The Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:3-9, 18-23)
[By Lynn Clayton]

 The Parable of the Sower, or sometimes known as the Parable of the Four Soils, is the first major parable Jesus Christ taught during his ministry. Recorded in three of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it has become a widely known story in the Bible.

The first thing that needs to be considered in starting a garden is the soil. In this Parable there are four types of soil: wayside, stony, thorny, and good.

Planting or Sowing

To sow means to scatter seed over the ground. After the ground is plowed, the farmer is ready to plant the seed. The farmer would carry the seed in a basket or in a pouch attached to his waist. He would then take a handful of seed and throw or scatter the seed with a sweeping motion of the hand and arm. The seeds would fall on the prepared soil.

After sowing the seed, the farmer would then plow the field again so that the soil would cover the seed (otherwise the birds would eat the seed). Sometimes the farmer would do this by dragging branches or a log behind a team of oxen.

The most important grains were barley (John 6:9) and especially wheat. These were the main crops.

Every Christian is to be a farmer. Every believer is to sow seed. We are told in Luke 8:11 that the seed is the Word of God. We are to take this Word and spread it and scatter it and plant it in God’s field. The field is the world Matthew 13:38.

In Matthew 13:4-7, Jesus pointed out three reasons why seed did not bring forth a good harvest.

1. Wayside, the birds came and devoured the seed (The hard “path”, which the plow had not touched, and where there was no opportunity for the seed to sink into the earth).

2. Stony, not much earth, the seed immediately sprang up but when the sun was up the seed was scorched because it had no root, it withered away (The soil is shallow).

3. Thorns, the thorns sprang up and choked the seed and it yielded no crop (The thorns crowded out the good plant, by shading it, taking the moisture and nourishment from the soil).

According to Matthew 13:18-22, the three problems that keep people from having God’s Word bring forth much fruit in their lives are these:

1. Wayside, one who hears the word of the kingdom but does not understand it, then the wicked one (Satan) snatches away what was sown in his heart.

2. Stony, he hears the word and immediately receives it with joy yet he has no root but endures for a while. When tribulations or persecutions come because of the word, immediately he falls away.

3. Thorns, he who hears the word and the cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.

Let’s not forget the good soil. Matt. 13:23 “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” (NKJV).

No matter how good the soil is, nothing will grow until the seed is planted. The field is the world, and the seed, that is always good, is the Word of God. We must open The Book to find the seed to be planted. Once we have the seed we can plant it in others. Seeds can only be harvested if they have been planted. If we keep the seed to ourselves what good is that?  If we don’t plant there will be no harvest.

Does the farmer seem concerned that the seed fell on the wayside, or the stony or the thorny soil? Does he know that some of the seed sown will not germinate or take root? Does he keep sowing the seed everywhere or does he choose to plant only in the good ground?

Our work as the farmer is to sow the seed of the Word of God in the field of the world. We do not have to worry if the seed falls on the wayside, stony or thorny soil. We that have the seed are not soil checkers but seed sowers. If we do our part by sowing, God will do His by giving the increase.

1 Cor. 3:6 (NKJV) – “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.”