By: Travis W. Lewis

July 2, 1996

Following is an essay-lesson used by Travis W. Lewis in July of 1996.

Given by Jesus on a Sabbath day, this parable in Matthew 13 was presented as He and His disciples made their way to the synagogue for worship and teaching. The time of year was obviously during the fruit-bearing season, and on their way, the disciples plucked some ears of corn from which they took their meal.

At this point, the devoutly religious, though self-righteous, Pharisees took exception by contending that Jesus was condoning blatant violation of the Sabbath. To their argument, Jesus gave a short lesson pointing out that the Sabbath was made for mankind, instead of mankind being made for the Sabbath. For obvious reasons, the Pharisees were further agitated by being asked questions, the answers to which would prove their point to be vain versus Jesus’ point that a person must satisfy the bare necessities of life – even if it must be done during time usually meant to be set aside for rest and worship.

Arriving at the synagogue, Jesus and the disciples encountered a man who suffered with a withered hand and who obviously desired healing. As Jesus engaged the handicapped man, he was again confronted by the Pharisees who questioned whether He should be healing on the Sabbath. Again, Jesus stressed that it is only reasonable to expect Him to do good on the Sabbath day. Then, as the man reached forth his withered hand as Jesus had asked, it was restored as whole as his other.

From that point, the Pharisees went out and began the plot that would lead to Jesus’ eventual crucifixion. Recognizing their motives, He left the synagogue with a great crowd following, and as He went along, He was healing the sick, casting out devils, and performing all sorts of miracles, the likes of which no one had seen before. Yet, all the while charges were being hurled that His miracles were originating from the power of Satan. Following were requests for proof that He was actually who He claimed to be – not an angel of Satan, but the Son of God.

Jesus then left the overcrowded place where He had encountered the man with the withered hand and went to the nearby shore of the Sea of Galilee as the crowds of people pressed closely to hear what He would say and to witness what He might do. Reaching the seashore, Jesus boarded a small boat, then turned to the crowd and taught the parable of the sower.

Keep in mind that all day long He had been teaching and healing and debating, almost surely without ceasing. Yet, near the day’s end, He had one more powerful lesson, with which He chose to illustrate in this parable. Two-thousand years later, we still ponder and discuss and debate its full meaning.

But why teach in such a manner? For two possible reasons. First, that those who were not so familiar with what He was trying to teach might find it easier to relate and thus find His point more credible. Second, that those who had already been with Him might be provoked to deeper thought and understanding of the mysteries of God. It is a near phenomenon – the more we converse with God, the more we meditate on His Word. And, the more we meditate on His Word and its mysteries, the more we discover which prompts even more study and meditation.

So, let’s focus on this parable found in Matthew 13, which begins in verse 3, followed by Jesus’ explanation in verses 18- 23:

And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, 3 Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

The obvious focus of this parable is the simple act of sowing seed – the seed itself, its sower, and the sort of earth, or ground, onto which the seed is sown. The seed represents the Word of God; the sower is one who is willing and capable of sowing; and the soil onto which the seed is sown typifies the human spirit. Three primary responsibilities are upon the sower – first is to make sure the seed that he sows is clean and pure; second is that the seed to be sown is ample in quantity; and, third is that seed is sown regularly.

The ground on which the seeds are sown is the heart of mankind. Rich soil is not so easy to find, nor is it always even recognizable to the sower. Some soils require more work in preparation than others. Some may lay fallow and uncultivated unless there comes a sower who invests needed time and energy to plow, prepare, and cast seed onto the soil. For germination, sprouting, and growth, the seed will need sufficient moisture, sunshine, air, and nutrients to grow and eventually to produce fruit. In many ways, the various soils which receive the seed can be compared to the inner spirits of individuals. As with soils, all have resemblances in many ways; in other ways, each individual is different. Even with the best efforts of the sower, some soils will produce more fruits than others. Only God knows the prevailing condition and potential of the soil, or the inner spirit, into which the seeds of gospel truth are sown. Yet in all, if fruit is to be produced, there must be good seed, a willing sower, and fertile soil onto which the seed can be sown.

In this parable, Jesus mentioned four different soils, or spirits, each with varying potentials to produce. The first, in verse 4, is described as seed being sown by the “wayside”. It is a heart into which the Word will not take root – one where the Word will be heard, yet, because it has neither desire nor intent to heed, it will not be penetrated. It enjoys its comfort zone. There is no intent to change anything in either habits or life overall. This heart is seared and crusty, thus difficult to penetrate. Until the metaphoric, hard wayside has been softened by the Holy Spirit and watered by the Word, this heart may relish and devour entertainment, even of a religious nature, but will never sprout and begin to grow toward fruit bearing. Instead, it will only encourage the scavenger, the “wicked one” described in verse 19, who continually surveys the worldly wayside to devour and set at naught whatever good seed may have been sown.

The illustration in verse 5 is of a “stony” heart. Explained in verses 20-21, this is a heart into which the seed, the Word, is received and actually makes a positive impression. It is accepted at first with gladness, yet its sprouting toward a mature plant is short-lived. It resembles an instance when one tastes a food that is so good and known to be really nourishing, yet with its great initial taste, it is devoured in haste and gulped down without having been chewed very well and thus not prepared for digestion. It receives a stirring message that may thrill and even enthuse. Yet, it will fail to digest and nourish because it was received in haste; perhaps in an instant of emotion, or even to please a loved one who is present. Yet it does not understand the necessity of a desire to be rid of all sin in one’s heart. It’s called “repentance”, and it originates within a heart made contrite by hearing of the Word and being convicted of its sinful condition by the Holy Spirit. Not reaching the point of total surrender, this “stony” heart is not yet willing to be totally ruled by the same spirit that has just given a glimpse of such a salvation. With the soil being shallow, so are the roots. Being absent of a source of nourishment made permanent by a relationship with Christ, there is no existential source of strength and light. A “profession” may have been made, yet perseverance will not last. Times of trial will come; questions will arise that demand an otherwise costly stand to be taken, and being without a firm foundation in the Word, its truths will become a stumbling block that the stony heart, being on its own, cannot overcome. The actual worth of the once beautiful profession manifests itself as seed, having been once sown and even having appeared to be taking on new life, is scorched and finally dies in the shallow soil of a stony heart.

Verse 7 introduces the “thorny” ground, or heart, further explained by Jesus in verse 22. The thorny ground upon which the seed fell appears to reflect one who hears the Word of God, then, for a bit is attracted to its truth and to the alerts it presents, yet soon its attention is drawn back to concerns and the instant gratifications of life. The seed that germinated and had begun to grow toward a productive and eternally rewarding existence is choked out by the temporal pulls of life. Even more so than persecution, the deceitfulness of prosperity, popularity, and power destroys the effects of the Word once lodged in the heart. Every person seeks peace, comfort, and security. At best, prosperity or power delivers only during mortal life. Genuine adoption, salvation, delivers for eternity. For seed sown in such a heart, Satan manages to vanquish the thought that we all will be dead much longer than we will be alive. The fact still remains – until cares regarding the next life supersede those of this life, the seed of the Gospel will have fallen on no better than thorny ground.

The fourth scenario in the parable of the sower is introduced in verse 7, then explained in verse 23. A sad thing it is that good seeds do not always meet with good soil. What visibly distinguishes the “good ground?” Fruitfulness. Only from “good ground” will spring an abundant amount of fruit likened to the good seed. Good ground bears the beautiful fruit of concern that onlookers toward one’s life cannot help but see. And, if the flourishing plant continues to be nourished, its real-life fruit will take on the beauty of the seed from whence it originated. This is the reason we must be careful to sow good seeds, not infested with error, on ground that we plow and prepare, covering it with private prayer, meditation, and study – then leave the rest to God. Only then may we expect a harvest that brings joy and peace and the promise of an incomprehensible reward in eternity, neither of which can be rifled by the world.

Simply stated, our responsibility as a child of God, is to sow good seed often – and plenty of it. Mortals have little control over the potential of the ground onto which the seeds of truth are sown, because we can seldom know what works in the heart of another. Only the Holy Spirit can work the wonder of discerning the most intimate and secretive of that which is harbored within the human breast. Much as with all the Lord’s work, the essential in sowing is to recognize the line where our abilities end, and the sovereign power of the Lord begins. For He will not do that for us which we can do for ourselves; nor can we perform that which is within His power alone. Ω