Matthew 13:18-23 Sow Where?
To understand this parable it is important to know how sowing seed or farming has changed. These days seeds are planted in neat rows to give room for harvesters and equipment to tend to the plants in the field. Not so in Jesus’ day.
Bags of seed were either slung on the backs of animals to be spread as the animal is led over the field or it was a single individual with a giant bag from which he is casting seed by hand, EVERYWHERE. What's important is to get as much seed growing as possible and that requires maximum distribution.
But this is a parable of encouragement for the sower and a warning for those listening. The warning and the encouragement have the same words. “Not all seed that is cast will flourish.”
He has already taught that the varied grounds upon which the seed is cast will affect the growth of the plant and the grounds represent the heart of those who hear the word. The first is the hard path which doesn't allow seed to root or grow.
Satan, represented by the crows, comes to steal the seed before it has a chance to take root and grow. In other words, to remove it before the seed and time has a chance to make that seed grow. These are those for whom the gospel message is misunderstood or simply not believed.
The second type of soil is the rocky places, where depth of rooting is not possible. Here, the seed (word) springs up quickly. But because the conversion is shallow, and when the inevitable hard times come, the ecstatic eager faith dies and the believer falls away from the faith.
Sadly, many in today's churches live with a lifelong shallow faith because the persecution never arrives. Their faith cannot be tested because it's simply not strong enough to be. When some Christians are persecuted, it strengthens them. These are not those believers.
The third soil is the soil with shrubbery, and thorns that grow with the seed and choke the life from these. Jesus says this represents those who believe for a short time and then the worries of the world, concern for riches begin to choke out the seed of growth.
Again sadly, many churches today are more concerned with programs, buildings and things of this world than they are with the word of God. These worries stifle the work of the spirit and the actual growth of the Kingdom never occurs. But these congregations limp along barely surviving because the focus of their work has been redirected.
Finally, there is the fourth type of soil, the good soil. Good soil can result in a little growth or in a lot of growth, but all things being equal, growth occurs. Preachers who only ever reached one person for Christ experienced growth. Those who reached thousands also experienced growth.
First, let's cover what this doesn't say. It doesn't say we are to attempt to locate the type of soil (person) prior to casting (preaching). The idea that we are to limit preaching to those we consider, ‘good soil’ and avoid every other kind of soil is not biblical. Some preachers deliberately avoid the populations of some communities for fear of preaching to rocky ground hearers.
But let's make something clear, we are to preach to EVERYONE. The condition of their heart is the hearers responsibility, it's the preaching that is our responsibility. Some are tempted to not preach at Pride events or in the center of other Satanic inspired event because “those people just won't listen”. That's not our right to declare someone worthy of hearing the gospel. It's for ALL.
Second, and this is the most essential lesson of this text to take away from this lesson. The type of the soil, representing the condition of our hearts can change at various times in one's life. Many solid believers were once resistant or hostile to the gospel message perhaps of a hard hearted nature and now, are not.
Who is to say that the word that was preached to you before, wasn't somehow lodged deep below, not germinating, but lying dormant waiting for the right time to sprout forth because now you are ready to hear it? So preach, sow, the word of God around you. Maybe a fourth of them will listen the way they should. And of that fourth, some will gain many and others will gain few regardless, we have an obligation to preach to everyone.
And that is what is known as the Parable of the Sower.
[18] “Listen then to the parable of the sower. [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. [20] The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; [21] yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away. [22] And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. [23] But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”
To understand this parable it is important to know how sowing seed or farming has changed. These days seeds are planted in neat rows to give room for harvesters and equipment to tend to the plants in the field. Not so in Jesus’ day.
Bags of seed were either slung on the backs of animals to be spread as the animal is led over the field or it was a single individual with a giant bag from which he is casting seed by hand, EVERYWHERE. What's important is to get as much seed growing as possible and that requires maximum distribution.
But this is a parable of encouragement for the sower and a warning for those listening. The warning and the encouragement have the same words. “Not all seed that is cast will flourish.”
He has already taught that the varied grounds upon which the seed is cast will affect the growth of the plant and the grounds represent the heart of those who hear the word. The first is the hard path which doesn't allow seed to root or grow.
Satan, represented by the crows, comes to steal the seed before it has a chance to take root and grow. In other words, to remove it before the seed and time has a chance to make that seed grow. These are those for whom the gospel message is misunderstood or simply not believed.
The second type of soil is the rocky places, where depth of rooting is not possible. Here, the seed (word) springs up quickly. But because the conversion is shallow, and when the inevitable hard times come, the ecstatic eager faith dies and the believer falls away from the faith.
Sadly, many in today's churches live with a lifelong shallow faith because the persecution never arrives. Their faith cannot be tested because it's simply not strong enough to be. When some Christians are persecuted, it strengthens them. These are not those believers.
The third soil is the soil with shrubbery, and thorns that grow with the seed and choke the life from these. Jesus says this represents those who believe for a short time and then the worries of the world, concern for riches begin to choke out the seed of growth.
Again sadly, many churches today are more concerned with programs, buildings and things of this world than they are with the word of God. These worries stifle the work of the spirit and the actual growth of the Kingdom never occurs. But these congregations limp along barely surviving because the focus of their work has been redirected.
Finally, there is the fourth type of soil, the good soil. Good soil can result in a little growth or in a lot of growth, but all things being equal, growth occurs. Preachers who only ever reached one person for Christ experienced growth. Those who reached thousands also experienced growth.
First, let's cover what this doesn't say. It doesn't say we are to attempt to locate the type of soil (person) prior to casting (preaching). The idea that we are to limit preaching to those we consider, ‘good soil’ and avoid every other kind of soil is not biblical. Some preachers deliberately avoid the populations of some communities for fear of preaching to rocky ground hearers.
But let's make something clear, we are to preach to EVERYONE. The condition of their heart is the hearers responsibility, it's the preaching that is our responsibility. Some are tempted to not preach at Pride events or in the center of other Satanic inspired event because “those people just won't listen”. That's not our right to declare someone worthy of hearing the gospel. It's for ALL.
Second, and this is the most essential lesson of this text to take away from this lesson. The type of the soil, representing the condition of our hearts can change at various times in one's life. Many solid believers were once resistant or hostile to the gospel message perhaps of a hard hearted nature and now, are not.
Who is to say that the word that was preached to you before, wasn't somehow lodged deep below, not germinating, but lying dormant waiting for the right time to sprout forth because now you are ready to hear it? So preach, sow, the word of God around you. Maybe a fourth of them will listen the way they should. And of that fourth, some will gain many and others will gain few regardless, we have an obligation to preach to everyone.
And that is what is known as the Parable of the Sower.
[18] “Listen then to the parable of the sower. [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. [20] The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; [21] yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away. [22] And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. [23] But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”
Matthew 13:18-23 Sow Where?
To understand this parable it is important to know how sowing seed or farming has changed. These days seeds are planted in neat rows to give room for harvesters and equipment to tend to the plants in the field. Not so in Jesus’ day.
Bags of seed were either slung on the backs of animals to be spread as the animal is led over the field or it was a single individual with a giant bag from which he is casting seed by hand, EVERYWHERE. What's important is to get as much seed growing as possible and that requires maximum distribution.
But this is a parable of encouragement for the sower and a warning for those listening. The warning and the encouragement have the same words. “Not all seed that is cast will flourish.”
He has already taught that the varied grounds upon which the seed is cast will affect the growth of the plant and the grounds represent the heart of those who hear the word. The first is the hard path which doesn't allow seed to root or grow.
Satan, represented by the crows, comes to steal the seed before it has a chance to take root and grow. In other words, to remove it before the seed and time has a chance to make that seed grow. These are those for whom the gospel message is misunderstood or simply not believed.
The second type of soil is the rocky places, where depth of rooting is not possible. Here, the seed (word) springs up quickly. But because the conversion is shallow, and when the inevitable hard times come, the ecstatic eager faith dies and the believer falls away from the faith.
Sadly, many in today's churches live with a lifelong shallow faith because the persecution never arrives. Their faith cannot be tested because it's simply not strong enough to be. When some Christians are persecuted, it strengthens them. These are not those believers.
The third soil is the soil with shrubbery, and thorns that grow with the seed and choke the life from these. Jesus says this represents those who believe for a short time and then the worries of the world, concern for riches begin to choke out the seed of growth.
Again sadly, many churches today are more concerned with programs, buildings and things of this world than they are with the word of God. These worries stifle the work of the spirit and the actual growth of the Kingdom never occurs. But these congregations limp along barely surviving because the focus of their work has been redirected.
Finally, there is the fourth type of soil, the good soil. Good soil can result in a little growth or in a lot of growth, but all things being equal, growth occurs. Preachers who only ever reached one person for Christ experienced growth. Those who reached thousands also experienced growth.
First, let's cover what this doesn't say. It doesn't say we are to attempt to locate the type of soil (person) prior to casting (preaching). The idea that we are to limit preaching to those we consider, ‘good soil’ and avoid every other kind of soil is not biblical. Some preachers deliberately avoid the populations of some communities for fear of preaching to rocky ground hearers.
But let's make something clear, we are to preach to EVERYONE. The condition of their heart is the hearers responsibility, it's the preaching that is our responsibility. Some are tempted to not preach at Pride events or in the center of other Satanic inspired event because “those people just won't listen”. That's not our right to declare someone worthy of hearing the gospel. It's for ALL.
Second, and this is the most essential lesson of this text to take away from this lesson. The type of the soil, representing the condition of our hearts can change at various times in one's life. Many solid believers were once resistant or hostile to the gospel message perhaps of a hard hearted nature and now, are not.
Who is to say that the word that was preached to you before, wasn't somehow lodged deep below, not germinating, but lying dormant waiting for the right time to sprout forth because now you are ready to hear it? So preach, sow, the word of God around you. Maybe a fourth of them will listen the way they should. And of that fourth, some will gain many and others will gain few regardless, we have an obligation to preach to everyone.
And that is what is known as the Parable of the Sower.
[18] “Listen then to the parable of the sower. [19] When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one sown with seed beside the road. [20] The one sown with seed on the rocky places, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; [21] yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution occurs because of the word, immediately he falls away. [22] And the one sown with seed among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the anxiety of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. [23] But the one sown with seed on the good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces, some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times as much.”
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