The Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13: 2-8, 18-23

This chapter of Matthew begins with there being such a large crowd that Jesus gets in a boat to speak to them all, while the crowd stays on shore. It is no wonder that Jesus would do this, as the water will amplify his voice and assist in carrying the sound. Would we have considered this when addressing a crowd? I’m not sure I would have, maybe I would have looked to turn over a boat and have Jesus stand on top of it to elevate him. But the One who created all and established the science that the earth thrives under would of course know that entering the boat and going out some distance on the water would create the best environment for his teachings.

Kingdom Parables

This parable begins those that describe the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God. We are first introduced to the kingdom in Daniel 2:44, ‘In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.’ How amazing this one verse says so much about the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. We are members of it and so need to understand what we can of it. In these kingdom parables, Jesus begins to tell us what God hinted at in the Old Testament.

Types of People who Hear the Word

The Parable of the Sower is so often summarized as the four types of people who hear the word:

1)    Some fell on the path and the Word was stolen away by birds (the stolen)

2)    Some fell on rocky places with little soil, it sprang up quickly but the roots were shallow and the sun scorched the plants and they wither quickly (the shallow)

3)    Other seed fell among the thorns, which grew up and the plants were choked out (the choked)

4)    Other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop (the understanding)

I have indicated in parentheses a term to describe each person; the stolen, the shallow, the choked, and the understanding, to simplify which I am referring to.

The Understanding Type

I think when we consider this parable it is easy to say that we are a part of the final category, the understanding. After all, we are here seeking Christ. However, I find that we must challenge ourselves to consider the parable not only as a conclusion (which one am I?) but also verse by verse. When have been this one?

All Four Types at Once

I propose that we are always, or nearly so, all four of the above types. I think at different times of our lives, we can find ourselves receptive or worried, understanding or choked, when hearing his Word. We may go through the motions, but that does not mean that we are growing and producing in all areas of our lives. We may welcome some passages with joy but forget them in the morning or in a week, being one of the shallow.

The Stolen

If we consider reading the book of Numbers, which of the four types are you? The understanding or rather the shallow? I’ve been reading through the book of Joshua, and I don’t think I could say that the division of lands for the tribes of Israel brought the joy of the Word and grew a plant, not even enough to wither away. It was likely stolen away, in my case. It wasn’t until the Spirit prodded me to consider why this was important to him that I found joy and some level of understanding in reading it. I realized that God knew and had outlined exactly where each Israelite tribe and family would settle; I realized that he knew the name of each one and the place where each would be, settle, grow, and even die. He knows this of each one of us.

As my husband and I were signing a lease and settling in a new land ourselves, this came to have new meaning. God had identified a place, designed out who and what surrounds us, setting forth many things to see that we are in the place he designed for us. So, as we signed and committed to years at this new flat, it is uplifting to consider that Jesus has already walked here in preparation of our coming. We have our delineated boundaries of the flat, and within that we are where we ought to be. The territory, if grassy land or hilly or rocky, is what we have been given to carry out His will. This is not the first time that I have read Joshua, but I think it is the first time that I have felt more understanding and connection to the living Word found in this book (other than ‘be strong and courageous’ (Josh. 1:9) or ‘as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord’ (Josh. 24:15)). I was not among ‘the understanding’ when reading Numbers or Joshua, not until the soil was cultivated. When the Spirit prompted me to consider something more than ‘reading the Bible’, in this case the scattering of the seed; it was not sowing until it was placed in prepared soil.

The Shallow

I think I have often also been a shallow one. How often do I nod and scribble notes during a sermon, thinking to myself, ‘wow this is so relevant to me today’, yet the next day I cannot recall even the topic, let alone the verse that spoke so directly to me! Truly the shallow. In writing the ‘John I am’ Bible study, the revelation that I had of the shepherd passage in Ezekiel 34 was stunning. I have read the Bible through a number of times, so I have read that passage a number of times. But it was only when studying the I am statements that I fell into the category of ‘the understanding.’ Taking the Word with joy is not enough for it to make its way to the heart and change us, it may spring up quickly but wither just as fast.

The Choked

Such hurry and rush we have in our lives! The stress, the worry, the what ifs! As I read this type of seed’s sprouting now, I consider that what Jesus is saying about the ‘worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth’ (v. 22) is directly speaking to our trust in him. The worries mean we have not trusted him. The deceitfulness of wealth is that we believe with money we will be fine. Instead, we are instructed over and over to lean on him, trust him. The worry of doing and getting things done often leaves us little time to focus on the Word and our relationship with the Lord. The worry of tomorrow doesn’t leave us the room for joy and contentment in today. It is interesting that this Word has taken root, but some time later we find that it doesn’t have room to grow. Perhaps this is an opportunity to ask ourselves if we have or are growing or if we are stunted and stuck in the thoughts of this world?

The Understanding

Even being a part of the understanding type should cause us to reflect. How do we know we are a part of the understanding? This implies more than just a cerebral ‘I understand’. Growing and producing 10, 60 or 100 times what was sown, requires a season or more. Following the growth is the harvest, more seeds planted, dying and resurrecting. There is a cycle which requires time and hindsight to understand fully and evaluate adequately if we are indeed producing and seed has fallen on good soil. So again, we are challenged to consider what understanding we have and if it is growing and changing. A field, a fruit tree, nature goes through various seasons and phases of life and it seems this too would indicate phases and opportunities to continue the production at 30, 60, 100-fold.

The Sower

What we have not yet discussed is who this sower is. I always considered it was God, but now as an adult, I realize that this falls in line with the responsibilities of the church. The church has a great responsibility to ensure that the Word is sown, the church being and including each one of us as the temple of Christ. I see this an encouragement that not all will hear what we have to say or what we have shown them of the Word. Our actions and words both preach the Word. Not all will hear or see, but some will. Some will hear what we say and what we do, and they too will have a great crop. It is all about the condition of our heart.

Conclusion

So, I don’t want to point fingers at anyone but myself. I know that I have fallen into each of the four types of people who hear the word, at various times in my life and probably even at various times of one day! On the whole, we must strive for the understanding type: seek to understand the Word. Seeking to understand the word and live it out will make us grow and produce 30, 60, 100 times the original seed.

This post has been updated and revised from the Parables of Matthew series from August 2019.