The
seeds of the Sower
Scripture:
On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great
multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat;
and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
Then He spoke
many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out
to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and
the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony
places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up
because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up
they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among
thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good
ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear,
let him hear!” Matthew 13:1-9
“Therefore
hear the parable of the sower: When
anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his
heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony
places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures
only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the
word, immediately he stumbles. Now he
who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of
this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes
unfruitful. But he
who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a
hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” Matthew 13:18-23
Observation:
In this passage, we see
the Lord tell the crowd the famous Parable of the Sower. The Lord is at first
indoors, in a house near a beach, perhaps belonging to one of His disciples.
Then, He leaves the house and sits on the beach, by the sea. Great multitudes
who must have been following Him start to gather around him to the extent that
there is hardly any space to move. The Lord then gets into a boat and sits
down, creating some space between Him and His listeners so that they can hear
Him better. Then He speaks to them in parables which are stories or anecdotes
with lessons within them. Interesting to note is how picturesque the Lord was
in His various parables, drawing powerful lessons from everyday life. Even
today, the Lord speaks to us not only with words, but also with pictures and
visions.
In the Parable of the
Sower, a sower goes out to sow seed in the field, scattering them in diverse
areas. Some fall by the wayside and are eaten by bird. Some fall in stony
places with not much soil, and so die quickly when the sun scorches them. Still
others fall among thorns which choke them as they grow. The last group of seed
though, fall on good soil, bearing fruit and producing a crop thirty, sixty or
hundredfold.
Later, the Lord explains
the parable to His disciples. The seed is representative of the Word of God. In
this parable, all the seed is good. Rather, it is the condition of the soil
that receives it that determines whether or not the seed will prosper. The soil
here is representative of the heart of a person.
Who is the Sower? God, of
course, but we are the instruments by which He sows His seed, for we are
commissioned to proclaim the truths of God to those who do not yet know
Him.
The first group of seed fell
by the wayside and became food for the birds. The Lord explains that this is
representative of those who hear the Word of God and do not understand it. The
wicked one (representative of the birds) then comes and snatches it away from
their hearts. This is an important lesson for us in spiritual warfare. There is
a spirit of confusion and dullness which block the minds of unbelievers from
understanding. We need to bind them in Jesus name even as we pray for the
salvation of people, and also ask God to release the Holy Spirit of
understanding to help them understand.
For us personally too, as
we read the Bible, we need to ask God to give us the Spirit of understanding,
so that we can understand what we read. Remember how in James, it is written,
“If anyone lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without
finding fault”
Second are the seeds that
fall on rocky soil, where the soil is shallow so that the seed cannot take
root. The Lord likens these to those who hear the Word with joy but fall away
when trouble and persecution come. Today in church, most of us have a shallow
faith, untested by persecution and hardship. It is a dangerous situation to be
in, especially in light of the end times, when trouble and persecution will
come upon the true believers. The theory of the rapture sounds great as
everyone wants to escape persecution, but in reality, God never spared the
early Christians from trouble but in fact persecution caused the Church to
spread and grow even more intensely.
The third group are seeds
that fall among thorns, which choke them as the plant grows. The Lord likens
this to those who hear the Word but are unfruitful due to the cares (or
worries) of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth. What is it that is
deceitful about wealth? There is a man who becomes rich but is still not
satisfied and keeps craving for more and more. Such a man has been deceived by
wealth, thinking that wealth will satisfy him when it can never do so. There
are many rich men that are constantly worried about their money and their
businesses. The simple laborer though sleeps peacefully in the night. James
says that the rich waste away even as they go about life. Is wealth evil? No!
Many of the Lord’s disciples were very wealthy. Matthew was a tax collector, Mark
was the equivalent of an unemployed millionaire and Lydia
The final group of seeds
of course is where we all want to be, prospering and fruitful, producing a crop
30, 60 or 100 times fold. Throughout the Lord’s teachings, He frequently
emphasized on the importance of fruitfulness. If we remain in Him, we will bear
much fruit. Christianity is not about fulfilling minimum religious chores by
observing Sundays and giving tithes and offerings. Rather, it must be a live
relationship, allowing God to work with us to do His will as He leads us,
making a difference in diverse areas for His glory.
Application:
In prayer evangelism,
remember to pray against the spirit of dullness and confusion that block
unbelievers from understanding the Word of God. Pray for the Holy Spirit of
understanding to enable them to understand. Personally, as we read the Bible or
hear sermons, pray that God will illumine our minds to help us understand.
In regard to persecution,
pray for mercy from God to prepare us and strengthen us should we face such
troubles. Be prepared in our minds and hearts to be ready for such times for
just as the Lord was persecuted, we who follow Him may well be persecuted.
In regard to wealth,
praise God for whatever wealth He has given us. Pray for wisdom that we may use
it wisely for the extension of His kingdom. Pray that our hearts will be pure
and not become entangled by the deceitfulness of wealth.
Submit ourselves to God
and pray that He may lead us to live fruitful lives in diverse areas, following
His will. Seek to always abide in Jesus, for therein will we bear much fruit.
Prayer:
Lord, we praise You, we love
You, we declare O Lord that You are marvelous and glorious, Lord of all the
nations. We praise You and bless You O Lord for the great things You have done
for us. In Jesus name, we speak against the spirits of dullness and confusion
that blocks the minds of every unbeliever whom we pray for. Release them, in
Jesus name. Blessed Lord, pour forth Your Spirit of Understanding that they may
understand and know that You, O Lord are God even as Your Word is send forth to
them in diverse ways through diverse peoples.
We pray too that You
prepare us O Lord even as times of persecution come on the horizon. Give us
strength and peace should we be called to face these troubles. Give us Your
special grace in our times of need.
Our wealth O Lord belongs
to You. All that we have is enabled only because You willed it. Give us wisdom
and knowledge and direction on how to use the wealth we have for the extension
of Your kingdom. Let us not be tied down by worry for money, but let us be free
and live in faith, knowing that You provide for our daily needs.
We submit our lives to
You, Heavenly Lord. Enable us O Lord that we may leave fruitful and meaningful
lives. May we abide in You always, Lord Jesus. In Your great name we pray,
Amen.
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