CSSA 1-4-11 - THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

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86. THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

"Behold, a sower went forth to sow."

Aim

To show how Jesus taught the parable of the sower and what it means for us.

Jesus was down by the shores of the lake of Galilee and crowds of people had gathered around to hear him. He settled himself in a boat just offshore and began to tell them parables. These were not just stories to entertain the people, but stories with a hidden meaning. He wanted people to remember what he said and so he kept the stories very simple. It was more important, though, for them to think carefully about what they heard and to find out what lessons he was trying to teach them. Perhaps, as he sat in the boat, he saw in the distance a farmer scattering his seed, for he told several parables on that day about seed and harvest and bread. The parable of the sower is easy to remember, but we must never forget the hidden lesson.

Matthew 13:1-23. See also Mark 4:1-20; Luke 8:4-15

A SOWER WENT FORTH TO SOW

Farming in Bible days was very different from farming today. In the land of Israel most farmers grew wheat and barley, from which their bread was made. The farmer had to plough the field with the help of his ox. The weeds had to be pulled up and the rocks removed. There would be times when he could not remove the heavy rocks and others when he missed the patches of stones hidden beneath the top soil.

When the ploughing was finished he waited for the precious rain from heaven to soften the soil. Then he was ready to go out and sow his seed. He carried the seed in a bag or basket over his arm and walked across his fields, scattering handfuls of seed to the right and left as he went.

Some of the seed fell on the wayside, on the edge of the path, where the plough had not broken up the soil. The birds that flew above him as he sowed, swooped down and snatched it up.

Some fell on the stony places. The seed sprang up quickly there, but when the hot sun beat down upon it, it withered and died away just as quickly, because it had not enough soil to nourish it.

Some of the seed fell amongst thorns, which grew more strongly and quickly than the precious seed of the sower, and choked it.

Some seed, however, fell on good ground. It grew and grew, into strong healthy plants, producing fruit for the sower after all his hard work. The fruitful ears of corn or wheat were just what the farmer was waiting for. This was why he had planted his seed.

THE PARABLE EXPLAINED

When Jesus finished telling this parable he said to those who were listening, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Mark 4:9).

What was the lesson they had to find in this simple every-day story?

The sower is the Lord Jesus Christ. He sowed the good seed, that is, the Word of God, amongst the people (Luke 8:11). The "seed" grew well in the hearts of some, but in others it soon withered and died. The four kinds of soil where the seed fell are four different kinds of people who heard the Word of God.

(a) THE WAYSIDE

Some men's hearts are hard. When they hear the Word of God, they do not understand it and they will not even try. Their minds are so full of selfish and sinful thoughts that they have no room for the Word of God. The "seed" cannot grow there.

(b) THE STONY PLACE

Some people are like the stony ground, where the seed sprouted and grew quickly at first. They are shallow, like the little bit of soil above the stones. As soon as they hear the Word of God, they see straight away that it is the Truth, and "receive it with gladness" (Mark 4:16). Soon, however, trials come upon them, as they come upon us all. Because the Word of God has not taken deep root in their hearts, they Jail away" from the Truth (Luke 8:13). They do not understand that "we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).

(c) AMONG THORNS

The seed grew up also among the thorns, but thorns grow very strongly, much faster than wheat or corn. In the same way troubles and worldly pleasures can crowd into our minds and leave us no time to think about God. How easy it is to put off our Bible study and Sunday school homework because we are too busy with other things! People like this are interested in the Truth, but their minds are so full of other things that the Word of God is "choked" out (Matt. 13:22). When we hear the Word of God, we must listen carefully and put it into practice in our lives. We must not be hearers only, but doers of the Word (Jas. 1:22). Think about the things that might have crowded the Word of God out of your life last week € try to do better from now on!

(d) THE GOOD GROUND

The thing we notice about the good soil which was different from every other soil was its fruitfulness. The people who are like the good soil are those who first hear the Word of God; secondly, they understand the Word; and finally they bring forth the fruit of good works in their lives. These are people who keep God's commandments.

LESSON FOR US

There were only four different kinds of soil and each one of us is like one of these. The important thing to remember is that we can each decide which kind of soil we will be like? Let us try to be good soil by letting God's Word sink deep down into our hearts. Let us have "ears to hear" and a willing mind to do whatever God wants us to do.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

(a) When Jesus had finished telling the parable, his twelve disciples came and asked him, "Why speakest thou unto them in parables?" (Matt 13:10).

The crowds who listened were not told the hidden meaning. If they were keen to learn, they would think about the story and find it out for themselves. Some of them, Jesus knew, were "dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed" (vl5). He did not want people like that to follow him. Only those with good and honest hearts would be prepared to search out the Truth and change their ways. His disciples, however, had been specially chosen because they believed in him. To them he said, "Blessed are your eyes for they see: and your ears for they hear" (Matt. 13:16). As they followed Jesus, they were seeing and hearing things which the prophets of old would have loved to have seen and heard. So his disciples must listen carefully and learn as much as they could from their Master, for they must later teach these things to others.

(b) In the parable of the sower, Jesus explained about the seed that fell by the wayside.

"When anyone heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19).

In Mark 4:15 we read, "Satan cometh", and in Luke 8:12, "the devil". If you look back at the Additional Notes, Lesson 2, you will find that these words refer to anyone who is an enemy, or who sins against God. So it is in this parable. It is used to explain the kind of mind possessed by those people represented in the story by "the wayside". Their minds will not even listen to the Word of God.

None of us wants to be like that. We must try to understand God's Word and little by little it will change us. Then we will be like good soil bringing forth good fruit.

QUESTIONS

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