christ alone, according to the teaching of Jesus Christ and that of the apostles, when they laid the first living stones of what we now call the Church.

The foundation on which our salvation rests is this, and this alone: salvation comes through faith in the complete and finished work of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, taking upon Himself the punishment for the sins that we deserve, reconciling us to the heavenly Father. This necessarily includes sincere and willing repentance, that is, a turning away from ways that are opposed to God’s ways, which goes with faith and shows the work of grace in us, giving us access to God for eternity.

Structure of the Parabole

This parable is divided into three parts. In the first part, we see Jesus speaking to the crowd, telling the parable of a sower who goes out to sow seed in various places. This seed is scattered to everyone, without any distinction. The second part concerns the explanation given to His disciples, explaining why Jesus speaks to the crowd in parables, and the third part corresponds to the meaning and interpretation of this parable, with a clear and meaningful explanation.

Introduction to the Parable

“Jesus again began to teach by the sea. And a very large crowd gathered to Him, so He got into a boat on the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching:” v.1–2

In this passage, we see Jesus positioning Himself before the crowd, desiring that as many listeners as possible be before Him, ready to hear what He had to say concerning His mission, which is the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, as He spoke to them in parables.

Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, came to seek those whom God the Father, in His holy and righteous sovereignty, knew perfectly and was drawing to Himself, those whom He had chosen from all eternity.

Jesus Tells the Parable to the Crowd

“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow. As he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and it immediately sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” v.3–9

“Listen to this!” simply shows the direct tone of Jesus. He speaks clearly so that the seed, which is the Word of God, sown by Himself, the Sower, would be a blessing to broken hearts, to those waiting for the Messiah and for the deliverance they were expecting under Roman oppression.

For nearly four hundred years, God had ceased to speak to His people, in what is often called the prophetic silence. God was not silent because He was absent, but because He was preparing the coming of Jesus, while people had enclosed themselves in an outward religion, sinking more and more into sin, turning away from God and His Law and promises. God knew perfectly that He would come to reconcile humanity to Himself.

The different soils are clearly defined and speak for themselves.

The first seeds were sown beside the road, where there is no place for the seed to be planted and to grow properly, rising up and bearing fruit. The seed was also exposed to various oppositions, since it had nothing to protect it.

The Word of God was therefore received only on the surface and did not penetrate the heart. The beliefs and passions of the heart did not allow the Word to enter even a little, and it was lost.

Another part fell on rocky ground, with only a small amount of soil, and could not take root because of the mixture of rocks and the lack of soil. This represents a heart that is rooted in the things opposed to God, in the world, in the flesh and its desires.

The Word of truth cannot find the right place to take root and grow. As soon as it is received, it is just as quickly taken away, scorched by hearts that are proud and turned inward on themselves.

Another part fell among the thorns, where it grew alongside them but was choked, again because of lack of space, but at a different stage, the stage of growth.

In the same way, if a field is not cared for, weeds or thorns will prevent the seed from growing in the sunlight and under the rain, and will keep it from bearing fruit due to a lack of attention and care for the harvest.

Thus, the Word is planted in the heart; it grows and develops, but it cannot bear fruit in the believer’s life because of compromise and neglect through the things of the world and sin; in this way, the Word is choked, the heart and the life are affected.

Another part fell into the good soil: soil that is well prepared and watered, that takes root and grows, bearing abundant fruit in the life of the believer and giving glory to God.

Jesus Explains to His Disciples Why He Speaks to the Crowd in Parables

"As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. And He was saying to them, ‘To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, so that while seeing, they may see and not perceive, and while hearing, they may hear and not understand, otherwise they might return and be forgiven.»v.10–12

Jesus wanted to teach His disciples in intimacy, so that they would understand the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. He wanted them to understand that the parables were not used as a simple teaching method, but as an instrument of revelation and discernment, in order to reveal hearts that were truly receptive to repentance and the forgiveness of sins for the salvation of souls. 

It was therefore not a matter of intelligence, learning, or intellectual knowledge, but a matter of simplicity, humility, and the disposition of the heart before God.

In this way, the disciples would recognize those who would be sincerely touched by the Word and would bear fruit, and those who would hear without understanding the mysteries of the Kingdom and would bear no fruit. 

This was part of their spiritual formation: Jesus was warning them by showing that the truth could not be understood or received by everyone, not because it was too difficult to understand intellectually, but because not everyone had a heart that was ready to receive this Word of truth.

Jesus Explains the Parable to His Disciples

« And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?” “The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them.” » v.13–15

Here, Jesus begins to explain the parable, but before doing so, He wants to make sure that His disciples are truly listening to His teaching, as the Master speaking to His servants.

The sower is represented by Jesus Himself, who is the living Word, the One who has to be received and believed in order to receive eternal salvation. When the crowd heard the Word, they did not receive it. Here, Satan represents the enemy against God and His creation, along with lies, unbelief, and the blindness that results from a lack of faith.

All these obstacles prevent the Word of God from penetrating our hearts, because the person who does not perceive God through His Word does not feel the need for Him, according to their own understanding. 

Scripture tells us that it is the poor in spirit who inherit the Kingdom of God, that is, those who come to God with a sincere and whole heart, without obstacles and without hidden motives.

God loves those who are aware of their spiritual and physical needs, for this shows submission to His will through the work of the Holy Spirit. God receives all the glory, being the only One who allows humanity to live in abundance, by His grace and His mercy.

“And in a similar way these are the ones sown on rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away.” v.16–17

The rocky ground represents a person who receives the Word and rejoices in it emotionally or by mere feeling, but who cannot take root, because there is no room in the heart. A plant without roots cannot withstand changing conditions and eventually dies.

In the same way, a believer cannot withstand the attacks of the enemy with a heart that is not rooted in the Word of God. There is then no deep transformation by the Word, because when tribulation comes, the Word becomes a cause for stumbling instead of being the solution to their problems.

“And others are the ones sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.” v.18–19

This seed that is sown among the thorns is truly the most common in this present age; it reflects much of Christianity today. The Word is heard and planted, but because of compromise and the attractions of the world, the Word of God is choked and cannot bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Fruit for the Kingdom is both individual and collective, for the Church of Christ: fruit in our personal lives, in our families, and in our work, so that we may be living witnesses of the grace of God; and fruit within the Church, so that we may love one another and bear fruit for the Kingdom by being equipped and trained, in order to go into the world and save lost souls.

Life in the world makes us unfruitful if we do not align ourselves with the will of God through His Word. Even if we reflect Christ within our community, which is already a good beginning, we also have the responsibility to be ambassadors of Christ outside our community, in word and in action. Once again, not for ourselves, but to give all the glory to God.

“And those are the ones sown on the good soil who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”v.20

And then there is the good soil, the soil that sowers love the most: hearts that are ready to receive the Word of God and to believe in Jesus Christ. Those who desire to seek first the Kingdom of God and to give their lives to be transformed and to bear abundant fruit are those who are humbled before God and searching for the truth. 

It is for these hearts that God came to save us through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, by pouring out His precious blood for us, sinners, He who knew no sin.

The Gospel at the Heart of the Message

Those who are called by the Lord Jesus Christ to preach and teach the Gospel are sowers in the world, which is the field. But this calling is not limited to them alone; everyone who has been saved is also a sower. There is no exception and no valid reason for not speaking about our relationship with Christ and His testimony through the Word. Whether with a neighbor or someone close to us, we do this not out of mere religiosity or obligation, but out of love for Christ and for what He has done to save us, so that we may share this Gospel with those around us.

The Biblical Church vs. the Church Today

The Church we see in the Bible, which was lived out and practiced by the first believers, is not always the same as what is practiced today in a large part of this generation. It is true that many primitive churches backslid from the apostles’ teachings, but they remained, at their core, attached to the same patterns instituted by them: hearing the Word, believing it, and following it by being added to the assembly of believers.

This does not mean that the Church today has failed or that God no longer has faithful churches and believers. God is still at work, through the work of the Holy Spirit, building His Church and preserving a faithful people. 

The issue is not that the Church in general is bad, but that we have to always exercise spiritual discernment, to examine whether Christ is truly at the center, in both our words and our actions, and to keep Christ and the true Gospel at the very heart of everything we do.

The primary mission of His Church is to be His living body, to be equipped, built up, and sent to proclaim this Good News of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, to go and seek lost souls in the world, beginning with those closest to us. And the fruit of this seed, the harvest, which is souls, is added to the assembly of believers. This cycle has never stopped and has been repeated with joy and passion for souls.

Today, in many contexts, the assembly of believers, the Church of Christ, does not always keep Christ and the Good News at the center, because the focus is no longer the same. 

Those who are saved and set apart for the work of Christ sometimes come only to be refreshed, reassured, built up, and at peace with themselves, in order to have a good week and continue living their lives here below, with ups and downs, thinking that simply coming to church will be enough.

Interest in serving Christ within His Body, which is the assembly of believers, has often weakened. The desire to be trained and to understand how to share the Gospel in order to reach hearts for Christ is no longer always sought, even though this remains one of the central missions of the Church: to go to those who are lost in the world.

Conclusion

Jesus came to save souls in the world, but the biblical truth is that not all will hear His voice or understand it, even though this seed, which is the Word of God, is made available in simple and clear terms, accessible to all.

It is up to us, His Church, redeemed by His precious blood, to continue the work that the disciples, and the men and women saved by the grace of God, lived out and sometimes suffered for, for the advancement of the Kingdom of God on earth.

The Word was revealed by God to humanity, inspired by the Holy Spirit to men of God, and written to lead hearts to repentance and salvation. Let us not look at results, but let us sow this seed with faith and passion, even when it is not always understood, for those who have a heart prepared to receive it will come to Christ without hesitation and with sincere faith.