PARABLE 11 ~ MATTHEW 13:3-23 ~ THE SOWER, SEED, AND FOUR TYPES OF SOIL
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 no 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. 9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
JESUS INTERPRETS THE PARABLE.
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, some thirty.
Discussion Questions – Parable 11
PARABLE 11 ~ MATTHEW 13:3-23 ~ THE SOWER, SEED, AND FOUR TYPES OF SOIL
1. Now, the meaning of this parable isn’t difficult to comprehend, because Jesus explains it later in Matthew 13:18-23. Who is the sower? What is the seed? And what do the four types of soil represent?
Though this parable is more commonly named after the sower of the seed, I purposely titled this parable "The Sower, Seed and Four Types of Soil", because each is symbolic and important to the point made by the parable. The Sower is Jesus. The Seed is His message of the kingdom (the gospel). The four types of soil represent the four possibilities of what can happen when people hear the message. And as we’ll see, three out of the four give in to circumstances and pressures.
2. Why would a farmer allow precious seed to land on the path, or rocks, or among thorns? Is he an irresponsible farmer scattering seeds at random?
This parable appears in all three synoptic gospels (Matthew 13:3-9, Mark 4:1-9, and Luke 8:4-8). The parable is simple: the sower (Christ) scatters his seed generously and it ends up on four different types of terrain. Some land on the side of the road, some on rocks, others in thorny soil, and some in good soil. The first three groups of seed don’t survive and the seed planted in the good soil flourishes.
Think About the Sower, if we reread the parable from the perspective of the sower, we get a better understanding of it and why Jesus himself emphasized the idea of sowing the seed. Jesus tells us that the farmer scattered seed (the Word of God) on all types of ground. He didn’t say that the farmer was meticulously planting the seeds in designated ‘good soil’ areas in nice neat rows – Jesus says he was scattering the seed everywhere.
Actually, this method of planting wasn’t so strange back in Biblical times because the custom of planting was to first scatter the seed and then plow it into the soil.
3. What happened to each group of seeds?
Some of the seed fell on a path. A path is where many people have walked, and the dirt there is well worn. The ground of a path is harder than the ground on either side of it. The more people walk on a path, the more “packed down” the dirt becomes. The seed that fell on the path could not sink down into the dirt. Before the seed could even take root, some birds came and ate the seed.
Some of the seed that he scattered fell onto rocky places. Do you see much dirt there? No. Do you think that this is a good place for things to grow? No. It is possible for things to grow on the rocks, but usually, plants don’t live long. Plants must have roots down in the soil. But in rocky places, the hard rocks block the roots. Any seed that started to grow in the thin soil soon withered in the intense heat and died.
Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and crowded out the plants. Have any of you had to pull weeds out of your yard or garden? What is the number one rule about pulling weeds? You must get the roots out! If you don’t pull out the roots, the weeds will grow back. Weeds are very strong and forceful. Wherever there are weeds, they take over the good plants. The strong roots of the weeds use up all the nutrients in the soil, and the plants are left with nothing. These plants barely grow at all; they don’t produce fruit or vegetables.
Finally, other seed fell on good soil. It produced a crop 100, 60, or 30 times more than what was planted. Farming experts know just what kind of soil is needed for their crops. They will add the right kind of fertilizer (vitamins and nutrients) so their plants can grow. They want their seeds to grow into large, healthy plants that will give them good fruits and vegetables. If it is done right, a handful of seeds will produce bushels full of good things to eat!
4. How did Jesus conclude his parable? What did he mean by that? (13:9)
Jesus knew that most of the people in the crowd would say, “Wow, great story,” and move along with their lives. When he ended the parable with, ‘he who has ears to hear, let him hear,’ Jesus was challenging them to think about the meaning of the parable.
That’s the message for us too. Think about these different types of soil not only with respect to other people, but with respect to yourself as well. It’s tempting to say, “oh, well, he’s like the rocky soil or he’s like the soil with all the thorns.” But Jesus is suggesting that you think about it with respect to your own life and the several types of soil that you personally might have experienced.
5. Why is perseverance necessary for all who receive the Word? (Luke 8:15) How long did it take for you to understand the gospel of Christ?
Jesus said that the same seed produced no crop, some crop, or a great crop. The seed was the same in every place, but the condition of the soil was different.
This may seem like a strange story for Jesus to tell. But remember, many of the people who were listening to Jesus were farmers. They knew a lot about dirt and soil. Jesus was talking to them using words and word pictures that they could understand. Jesus wasn’t teaching them something new about farming. He was using what they already understood about farming to teach them something they didn’t know about the kingdom of God.
This is what Jesus was saying to the people: The seed that is sown is the gospel - the good news about Jesus.
The soils are the hearts of the people who make a choice about the message. The condition of a person’s heart can be compared to the different kinds of soils that received the seed.
Now we’ll look at this story again with the understanding of what each part of the story stands for. If the seed stands for the truth of Jesus, the Word of God, and the soil is the hearts of people, what would it mean to scatter the seed on the soil of your heart? What must you do? Listen for answers. It happens when someone hears the truth through teaching, or reading the Bible.
6. What kind of soil do you most resemble right now? What worries or temptations have hindered your growth as a Christian recently? Now let’s look at the four different “soils,” or hearts:
Wayside (hard path): Some of the seed fell on a path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some people hear the truth, but like hardened paths, they do not let it sink into their hearts (Zechariah 7:12), they are hardened by sin, they hear the word but don’t understand it. Soon Satan takes the truth away. (In the Bible, birds are sometimes a picture of Satan.) If people do not receive and respond to the word with faith, their opportunity will be stolen by the evil one.
The wayside soil is beaten down again and again by passing feet. At first soft, the soil hardens more and more until it becomes almost like rock. So human hearts, at first tender and sensitive to every impression, are trodden over by a thousand influences as life goes on, and often grow like the beaten wayside.
One way in which human hearts are thus hardened, is by resisting good impressions. Another way is by life’s ordinary experiences treading over them like passing feet. Still another way is by sinful habits. Thus it is with the heart over which the heavy feet of lust, sensuality, greed, selfishness, and passion are allowed to tread. They beat it down into hardness, and when the seed falls on hardened soil, it lies uncovered, not sinking in, and the watchful hungry birds come soon and pick it up. Just so does Satan do with the good word of God that falls upon hardened hearts – he comes and takes it away.
Rocky Places: Next, some of the seed fell onto rocky places. These people hear the message with great joy, but like seeds on rocky soil, they do not let it take root. They seem to be happy to hear about Jesus and His great love, but they do not let it sink into their hearts. On the outside, they may express great enthusiasm, but inwardly, they do not carefully consider it. There were great crowds who followed Jesus, but only a few were His true disciples. When these people face pressure or bad circumstances, they quickly forget about God’s word. A true believer follows Jesus no matter what.
Some of the “rocky” people may be under the misunderstanding that God will take away all of their problems. Therefore, when problems arrive, they fall away. God’s word never promises that life will be easy, without any trials. He promises something far better. He promises that He will be with us in our problems. He promises that everything will work together for our good - to become godlier and to bring glory to God.
Thorns: Still other seed fell among thorns. Some people hear God’s Word and start to grow and bear fruit. But soon they become worried about the problems of daily living. They may think if they only had more money and more “things” they would be happy. These wrong beliefs take up all the person’s time and energy, just like the weeds steal all the nutrients from the good plants. These people do not focus on living for God, so they don’t produce any spiritual fruit. There is nothing wrong with the sower or the seed. The problem is the soil - the person who hears the Word. He must trust God to deliver him from his worries and greed so that he can grow in God’s Word.
1) They hear the word, but do nothing with it.
2) They know the word, but don’t truly accept it.
3) They teach it, but don’t practice it.
4) They let themselves get overwhelmed by the worries and problems of life.
5) They don’t grow in maturity.
The thorny soil represents those who have a more complete grasp of the cost of discipleship, but who have never rid themselves of the “cares of this world.” Their concerns for money and for pleasure outgrow their seeking first the kingdom of God, and thus their priorities are reversed. It is not that the people represented by this thorny soil do not understand the costs of discipleship, but that they are not willing to pay the price. It is not lack of knowledge which causes them to err, but lack of commitment, lack of dedication. This type of soil has never been properly cleansed. The weeds of sin was never pulled up by the roots, thus causing them to come back and choke out the word of God.
Good Soil: Still other seed fell on good soil. It produced a crop 100, 60, or 30 times more than what was planted. Isn’t it great to know that some of the seed fell on good soil? This represents the people who heard God’s word and believed it. They put their trust in Jesus. Their hearts received the message of the kingdom, and the seed will take root.
But just like when you plant actual seeds into the ground, the message of the kingdom will grow gradually. We don’t plant a seed and see a plant the next day. True growth takes time. And sometimes when we plant seeds, we see different kinds of things that actually grow. Some trees produce fruit; some plants produce vegetables. Some produce lots of fruit, and some produce little. Even the soil that produces a small crop is “good.”
The same is true in the hearts of believers. There are people who hear the same truth, read the same Bible, grow in the same church, but produce different kinds of fruit. Some are missionaries to other countries. Some are simply sharing God’s love with a friend in need. Everyone’s fruit will look different, but if each person allows God’s truth to grow in their heart, it will be the right kind of fruit. It will be kingdom fruit.
7. How could you listen more faithfully and intently to the voice of God? What will most help you to be responsive to God in your study of the Bible?
Remember, the fruit of sharing the Gospel doesn’t just happen on its own. It takes a humble heart and meditation on the Word of God to produce a good harvest and to further the Kingdom of God. The way you sow your seed will be different. All of you can tell your own story. Your own testimony. Some of you might be in a position to lead a small group. Some of you could become preachers. Some of you could start a small Bible study where you work. Some of you could go on missions trips. There are so many opportunities to become a sower if you just keep your eyes open. That’s what Jesus wants you to do.
His purpose was to bring salvation to everyone. If we keep this in mind, we can see that the parable actually has three meanings:
1) To show that Christ came to share the Word of God with everyone. We don’t serve a stingy God who picks and chooses who is good enough to hear the word. He graciously sows into everyone who is willing to accept his word.
2) To show us how the different soils in our life can encourage us—or stop us from receiving the Word of God, the “Good News.”
3) To encourage us to share the Word of God with others. And like Jesus, we should spread the Good News with everyone, not just those who are receptive.
8. How can we test the soil of our heart and keep it right?
How can you test the soil of your heart? Jesus gives us the answer: We can look at the “fruit” in our lives. Teachable, faith-filled hearts (like good soil) will produce much spiritual fruit. The spiritual fruit that comes from God’s Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23), which can be enriched with forgiveness, healing, righteousness, glory, grace, compassion, knowledge and truth. Another fruit is sharing God’s truth with others. So the test for good “heart soil” is checking to see whether there is any of this fruit in your life. If so, you know that God’s word has taken root in your heart. You have believed the truth of Jesus, and your beliefs guide your actions. You have trusted Jesus, so His Spirit lives in you.
It is interesting to note that a plant does not “decide” when to bear fruit. It just happens. In the same way, we can’t “decide” when we’re going to bear spiritual fruit. Fruit comes naturally when we remain connected to the Vine. Jesus said, “I am the Vine. You are the branches. He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same will bring forth much fruit: for you can do nothing without Me.” (John 15:5) We must stay connected to Jesus, because without Him, we cannot bear any fruit!
We aren’t responsible to make the fruit. We are responsible to keep the soil in good condition. Good soil has sunlight, water, and nutrients. How do you think we can “water” and “fertilize” our hearts? Read God’s Word, listen to good teaching, pray, listen to God. (Jesus is the Light!) Good soil is also free of rocks and weeds. How can we keep rocks and weeds out of the soil of our hearts? We don’t plant things in our heart or mind that are against God - bad TV shows, movies, books, video games, etc… just to name a few.
Now, for the “problem soil.” Sadly, there are three kinds of “heart soil” that don’t bear any kind of spiritual fruit. These people don’t share the truth that is deep down in their hearts. Instead of good fruit, their lives are full of worry, fear, greed, and frustration. They think more about themselves than about the Lord. If this sounds like your life, there is only one way to make a change! Jesus says He is the WAY (John 14:6). Confess: Tell the Lord that your heart has not been good soil. Ask Him to plow up the hard places and replace them with a good, soft heart that will be the perfect place for His truth to take root and grow. Listen to God’s promise: I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. - Ezekiel 36:26
9. Can we also see ourselves as the “sower” in this story?
Yes! We can also see ourselves as the “sower” in this story. As you begin to share the truth of Jesus with others, you will see these four different reactions. Some people will be good soil. They will accept the truth, it will grow deep roots, and they will bear much fruit. But, sadly, others will be like the four problem soils. God wants everyone to follow Him (2 Peter 3:9), but each person has the free choice of whether to accept the truth. Remember that you are not responsible to make the seed grow! (1 Corinthians 12:3) You are just asked to spread the seed (Acts 22:14-15). It’s always right to pray for God to soften the hearts of those you speak to!
Main Point: We want to have a teachable heart where God’s truth can produce good fruit!
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