The Parable of the Sower

Articles

Derek Long
08/30/20 - Understanding The Bible

The Parable of the Sower By Derek Long

In Luke 8:4-8, Jesus speaks a parable which helps to demonstrate how various individuals respond to the teaching of God’s word. Luke 8:4-8 says, “And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some feel by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.’ When He had said these things He cried, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear!’” (NKJV). Those who initially heard this parable questioned what it meant and so Jesus would go on and explain the parable to His disciples. He said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (NKJV). Let’s examine some lessons we can learn from the parable of the sower! • The fact some did not go on to bear fruit was not because there was some problem with the seed. The seed could have produced if the soil had been what it ought to have been. It is important for us to remember there is nothing wrong with the word of God when people reject it, fall away, and fail to bear fruit for God. Let’s remember the seed (the gospel message) is still powerful (Romans 1:16)! • There is nothing said about the sower not doing a good job in the parable. It is easy for those who are trying to teach God’s word to others to become discouraged when people do not respond favorably. However, we need to remember our job is to sow the seed. 1 Corinthians 3:6 reminds us of Paul’s efforts. He said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (NKJV). Paul and Apollos’ job was to plant the seed and water it. They were not responsible for making sure it increased. • The parable of the sower reminds us some people will simply be uninterested in the gospel. There will be some who hear the word of God but their hearts are hardened like the wayside soil and they fail to receive it. As we go out and teach people, we need to recognize we are going to encounter some people whose hearts are like wayside soil. • The parable of the sower reminds us some people will fall away. There will be some who hear the gospel, receive it, and yet fall away because they lack the endurance needed to face tribulations and persecutions. It is sad to watch people we have worked with in teaching them the gospel fall away. Yet we need to remember Jesus taught us we would encounter such people. In fact, Jesus Himself had people who would turn and walk with Him no more at times (John 6:66). • The parable of the sower remind us some people will receive the gospel but will fail to bear fruit because they have other things which distract them from serving God. Perhaps we have observed people who have become Christians but fail to grow as they should or fail to teach others because they are distracted with the things of this world. We need to make sure we do not become so distracted by cares, riches, and pleasures of life that we do not bear fruit. • The parable of the sower reminds us some people will hear the word, keep it, and bear fruit. If we have encountered people in the first three categories, it can be easy to feel discouraged and want to give up. However, we need to remember there are those who have a heart which is receptive to the word of God and who are dedicated to faithfully serving God. Let’s make sure we are good soil! Let’s make sure we continue sowing the seed so it will land on the good soil which exists around us.