Matt. 13:3-8, 18-23
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying: 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 not 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
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, and some thirty.
Jesus often taught in parables to use everyday life situations to clarify His words. In their unique way, parables reveal truth to those who are spiritual while concealing these same truths from the unbelieving. In Matthew 13, one of the parables Jesus gives is that of “The Seed and the Sower.” This parable enlightens us about the different ways people receive the Word of God. The seed serves as a representation of the Gospel shared, while the soil represents the hearts of those hearing God’s word. Some fell by the wayside and the fowls came and devoured them up. This symbolizes those who heard the word but allowed Satan to strip it from their hearing. Some seeds fell on stony places symbolizing the hearts of those who heard the Word and became excited, but because they failed to develop a real relationship with God, the joy they experienced was short lived. Then there is the group that heard the word of God but allowed the cares of this world to cause them to be unfruitful, thus choking them out. Lastly, Jesus said some fell on good ground. These seeds represent those who heard the word of God, believed it, and developed a relationship with the father; so much so, that they go out making disciples of other men, thus making them fruitful servants of God.
We can learn multi-fold lessons from this parable. First, we need to guard our hearts from the devil who is constantly walking around seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We have to make sure to open our hearts to receive the word of God then apply it through faith that it may bring forth fruit. Next, we must make sure our life revolves around Jesus Christ. We do that by studying His Word, praying, and meditating on what we have learned already. We do not want our excitement for the things of God to exist only in service (the building), but we want that excitement to transcend into our lives and our worship. Thirdly, we must understand the importance we give to worldly matters. 1 John 2:16 stresses that all that is in the world consists of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. It further expresses that these things are not of the Father, and, as the parable stated, they cause you to become unfruitful. Finally, attending to these three lessons will ensure we become as the person who planted their seed in good soil.
Prayer:
Father, it is our sincerest desire to be fruitful disciples, so we ask that you would help us to guard our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts from anything that will hinder us in this capacity. God, we pray that we are not forgetful hearers, but that we become productive Christians. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
