Parable Of The Sower

I love Jesus' parables. It is hard to pick a favorite but if had to, I am tempted to pick the parable of the sower because I believe it has application to every Christian, regardless of how long we have been Christians, or how strong we think we are, or what it is we are doing in life. This is a particular parable told by Jesus about a sower going forth to sow seed (Matt 13:3-23; Mk 4:13-20; Lk 8:11-15). The seed, which was cast forth by the sower fell on one of four types of ground. The four types described by our Lord were (1) by the way side, (2) stony ground, (3) thorns, and (4) good ground. There are no other types of ground on which the seed could possibly fall.

The key to this parable is Luke 8:11 where Jesus says, “the seed is the Word of God.” The seed is representative of God’s Word. And in the same way it is described in the parable, the Word of God is going to land on one of four types of people. It is our responsibility to receive the word as the good ground received the seed. Notice our Lord’s explanation of the types of people each ground represents (Matt 13:18-23):

The way side represents one who hears God’s Word, but does not adhere to it. These are those with hard hearts. This is what happens when we allow Satan to steal our hearts from God. The stony ground represents those who receive the Word, understand it, and adhere to it until trials and tribulations discourage them. This would be those who are weak in faith. The thorny ground is representative of one who receives the word but adheres to it only when convenient. As soon as some appealing form of worldliness manifests itself, such becomes more important, thus placing worldliness over the spiritual. Finally, the good ground represents the good hearts who not only receive the Word and apply it to their lives, but want to share it with everyone with whom they come in contact.

What a tremendous challenge this parable presents to us all! As the seed (the Word of God) is cast forth and falls on us, which type of ground is most representative of how we receive it? As citizens of His kingdom, doing our best to follow His revealed Word to us is essential.

Thank you for reading!