The Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower

This Sunday at CDC, we were privileged to have our own sister Tabitha share on the “Parable of the Sower”, one of the Lord’s most powerful parables which speaks to the depths of the human heart.

We begin with a picture of a farmer sowing his seed. The seeds fall on different soil. Some will grow and some will not. Jesus is the Farmer and our hearts are the soil. And there are different kinds of hearts as there are different kinds of soil.

Firstly, some of the seed fell on the wayside. The wayside is hard and compact. Nothing grows out of it. The seed cannot penetrate through the ground and as such, birds fly by and take it away. A heart which is like the wayside is hard and unbelieving. Like a ball thrown against a wall, the Word of God only bounces back harder. For seed on the wayside to grow, grounding work needs to be done first. To break up hardened hearts, we need prayer…. Even in Jesus’ time, many saw His miracles but refused to believe He was the Son of God. Sin and pride are the main causes behind every hardened heart.

Secondly, some of the seed fell on stony ground, which did not have much soil. The seed sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow but withered when the sun came up. These were the seeds with no root. Likewise, many believers receive the Word of God with joy at once, but when trouble and persecution come, they cannot sustain their faith because they have no root. In reality, their spiritual life is shallow and they cannot understand that hardship is good for them.

Thirdly, some of the seed fell among thorns. The thorns sprang up together with the seed and eventually choked the plants, making them unfruitful. The thorns of our heart are described as the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things…. Life is naturally drawn towards “bigger and better”, bigger houses, bigger cars, all the latest handphones and gadgets. But all these things only weigh down a Christian’s life making it unfruitful.

Finally, some of the seed fell on good soil, producing a crop, a 100, 60 or 30 times what was sown. The good soil refers to the one who hears the word of God and understands it and obeys, hence producing a fruitful life for God. Sister Tabitha shared with us the importance of maintaining good soil in our hearts. To maintain good soil, we must continually work at it, breaking up the grounds, removing the rocks and stones and weeding away the thorns. By reading the Word of God and praying, we add nutrients to the good soil, from which we will later reap the Fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self-control.

We were exhorted then to take the whole purpose of God seriously, as Ephesians 2:10 says “We are his workmanship….”

In closing, sister Tabitha encouraged us to look within at the soils of our heart. Is there hard soil? Let us repent and become humble. Is there stony ground? Let us throw out the stones and dig deep. Is there thorny soil? Uproot the things of the world! Is there good soil? Maintain it, and be steadfast.

As our Lord Jesus stood at his baptism by John the Baptist, the clouds broke open and God spoke “This is my son, which whom I am well pleased.” The Lord had done no miracles yet or began His powerful ministry, but God was pleased with Him for He had been faithful.

May the Lord teach us to cultivate good soil in our hearts, that we may bear fruit and glorify Him with fruitful lives. God bless, Jason