The Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower taught by Jesus in Matthew 13 illustrates the results of the Gospel of Christ being preached among men in the world. We have touched upon this passage before, but let us now look at it in greater detail because there are several interesting points to be made about sharing our faith in Christ, and what we can expect to see as a result.

 

Jesus first gave this teaching to a crowd that had gathered to hear what He had to say, as we read in Matthew 13:1-9. He gave the teaching in the form of a parable, using analogies or metaphors to convey His message. And

 

then later we see that He explained the meaning of the parable to His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23. Between these two passages, Jesus revealed to His disciples that the understanding of His teachings has been hidden from many (Matthew 13:10-17).

 

Speaking to the crowd as recorded in Matthew 13:1-9, Jesus taught using the analogy of a farmer sowing or spreading seed over the ground, expecting to later reap a harvest from the plants that spring up from the seeds. The sowing of the seed is the metaphor that Jesus used to symbolize the proclaiming of the Gospel message, which is the outward call for men to repent and put their faith in Him for the forgiveness of their sins and reconciliation to God. Many hear this proclamation of the Gospel, or this outward call, but it has only been given to God’s elect to be able to come to Christ (Matthew 22:14), and only these will bear spiritual fruit to the glory of God.

 

Jesus said that as the farmer went out to spread the seed, it fell upon different types of soil. Some of the seed fell beside the road, and the seed that fell there was eaten by birds. Some of the seed fell in places where the soil was rocky, and the seeds sprang up quickly but were scorched by the sun because the soil they had fallen upon was shallow. Other seed fell among thorns, which choked the plants. However some seed fell upon good soil where it produced a harvest, yielding thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was originally sown. Jesus ended His parable by exhorting whoever in the crowd had ears to hear, meaning whoever was able to hear, let him hear and understand the lesson that He taught.

 

After Jesus had given this teaching, His disciples asked Him why He spoke to the people in parables (Matthew 13:10). Jesus’ parables used metaphors and analogies to convey spiritual truths, and they were often not easily understood. His disciples were likely curious as to why He chose to use this method in His teaching, and why He did not communicate to the crowds in terms that they could more readily understand. Jesus explained why He spoke to the people in parables when He answered His disciples:

“…To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” (Matthew 13:11).

 

Jesus’ reply is very revealing, and it is in complete agreement with several Scriptures that we have considered previously regarding God’s sovereign choice of those to whom He shows mercy, while others are left in

 

their sins. The ability to come to Christ and to understand God’s word is given only to God’s elect, to those whom the Father has given to Jesus (John 6:37). These are the ones whom God foreknew from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3-11). In His time, God calls all of His elect to faith in Christ, justifies them, and will ultimately glorify them (Romans

8:29-30). For all the rest, Jesus taught that it has not been granted to them to understand the Gospel message and the word of God as revealed in the Scriptures, which He referred to as “the mysteries of the kingdom of

heaven”.

 

Continuing in this passage of Matthew 13, after Jesus answered His disciples as to why He spoke to the people in parables, He then quoted from a passage in Isaiah 6:9-10, which speaks of God’s hardening of some individuals. Though they hear the words of the Gospel message, they do not understand, and though they see, they do not perceive. This is the way it is with those to whom it has not been granted to understand the Gospel message from the Scriptures. These are the same individuals whom Paul spoke about in Romans 9:18. God has willed not to show mercy to them, but to harden them.

 

Those whom God has decided to harden are not among those who are appointed to eternal life (Acts 13:48). Rather, they are among those who are appointed to disobey the Gospel message, as Peter taught (1 Peter 2:8). Their own will, desire, or decision in the matter has nothing at all to do with their salvation (John 1:13, Romans 9:16). They do not believe because God has not granted to them to come to faith in Christ (John 6:65). As Jesus said, it has not been granted to them to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:11).

 

After Jesus gave His parable to the crowds, He then explained the parable to His disciples, as we read in Matthew 13:18-23. Let us now look closely at each of the four cases in this parable of an individual hearing the Gospel message, and let us consider the results in each of their lives.

 

In the first case the seed fell beside the road where it was devoured by birds. Jesus said that this represents one who hears the Gospel message, but he does not understand it. In this case the devil comes and steals the word that was sown in his heart. This individual was unable to understand the word of God and is not saved, and he was therefore unable to bear any good fruit.

 

 

In the second case, the seed fell upon rocky places. Jesus taught that this symbolizes the man who hears the word, and he immediately receives it with joy. However, he has “no firm root in himself”, as Jesus said, and he only perseveres in his faith a short time, quickly falling away when troubles or persecutions come into his life because of the word.

 

We can interpret this second case as an individual who is not saved because God’s elect always persevere in their faith, and they never fall

away, as we learned previously when we discussed the eternal security of the believer. Our perseverance in our faith is brought about by God Himself (John 6:37-40, 1 Corinthians 1:8-9, Philippians 1:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-

24, others).

 

This second case also illustrates that there can be an apparent conversion in the lives of some people; they and others may believe that they are saved, when in fact they are not. Jesus taught about these individuals in His warning about false prophets in Matthew 7:15-23. In this second case, just as in the first, the seed that was sown bore no fruit, because the individual who received the seed of the message did not in fact come to faith in Christ.

 

In the third case the seed fell among the thorns. Jesus said that this symbolizes those who hear the word, but the worries and concerns of this life and the deceitfulness of worldly riches choke the word, and it bears no fruit in their lives either. We can interpret this third case also as an individual who is not saved because a genuine faith in Christ will always be manifested by good works, and these good works are themselves fruit born to the glory of God.

 

As we consider this third case, let us remember that James taught:

“…faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (James 2:17. See also the entire passage of James 2:14-26). This is to say that a genuine faith in Christ is always accompanied by good works done in obedience to God’s word. These good works are spiritual fruit born to the glory of God, and they will always be manifested in the life of a believer. Conversely, works themselves do not earn salvation for an individual, but a genuine faith in Christ will always be accompanied by good works. As James said, if someone claims to have faith but has no good works, his faith is dead; it does not exist.

 

 

Finally, in the fourth case the seed fell upon what Jesus described as “good soil”. The good soil symbolizes the man who hears the word and understands it (again, consider Matthew 13:11), bearing a harvest of good fruit, producing a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

 

In each of the first three cases, no fruit was born; no harvest was produced. However in the fourth case where the seed fell upon the good soil, fruit was born and a harvest was realized. The “good soil”, as Jesus used the analogy, symbolizes God’s elect. God’s elect are those who hear and are able to understand the Gospel message, which is symbolized by the seed being sown, and they are those who do indeed come to faith in Christ and bear fruit. Their genuine faith will always be accompanied by good works, or a love that manifests itself by its actions, and these good works are themselves fruit born to the glory of God.

 

Jesus said: “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15:8). We show ourselves to be

Jesus’ disciples by the fact that we bear fruit. We demonstrate that we have indeed been called to faith in Christ and are in truth His disciples by bearing spiritual fruit to the glory of God, whereas all of the others bear no fruit.

 

Therefore, when we share our faith with others, the “seed” of the Gospel message that we share with them will fall upon different types of soil, so to speak. However, the only place where individuals will in God’s time be brought to faith in Christ is where the seed falls upon the “good soil”, which is to say where the seed of the Gospel message is proclaimed in the hearing of God’s elect.