Pursuing The Parables

Thoughts on the Parable of the Sower—1

One of the most widely known parables of our Lord is popularly referred to as “The Parable of the Sower.” In Matthew’s gospel the parable is set forth as follows: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seed fell on the rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:3-8)

Later, Jesus took the time to explain the meaning of this parable to His disciples. In so doing He showed that the seed represents the word of God while the various types of soil represent various types of hearts (Matthew 13:18-19). It is beneficial to consider the type of soil used to describe each heart. This will be the first in a series of posts designed to do just that.

The first soil/heart is described in verse 18. “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path.”

We may well begin by asking why those along the path did not understand the word of the kingdom. The fault lies not in the word itself for that seed is of the very highest order and determined by One who is Himself eternally perfect. Jesus shows who is to blame when the word is rejected when He said, “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.” (John 7:17) This is so because the one who truly seeks to do God’s will takes the time to consider the claims of Christ in light of the Scripture. It is only logical that the one who wishes to please God will heed the teaching of the One who came from Him; indeed, is Him (John 1:1, 14; Hebrews 1:1-3).

Jesus said, “Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell you the truth, you do not believe me.” (John 8:43-45) Jesus is clear, it is never that one cannot understand the word of the kingdom but that they will not understand. As long as God desires all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:1-4), and as long as the gospel continues to possess the power of salvation for everyone who believes it (Romans 1:16), then we can rest assured that it will always be understandable for the one who genuinely longs to satisfy the will of God (2 Corinthians 1:13). The hardened unbeliever may scoff at mention of God and the need to serve Him, yet his very scoffing proves him a faithful servant to the “god of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Perhaps the most striking aspect of our Lord’s explanation of this important parable is that the remaining three soil/hearts actually accept the word of the kingdom, at least initially. Indeed, all three soil/hearts may be found in the worship assembly itself, perhaps even every time the doors are open, yet only one is acceptable before Christ. Our next post will discuss the “rocky ground heart.”