The Parable of the Sower

And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear, Mark 4:2-9 KJV

Jesus gathered the people and began to teach them in parables. He encouraged the multitude to listen carefully to His words. You hear with your ears, but understanding occurs in the heart.  He said let anyone who has ears to hear listen.

His followers would not only listen, but would ask Him about the parables. He told parables to reveal truth to His followers, therefore if you don’t ask you will probably hold on the story and miss out on the point of why it was said. When you ask, it will imply you are now being given the mystery of the kingdom of God. "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full,"John 16:24.

 “Mystery” implies a previously unrevealed truth is now revealed so the instructed may know. Known because God now chooses to reveal it to you.

Jesus communicated new things to His disciples, and the clues to understanding it. But those who were judgemental and would not ask, will also not receive further truth. But they could still come in saving faith to Jesus.

Now here in  his teaching (doctrine) he taught about the sower.

As seed is sown, it falls on different soils; on the way side, on stony ground, among the thorns and on good ground.

Seed falling on the wayside becomes food for birds. Seeds falling on the rocky ground might immediately spring up. But with shallow soil, the sun dries them out and the plants quickly wither. Seed falling among the thorns would be choked, resulting in no crop. Some seeds, however, fell into good soil and yielded a crop in varying amounts. 

So when he was alone, his disciples asked him about the parable, "And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?" Mark 4:13.

My friend, you’ve to know the truth, understand it too.

The sower was explained as one sowing the word, and the emphasis is on the four kinds of soils, not the sower. The word sown on the wayside fell on unprepared individuals, and Satan snatched it away. The word sown on the stony places represented individuals who received the word with joy, recognizing it as truth  but the reception is artificial and change did not follow. Seeds germinate because there is life in the seed, the ain’t spoken for nothing. But persecution’s impact is similar to hot sun on rootless plants. A third response occurred as seed was sown among the thorns. There was a response, but thorns choked out the truth and no fruit developed. Thorns that arise include the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. Finally, some seed fell into prepared hearts producing fruit: thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. 

If the word is received the results is a changed life that produces fruit. The first three responses produced no fruit, indicating there was no permanent change, and the fourth response indicates genuine salvation. The parable is explaining why people respond as they do to the word of God.

God bless you,

Laurence

Simple Gospel Summation