The Parable of the Sower #2

Matthew 13:3-9
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. 4 As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. 5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 6 But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn’t have deep roots, they died. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. 8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! 9 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

Remember that yesterday, we shared that the simple meaning of this parable is: the sower (Jesus) liberally scatters seed and it falls on four kinds of soil. The seeds fell on 1) the side of the road, 2) on the rocks, 3) on the thorny soil, and 4) on fertile soil. We all realize that on the first three kinds of soil the seed dies, but in the rich soil it thrives.

We also talked about how the focus of the parable is the sower not the soils.

Today, we want to turn our attention to the four types of soils mentioned in Jesus’ story.

How many times have we shared something with another and later we realized that they basically said, “That was an incredible story!” and simply move on with their day. When Jesus ends the parable with, “anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Jesus was challenging the hearers to contemplate the meaning of the story.

Now one of the truths about Jesus’ examples of the soils is that many of us will experience them ourselves.

some seeds fell on a footpath
Yep, the ‘in one ear, and out the other’ group. This is what happens when we don’t take God’s message to us seriously.

5 Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock.
Remember, mushrooms grow overnight but are easily kicked aside. Oak trees grow for a lifetime with roots deep and they weather the storms of life. The seeds falling on the shallow soil die because they are not deeply rooted. God’s Word hasn’t become their foundation of support.

One writer states it, “It’s a superficial faith that springs up when times are good. But when the heat comes, just like the sun on a hot day, the small seedling that shot up on the rock will wither and die for lack of soil and water.”

7 Other seeds fell among thorns
They hear, but do nothing. They know the word, but don’t act on it. They even teach it, but fail to practice it. If we fail to sincerely seek, we find ourselves indifferent about our relationship to God.

In this soil our source of contentment and fulfillment comes from outer circumstances rather than inner relationship. Wealth, pleasure, and comfort are the thorns that choke off the seedlings. Even though the seed was planted in good soil, the thorns choked out the tender plants.

8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil
8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil

Seed that grows uninhibited is productive. The yield, a crop a hundred times more than what was sown. All of us want to live as fertile soil, but if I am honest, I have tended to migrate from one to another depending on my circumstances. And different areas of my life have been more yielding to God’s Word than other parts.

Triple D: During this pandemic, what soil have you been. Why do you think it is important as Jesus said to listen and understand this story? Could it be that in hearing and understanding we are able to become fertile soil? What step can you take to make it so?