Jesus told the parable of the sower to teach His followers that the fruit which His Word brings forth in our lives depends largely upon how receptive we are to it.
The Purpose of the Parables
• The purpose of this study is to process the parables of Jesus.Over __35%
of Jesus’ teaching ministry is in parables, so it will help us greatly to understand how to learn. We have approximately 38 parables in the Gospels from Jesus & around 9 parables in the OT.
• Parables are meant to lay a spiritual truth, something that may not be grasped, by a physical reality, something that is easily grasped, so as to bring
.
• Parables were not just meant to reveal, but they were also meant to
.
You cannot teach people by spoon-feeding: you must set them a puzzle to think out for themselves; those who start to crack it are getting somewhere. There is no short-cut to understanding.” -H.C.G. Moule
Reading the Parable
• As we read the parable, we are filled with
. This is purposeful and shows just how good of a teacher Jesus is, but we must be careful in assigning meaning to certain things and answering these questions when the explanation of the parable doesn’t address them. Not everything in the parable has a specific
.
• One commentator said, “The use of the parabolic method has instituted a
process among Jesus’ hearers, producing a separation between disciples and those uncommitted to Him.”
Understanding the Parable
• Who is the sower?
who spreads the Good News of the Kingdom of God, the Gospel. Consider a seed: Under the right circumstances, the seed contains a nuclear explosion of growth for generations. This is the power of God’s Word in the mouths of believers. But the soil, or the heart, has to be prepared.
• Soil Type #1 >> Soil along the path (v. 15) just sits on top of the ground & the birds, or in this case, Satan, comes & takes away the word. There is an immediate
of the truth as foolishness, a
to the life-transforming power (2 Corinthians 4:4), & more. The result is that they don’t receive it.
• Soil Type #2 >> Soil on rocky ground (vv. 16-17) means that there is a thin layer of rich soil that covers up rocks just below. The seeds penetrate the surface just enough to sprout, but because they don’t have roots, they don’t last. These people look like they respond to the Gospel, but that response to the Gospel is
& not authentic. They don’t follow through with discipleship or ministry & when the going gets tough (tribulation or persecution), these individuals shrink back & do not cling to their faith in Christ.
• Soil Type #3 >> Soil among the thorns (vv. 18-19) is similar to the soil on the rocky ground except that there is enough soil to create deep roots. But the only problem is that there are also
in the midst of these seeds. The weeds or thorns represent “the deceitfulness of riches & the desires for other things”. So before the fruit-producing roots of authentic faith are formed, like the rich young ruler, the individual is lured away by what denying themselves & following Jesus would actually cost them.
• Soil Type #4 >> The soil prepared for
(v. 20) has enough soil to create roots, has enough space to grow, & produces a bountiful harvest. These are the ones who “heard the word & accept it & bear fruit”.
Romans 1:16 | For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
James 1:22 | But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
