The Parable Of The Sower

by Chris Simmons

Matthew 13:3-9, “And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, ‘Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. And others fell upon the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil, and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.’”

There is so much for us to learn from one of best known parables that Jesus taught, which Jesus not only named “the parable of the sower” (Matthew 13:18) but also explained in verses 19-23. In introducing the “parable of the sower,” we will attempt to answer a few fundamental questions about this parable.

Who is the audience? Verse 2 speaks of “great multitudes” that had “gathered to Him.” Today, the “great multitudes that have gathered to Him” include all who through their obedience to the gospel have been added to Christ and are now “in Christ” (Galatians 3:27). Thus, the application of this parable is to all Christians – not just preachers and evangelists. This is the principle established in II Timothy 2:2, where Paul said, “the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” In the book of Acts, it was all those who were “scattered” because of the persecution who took it upon themselves to scatter the seed wherever they went (Acts 8:1-4; 11:19).

Who are we in this parable? Each one of us is represented by the “sower” in this parable. It was the sole responsibility of some of those who worked on the farms to simply “sow.” His job was to scatter the assigned seed over the entire field. As the sower, he would have understood that the power for the ripened harvest lay in the seed that would come into contact with the “good soil.” He would have also understood that it was not his job to discriminate one type of soil from another but rather to ensure complete coverage of the area assigned to him. In first century times, the sowing was obviously done by hand, using a sweeping motion in which the seeds would be scattered as evenly as possible over a wide arc. When the seeds had been scattered and planted, his job was done. He was not responsible for weeding, pruning, or harvesting but sowing or planting only.

But one of the interesting aspects of this parable is that each one of us is represented by two different elements in this parable. Not only are all Christians to consider their responsibilities as sowers of the seed but each one of us also represents one of the types of soil mentioned in this parable. Everyone is challenged to assess what type of soil their heart represents for it is clear that only one of the types of soil/heart is acceptable to God and only one type will be eternally rewarded. This is why Paul exhorts us, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test?” (II Corinthians 13:5). I’ve heard it appropriately stated regarding this parable that we are to be seed sowers and not soil testers of other men’s hearts. But may we never forget our need to continually be soil testers of our own hearts.

What is the seed? In Luke’s account he simply records in Luke 8:11, “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God.” Throughout New Testament scripture, “seed” is equated to God’s word and nothing else. Peter teaches that we “have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and abiding word of God” (I Peter 1:23). It’s important that we focus on this because some teach from this parable that what Christians are to sow is their “faith.” One writer noted “the planter represents a sharer of faith today.” That is not true. I cannot share my faith with you but I can share with you God’s word that I have believed and obeyed. What I am to sow is the word of God on which you must build your own faith (Romans 10:17). The planter is someone who sows the word of God – only. And just as the seed of any given crop is something that is from God and created by God (Genesis 1:11-12), who has bestowed it with the ability to reproduce after its own kind, even so the gospel is from God, created by Him who has endowed it with the ability to reproduce after its kind (again note I Peter 1:23).

What do the various types of soil represent? Matthew 13:19 clearly teaches that each type of soil represents the heart of man, as there Jesus said, “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.” It is the heart of man that God’s word must impact and it is the heart of man that either receives or rejects the word of God that has been sown. If we’re to be obedient and do the will of God, it must come from the heart (Romans 6:17; Ephesians 6:6) even as those on the day of Pentecost “who had received his word” and responded with their obedience were those who had been “pierced to the heart” (Acts 2:37-41). While Acts chapter two illustrates that some hearts of men are receptive to truth, other hearts of men that we read of in scripture are described as being “dull” (Matthew 13:15), “lifted up” or arrogant (Ezekiel 28:1-2) verses a “contrite” heart (Isaiah 57:15).

What is our job to do? First, the sower must make sure he sows with the pure seed which is from God. Any other additive to the seed or modification to the seed renders it no longer to be the gospel of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:6-9). After ensuring that what we sow is the pure seed, according to this parable, it is our job to simply preach and teach the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ in all its glory and power. It is beyond the power and responsibility of the sower to make the seed grow or even understand how it grows. But sow we must. The kingdom can not grow without our doing what sowers must do. The kingdom will not grow without God doing what only God can do. Paul stated in I Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” We must sow and nurture, but we must yield to God in providing the increase.

It’s our job to believe in the power of the seed to accomplish what God created it to do. God said in Isaiah 55:10-11, “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” God gave His word the power to save the souls of men who obey Him (James 1:21; I Peter 1:22), and God’s word is just as powerful today as it was when it was first proclaimed nearly two thousand years ago when three thousand souls responded in obedience to the same seed that we can sow today (Acts 2:38-41). We must believe that!

May we prayerfully and soberly consider our responsibilities as sowers of God’s word. Lord willing, future articles will turn our attention to what we can learn from each of the types of soil that Jesus teaches about in this parable.