The sower, one of Jesus’ parables

Read Mark 4:1-9, 13-20
¹Again 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. ²He taught them many things by

, and in his teaching said: ³“Listen! A

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went out to sow his

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. ⁴As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸Still other seed fell on

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. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.” ⁹Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

¹³Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it,

comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. ¹⁶Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ¹⁸Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

Discussion questions

Question 1. In this agricultural parable, Jesus teaches truths about Him, His Word, and us.
a. What or who is represented by the farmer?

b. What or who is represented by the seed?

c. What or who is represented by the soil?

Question 2. Which four types of soil do you see?
a. The

What happens to the seed?

What are the reasons the seed is not becoming a plant?

What or who is represented by the birds? Vss. 4, 15

b. The

What happens to the seed?

What are the reasons the seed is not becoming a plant?

What or who is represented by rocky places? Vss. 5, 16-17

c. The

What happens to the seed?

What are the many reasons the seed is not becoming a fruit bearing
plant?

d. The

What happens to the seed?

Why is this soil called good? Do you see it in the text? If not, describe why you would call it good soil.

What are the reasons this type of soil is bearing fruit? What is the multiplication factor?

What kind of fruit bearing is meant here? Compare Galatians 5:22

Question 3. What type of soil represents you?

Question 4. Do you want to become another type of soil? If so, what do you need to do? (if possible, use agricultural terms to describe your actions)

Question 5. If you could change the title of this parable, how would you call it?