The Parable of the Sower

I. Introduction

In this video/article we will examine Jesus’ parable of the sower which is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke’s gospels. This is one of the few parables where Jesus gives us His own interpretation and even despite this fact, many twist His words to try and force them to fit their own erroneous theology.

In the parable, Jesus describes four types of soil as four types of people who hear the gospel, yet only one group produce fruit of genuine salvation. Yet free-grace adherents, who insist that fruit is not necessary as evidence of salvation, teach that all of these four types were saved. In another twisted view, monergistic Calvinists teach that only one group was the chosen and ‘elect’, so, although three groups initially responded to the gospel, which they state is impossible unless already regenerated, these ones were nor predetermined for salvation, so God never gave them saving faith. The free-grace version of God says ‘just believe and live any way you like’, and the Calvinist ‘god’ loves to deceive people with a little bit of hope, whilst having already predestined them to hell.

For those new to this channel, my approach to Scripture and challenge to every Christian, pastor, leader or theologian is the standard outlined in my Practical Systematic Theology textbook.

If we believe that Scripture is ‘God-breathed’, and there is any passage or verse, correctly interpreted within its context that contradicts us, then we have got it wrong.

This is the standard we must apply to ourselves, and be willing to discard any theological view or even long-held tradition which contradicts the Word of God.

This parable of the sower is incredibly important for the time we are living in. Like so many of Jesus’ parables it is a very serious warning about what is required for salvation, and especially the cost of following Christ. Having said that, let’s go to Matthew’s gospel as it gives us the most detailed version.

II. The Parable of the Sower.

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying; “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell among rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 

6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”(Matthew 13:3-9)

The farmer has prepared the field and is ready to sow the seed, probably wheat or barley. The good soil has been plowed or tilled. There’s a path around the field to keep people from walking on and compacting the good soil, and beyond that rocky ground. In an area there are briars and thorns which have not been cleared. The farmer would then put some seed in a kind of open sling over his shoulders in which he can easily dip his hand and take a handful. 

Then, using a slinging action, similar to how one would throw a frisbee or disc with their palms facing up, he would scatter the seed in a wide arch to minimize tramping on and compacting the good soil. After the scattering was done, he would take a long handled tool like a rake, and work the seed into the soil. Most farmers would have the field ready for sowing, but wait for a day when rain clouds were gathering before scattering the seed.

One of the most obvious and fundamental things we must recognize right from the start is this. Only one group in the parable represent soil that has been properly prepared for the seed. This is incredibly important in understand this parable. After giving the parable and before He explained it, Jesus’ disciples asked Him why He spoke to the people in parables. His reply is very enlightening, especially in terms of the Lord’s heart regarding a person having a relationship with Him. It reads;

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables.

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“’You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise, they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand in their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ 

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”(Matthew 13:11-17)

Why did Jesus state that the secrets of the kingdom had been given to the disciples and not to others? Why will those who have been given more have an abundance, whilst those who have less will lose even what they have? Note that Jesus then states, ‘though seeing, they do not see, and though hearing, they do not hear or understand’.

Firstly, in the immediate context, He is speaking of Himself. He is the one that the people see, and yet fail to see. He is the one they hear, yet neither truly hear nor understand. This is clear by His final statement that the disciple’s eyes and ears are blessed because they have seen and heard what the prophets and righteous people of the Old Testament longed to see and hear but had no opportunity.

Secondly, note that the OT prophets and righteous people ‘longed’ to see and hear Him. The word translated as ‘longed’ here means to earnestly desire or covet. Hebrews 11 gives a long list of these people who lived and died long before the incarnation. It speaks about their faith in God, about trusting Him, even to death, and how the Lord rewarded them. These people would have given all for the privilege of seeing Jesus walking in this world, of hearing His voice, of sharing a meal with Him, their lives were all about being in a intimate, holy, loving relationship with their Creator.

Why had Jesus shared the secrets of the kingdom with His disciples? Because they also longed to be with Him. They had left their families to follow Him, and every day He was showing them more and more of who He is. When Jesus spoke of abundance, He was never speaking of worldly wealth as Word of Faith heretics claim, but the fruit of the Spirit, the joy of knowing Christ, the peace that surpasses understanding, the knowledge that they belong to the kingdom as heirs and co-heirs with Christ.

Thirdly, many in the crowd just saw a prophet who could give them what they want. For many, Jesus was just a curiosity. As Jews, they had already been given so much throughout their history. The covenant with Israel promised them incredible blessings and they had witnessed the mighty hand of God whenever they had dared to trust in His love for them. But, Jesus quoted Isaiah’s words against them, that their hearts were calloused, they had closed their ears and eyes, otherwise they would have seen and understood and turned to Him with ‘longing’ and He would have healed them, would have fulfilled their longing. Therefore, because they did not truly want Him, then what they had been given would be taken from them. And please note that word ‘understand’ as it is very important for this parable.

With all of this in mind, let us now read Jesus’ interpretation of the parable taking each group in turn.

18 “Listen to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed along the path. 

Notice please the reason why the devil can snatch away what was sown in their hearts. It is because they did not understand the message. The word ‘suniemi’, translated as ‘understand’, literally means to put together and then to act wisely, therefore, to understand in the context of salvation, is to hear the message, understand what is required and act according to wisdom. This is not speaking of a form of intellectualism. Apologetics appeals to the mind, but the goal is not to talk someone into God’s kingdom with clever arguments, but rather, as Jesus said to help them understand in their hearts and turn. 

The role of the apologist is to get unbelievers to reconsider their position through defending our faith, and encourage them to turn towards God and seek Him with all their hearts. If they will do this, He will reveal Himself through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  

Furthermore, remember that the path is compacted, it is hard underfoot and impossible for the seed to penetrate and take root. I think Jesus, in using this analogy, is stating that the heart of this person was hardened and this is why they could not receive the message. This too is why He quoted Isaiah that ‘their hearts have become calloused’, a term used when the skin has calluses and becomes thick and unfeeling. And now to the second group.

20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 

Many of the underground churches in China refuse to baptize a new believer unless they can answer three questions with an affirmation. They are asked, ‘are you willing to be arrested for your faith, are you willing to be imprisoned for your faith, and are you willing to die for your faith?’ Some congregations in the Early Church used to make people wait up to three years before baptizing them, because many new believers had fallen away and denied Christ when persecution came. 

I am very opposed to what I call car-park evangelism. Over the years I have had long and sometimes heated debates with people who constantly post on social media that 2 people received Jesus in the supermarket today, or I went to the dentist and one person received Jesus in the waiting room, or some such thing. The mentality is this. They say hello to someone, ask if they are a Christian, tell them Jesus loves them, and that He died for their sins, and if they just believe and confess His name they are born again. So, they lead the person in a simple ‘sinner’s prayer’ and then tell the person they are born again. For me, this is often just wanting to put a notch on their belt and a form of bragging of how many people they saved. 

I ask them if they at least took the person’s phone number and told them where they could attend a fellowship. Some did give their number, but in about 90% of these cases, they never speak to or hear from these people again. When I plead with these people to stop doing this form of ‘evangelism’ they usually reply that Peter preached one sermon and 3000 people were saved on the Day of Pentecost. When I point out that Peter’s audience were ‘God-fearing Jews from every nation’, people who were in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice for their sins, people who knew the Mosaic Law, understood the concepts of sin, repentance and atonement, and knew the Scriptures better than most of these so-called evangelists, they shrug it off as if it makes no difference. But the fact is that God had prepared their hearts for the message, the soil was prepared for the seed.

In my opinion, car-park evangelism is no more than inoculating people from ever receiving the real thing. Like the rocky ground, the unbeliever has no root, they receive the message with joy, because it is a diluted, counterfeit of real Christianity, and without roots the plant quickly withers and dies. If someone approaches this person in the future, they may hear, ‘been there, done that and it doesn’t work’.

I believe we must give the Lord time and opportunity to prepare the soil. People need to understand the issue of sin, God’s standard in the law, that true repentance requires us to walk away from sin, that there will be testing to see that faith is genuine, and that we must surrender our lives to Christ. We have absolutely no right to tell a person they are now born again. Only Christ has that right, and if He has not told them, then they don’t know Him.

Yes, go out and introduce yourself to people. Listen to them, give an account of your faith, and explain that God rewards those who diligently seek Him. Give them a resource which deals with the issues I described and invite them to come to your home, or at the very least, share an email address or phone number and make yourself available to work with the Lord to bring them to the cross of Christ. I use my book entitled ‘Time for Truth: The Story of Salvation for Adults’.

https://stevecopland.com/time-for-truth-book 

This small book deals with all of the fundamental issues that are prevalent to Western cultures. It debunks evolution theory, explains creation, and takes a person through history regarding the flood of Noah’s time, the call of Abraham, the giving of the Law, the prophecies regarding Christ, and explains the need for sacrifice, repentance, atonement and the incarnation.

The emphasis is on a whole surrender to Christ, on belonging to Christ. Throughout this process I challenge the seeker to constantly invite the Holy Spirit to reveal their sin, and always, in His time, when He knows the soil is ready, the Lord does exactly that. 

The third type of soil in Jesus’ parable reveals another important issue. It reads; 

22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 

The rich young ruler asked Jesus what he must do to have eternal life and claimed he had kept the commandments. Jesus told him to go and sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and then follow Him. Jesus also promised that he would have treasure in heaven. The young man just walked away. Why did Jesus put this stipulation on this particular man, for selling our possessions is not a general requirement for salvation? Simply because Christ knows the individual heart and what we are enslaved to, and there can be only one master. 

Mark 8:34-37 reveals the Lord’s general requirements. He tells us that:

34… “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can a person give in exchange for their soul? (Mark 8:34-37)

Throughout Church history there have been millions of so-called ‘believers’, but very few ‘disciples’. Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches give people the impression that discipleship is for the clergy, the priests and not for individual believers. So…people attend a church now and again, maybe make a confession, kiss an icon or two, finger a string of rosary beads, and then just get on with living life, making money and hoping they’ve done enough to make it heaven. The narrow path of discipleship is not for them. Sadly, few if any of these people were or are truly born again, indeed most throughout history never heard this term.

Will these people enter heaven? Frankly, I do not know, but what I do know is this: They never entered heaven in this life for that is what being born again actually means. If a person has received the divine nature then they will produce the fruits of the divine nature, the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus said we must deny self, take up our cross and follow Him, He was speaking of a death to self. Paul described it as being crucified with Christ and belonging to Christ. That can only occur when there is a full surrender to Christ as both Lord and Savior.

In Western churches today, greedy, worldly Word of Faith heretics are promising people wealth and prosperity as part of the gospel message. Yet Jesus never had a positive word to say about worldly treasure. Christ will not compete with the world for our affections.

The fourth group reveals what a real born again disciple of Christ is.

23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:23)

Notice please that the word ‘understand’ is used to distinguish this group from the others. I have already said what a seeker needs to understand. Diligent seeking and inviting the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth, to reveal our sin and call us to surrender to Christ as Lord and Savior is essential for genuine new birth to occur. And the seeker needs to understand that trials, suffering and even persecution will be a part of their new life in Christ, for it is a narrow path, a difficult path rather than the broad highway of the world.  

Peter addresses this issue in his first letter to the Church. He first speaks of our having new birth into a living hope, that our inheritance is being kept in heaven for us, an inheritance which can never perish, spoil or fade and then he writes;

6 In all of this you greatly rejoice, though for now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (1Peter:1:6-7)

If we claim to belong to Christ, then Christ has the right to test the genuineness of that claim because for Christ our faith is that which He cherishes. The crop that Jesus refers to is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and that fruit is the evidence that we are His children.

In Summary

The parable of the sower, contrary to what free-grace adherents claim, is not speaking of four types of Christians. The first group are those with hardened hearts, a soil so compacted that the seed of the gospel cannot penetrate. It immediately withers and dies. There is no fruit, no faith and no eternal life.

The second group just want a fire escape and are deceived into thinking Christianity is an easy road. Perhaps they were misled by some car-park evangelist who diluted the message into a ‘just say a sinner’s prayer and you’re good to go’ gospel. Were they ever genuinely seeking, were they ready for a commitment, for a covenant with Christ. No, their temporary faith was shallow, and at the first sign of trouble and persecution they walked away.

The third group wanted to tack Christ onto their lives. They wanted a Savior to ensure eternal life, but not a Lord telling them how to live in this life. The world and the deceit of wealth choked any spiritual life out of them and they remained spiritually fruitless. Given the choice between the world, wealth or Christ, they chose the world. Sadly, they can also find plenty of deceivers masquerading as Christian leaders, to tell them what they desire to hear. 

The fourth group heard the message and understood it, they were given time for the word and  Spirit to lead them to the cross. The soil of their hearts was soft and like the prophets of old, they were longing for an encounter with their Creator. They understood the message of the cross, that they must deny self, take up their cross and follow the Lord. 

They knew the road would be narrow and difficult, they knew there would be times of trouble and persecution, and they knew the enemy would attack, and in this regard they counted the cost. And they came to the cross with empty hands, having been convicted of sin and wanting above all else to be free from their slavery to sin. There, at the foot of the cross they were co-crucified with Christ and His divine nature filled them. The seed of self died in the ground and a new life was born, a new creation, no longer a slave to sin and the world. These ones, the true disciples of Christ, produced the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

If you are an apologist or evangelist, I implore you to give people time to fully understand the gospel. In Hebrews 11:6 the Lord promises to reward those who diligently seek Him, and He will keep that promise. Furthermore, no human being has the right to tell another that they are born again. That is solely between a person and Christ. Romans 8:16 says that the Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God, and Galatians 4:6-7 says a similar thing. If a person has received the divine nature, they will know it.

In this parable we have seen that the only group who produced the fruit of new birth were those who truly understood the message. Please, be the one to help them understand, encourage them to ask the Lord to lead them to the cross, and let God be God.

I pray this video/article has been enlightening and encouraging for you.  

God bless