The Parable of the Sower, the Seed and the Soils!

In God’s Word, the Bible, the words of Jesus Christ have been preserved for us by the authors of the different books of the Bible and through the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel of Mark Chapter 4:

Mark 4:1- 9: “And again he began to teach by the sea side. And there is gathered unto him a very great multitude, so that he entered into a boat, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude were by the sea on the land. 2 And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his teaching, 3 Hearken: Behold, the sower went forth to sow: 4 and it came to pass, as he sowed, some seed fell by the way side, and the birds came and devoured it. 5 And other fell on the rocky ground, where it had not much earth; and straightway it sprang up, because it had no deepness of earth: 6  and when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And others fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, growing up and increasing; and brought forth, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. 9 And he said, Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

A Parable is an earthly story that gives spiritual truths. In a parable, a story or word picture which is easily understood by all is laid beside spiritual truths to help the hearers understand spiritual things.

In the Parable of the Sower and the Soils, Jesus the Son of God tells us an earthly story that helps us understand spiritual truths to examine ourselves by. There is a sower, a seed, and the four types of soil. Jesus Himself gives the interpretation to this parable:

Mark 4:10-20: “And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parables. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all things are done in parables: 12  that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest haply they should turn again, and it should be forgiven them. 13 And he saith unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how shall ye know all the parables? 14 The sower soweth the word. 15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; and when they have heard, straightway cometh Satan, and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them. 16 And these in like manner are they that are sown upon the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, straightway receive it with joy; 17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway they stumble. 18 And others are they that are sown among the thorns; these are they that have heard the word, 19 and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. 20 And those are they that were sown upon the good ground; such as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.”

“The sower soweth the word”: All true believers in Christ sow His word in the world- many are preachers, some live the word, others share the word, some teach Sunday School, some go to Rescue Missions to teach- Christians share the word of God. Actually, Jesus is the sower of His word- He has sent His word out to the lost that they might come to Him and have life. Isaiah 55:10-11: “For as the rain cometh down and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, and giveth seed to the sower and bread to the eater; 11 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”

“And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; and when they have heard, straightway cometh Satan, and taketh away the word which hath been sown in them.” The hardness that comes from living in this world is hard to avoid. Some people harden themselves in wrong living- sin (disobedience to the revealed will of God) – and against God. Because they enjoy their sin- regardless of its cost (alcoholics, drug addicts, porn addicts, self-will, etc…) – they will not give it up and at the hearing of God’s word they accept it for a moment but the hardness of their heart causes them to reject the truth of God’s word. Thus rejecting His word, they reject Him and will not accept God’s deliverance from the bondage to sin.

“And these in like manner are they that are sown upon the rocky places, who, when they have heard the word, straightway receive it with joy; 17 and they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway they stumble.” Many people accept the truth of God’s word and accept the truth of Who Jesus reveals Himself to be, however they exercise only a “head knowledge of the facts” and no heart change comes about. When trial and persecution arise because of THE WORD- Jesus Christ- the Word of God (the expression of God) – these ones abandon any thought of full trust in Christ and return to their sin.

“And others are they that are sown among the thorns; these are they that have heard the word, 19 and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” Many people would like to have the life and benefit that Christ offers, however they love their things- earthly things. The cares of this world and the greed and glitter blind the person to the eternal beauties of the Lord which alone satisfy.

“And those are they that were sown upon the good ground; such as hear the word, and accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.” Those who have found the cisterns of this world as broken sisterns- containers that can hold no water (holding no lasting satisfaction) – they come with more than a head knowledge of the facts concerning Jesus the Lord. They open their hearts and accept Him as Saviour and turn to Him for guidance on how to live. These ones not only receive eternal life, but they find the right way of living now- and bear fruit in life that lasts beyond the grave. Jesus said the following after his death, burial and subsequent resurrection as recorded in the Bible, the book of Revelation 3:20:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him and he with Me.”

Perhaps you know that you cannot save or deliver yourself because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23), and because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We need one to help us and to change us- not from the outside in, but from the inside out. Only Jesus Christ can change a soul in this fashion. Jesus came to earth and lived the sinless life that you and I cannot live. He offered that life as a payment for your sin and mine on the cross of Calvary and there died in our place. Because He was buried (proving His death) and then rose from the dead in the power of an endless life, Jesus now can offer life beyond the grave and fullness of life now to those who accept Him as Savior. Romans 6:23 reads as follows: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. Have you received the Lord Jesus as your Savior and Lord? He can make your life what it was meant to be- even if you are starting late! Listen to His invitation to you:

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Receive Jesus as your Savior today! Here’s a prayer you can use to invite Him into Your life:

“Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and have not lived as You have wanted me to. I believe that You came to pay the penalty for my sins and die in my place. I believe that You rose from the dead to justify me from my sins. Right now, as best as I know how, I ask You to come into my heart and life and save me. Help me to live the life You know that is best for me and make my life a blessing. This I ask in Your Name, amen.

If you have accepted Jesus by praying this prayer, you are now a child of God! John 1:12 “To as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to be called the Sons of God.” Follow the acrostic for GROW to start out strong in your new Christian life:

G R O W:

G   Go to God in Prayer Daily: Praying is “talking to God”. This is how we let God know all that is going on with us- it is how we come to Him for our needs and how we share with Him our life issues.

R   Read God’s Word the Bible Daily: Through God’s word He speaks to us daily. God the Holy Spirit – who indwells you since you’ve trusted Christ- opens the Bible such that you can “hear” God speak to the needs in your life. Start reading in the Gospel of John, then follow on through the New Testament. Read each day until you recognize God share a truth with you. Meditate- think upon that truth- as you live out the rest of the day.

O   Obey God’s will daily: Put the truths God shares with you into practice in Your daily life. As you obey God’s word, the promises contained in God’s word will become yours and God will add a special blessing on your life for obedience. Your life will also speak of your faith to others as you life for God!

W  Witness for God Daily: Find a way everyday to share your faith. Ask God in prayer at the start of the day to show you how you can share your faith. You can pick up Gospel Tracts to give out in your daily life at a good church. Incorporate your new faith in your speech. Go to a church where they teach others to trust Christ as you have and there you will learn not only how to witness for Christ, but with Brothers and Sisters in Christ you will enjoy spiritual growth in the family of God- the Church!