Luke 8:4-15, NIV
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
The parable of the sower is one of the best-known parables in the gospels that Jesus taught concerning the kingdom of God. In addition to Luke 8:4-15, this well-known parable is also recorded in Matthew 13:1-23 and Mark 4:1-20.
When we study this parable, it is very helpful to read and compare the parable in each of the three gospels. When Jesus taught this parable to the large crowd, Matthew was present as one of the twelve apostles and writer of the gospel that bears his name. Mark and Luke received their information second hand in order to put this event in their gospels. But what makes comparing this event in the three gospels important is that we get three different perspectives which gives us a fuller picture of this event and Jesus’ teaching.
The most common application of the parable of the sower is evangelistic, it is usually applied to those persons who hear and receive the Word of God for salvation. But we are going to look at this parable, applying it to a Christian who has been a believer for a period of time, primarily looking at the things that could prevent the Word of God in the life of a Christian from producing, “a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23. In addition, we will also be looking the things in the life of a Christian that promote fruitfulness.
When we read this parable one of the many questions we should ask ourselves is, what are the things in my life that are preventing me from being fruitful or maturing from the Word of God that I have read or received?
As this parable is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke, all three state that there was a large crowd gathered around Jesus when He began to teach. Mark 4:1, 1 Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.
Before we begin to study this parable in-depth, there is another important point to notice that Jesus stated in all three gospels when He finished telling the parable, he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Luke 8:8, New Living Translation. Jesus was challenging the listeners present then and which also applies to Christians today, to make the effort to understand the parable and apply it to themselves. Understanding God’s Word and applying to our lives is vital to our growing or maturing in our relationship with God.
As there were many present who heard the parable when Jesus taught it, as there are countless number of Christians today who read these words but for what purpose? When we read the Word of God or hear the Word of God in a sermon or teaching, are we understanding what is being said? And if we are NOT understanding, why not?
The way we are going to study this parable is applying it to a Christian who has been a believer for a period of time and primarily looking at the things that Jesus said which would prevent the Word of God in the life of a Christian from producing, “a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23.
The first very important point that Jesus makes that we need to notice in the parable is where the seed or the Word of God falls. This is the cause of unfruitfulness and fruitfulness in the life of a Christian which is the condition of the heart of the Christian, it is not a problem with the seed. It is important to note that the characteristics of the seed is the same, it does not change no matter what type of soil it falls on. Matthew 13:4, “some fell along the path”, Matthew 13:5, “Some fell on rocky places”, Matthew 13:7, “Other seed fell among thorns”. Matthew 13:8, “Still other seed fell on good soil”. A question we should ask ourselves is, what is the condition of my heart that the Word of God is falling on?
“The seed without the soil is fruitless, and the soil without the seed is almost useless. The human heart is like soil: if it is prepared properly, it can receive the seed of the Word of God and produce a fruitful harvest.”
The well-known Bible commentator Warren W. Wiersbe gives us another important point to consider when studying this parable. “When you consider how much teaching, preaching, and witnessing goes on in the course of a month or a year, ‘you wonder why there is such a small harvest. The fault is not with the sower or the seed. The problem is with the soil. The human heart will not submit to God, repent and receive the Word, and be saved.”
Every Christian needs to realize that even after salvation, the reason for unfruitfulness and fruitfulness is the heart of the Christian which determines if they will experience in their relationship with the Jesus, a stagnant meaningless life or an abundant life of maturity, fruitfulness, purpose and blessing.
As recorded in each of the three gospels, the parable has five divisions. In part one of our study, we will only be looking at the first one.
1. As Jesus clearly stated the primary subject of the parable is; “This is the meaning of the parable:
The seed is the word of God.” Luke 8:11, (Mt. 13:18, Mk.4:13, Lk. 8:11).
As Christians who rely on the Word of God to grow in our spiritual maturity, it is fundamental that we know experientially what the Word of God does in our lives and in our relationship with God. The following are just a few points of truth regarding this fact.
a. The word of God was vital in our new birth and continues to be in our new life in Christ.
1 Peter 1:23, For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
b. The word of God spiritually sustains us.
Matthew 4:4, Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”
c. The word of God sanctifies us.
John 17:17, Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. Sanctification means to make holy (i.e., morally pure, spiritually whole, separated from evil and dedicated to God and his purposes), to consecrate (i.e., to set apart) and to separate from the ungodly patterns and practices of the world.
d. The word of God judges our thoughts and attitudes and actions.
To “judge” is to examine, scrutinize, discerning or determining the excellence or defects of a person.
Hebrews 4:12, For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
e. The word of God teaches us how to live right with God.
Hebrews 5:11-14, 11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Next week we will be studying the last four divisions of this study.
Pastor John
