THE SOWER AND THE SEED

� 2000 William R. Cunningham
July 30, 2000

Let us look at the parable of the sower and the seed. What are some lessons that we can learn from this very important parable? Many have used the parable to justify their belief in the blessing-to-riches philosophy. Let's take a close look at this parable to extract its true meaning so that we can apply it to our lives and bear fruit. This parable can be found in Mark chapter four and Matthew Chapter thirteen.

There are three situations given in this parable. They are as follows.

1. Seed falling on the way side

2. Seed falling among stony ground

3. Seed falling among thorns.

4. Seed falling on good ground.

Let's consider the way the original audience would have perceived this parable. In the area of Palestine at this time, it was common for seeds to be sown on the various types of ground given in the parable. Some would have sown seeds on unplowed (unprepared) ground, ground that contained rocks just below the surface, and ground that contained other vegetation such as "weeds." Others would have sown on good ground, which is ground that was properly plowed (prepared) in order to produce an abundant harvest. Another very important consideration is the thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold return on the seed sown. Crops in the Jordan Valley could produce a return of thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold. These were considered excellent returns on the seed sown. Also note that a hundred fold return was not miraculous but rather normal or at least not abnormal if it occurred. However, the average crop in Palestine would produce about a ten-fold return, which was considered good.

The people who originally heard the parable would have been able to follow the story. However they would not necessarily extract the meaning of the parable. Haven't you sat in class and were able to follow the instructor as he or she taught you the solution of a particular type of math problem for example? You understood what the instructor was doing in the sense that you were able to follow his or her steps. However, you found it very difficult to solve a similar problem yourself after leaving the classroom. You could understand the presentation and follow it but you didn't extract the core of what was being taught and in the case of the parable, this core is the meaning or lesson that Jesus was revealing.

There are two aspects of the parable that we need to be aware of. There is the presentation and the meaning or lesson that it gives. The presentation is usually easy to follow, which is a characteristic of a parable. However, the meaning is something that you have to be prepared to receive or otherwise seeking to understand. The meaning of the parable is not necessarily evident by looking at the story used.

The same applies to Christianity as a whole. The true meaning of the Christian faith is not evident by the superficial activities that accompany Christianity. For example, the act of attending church services every Sunday and listening to your pastor or teacher is not enough to understand the Kingdom of God. This is similar to the student/instructor example I gave previously. What is needed is a definite effort on our part to seek out the meaning of Christian things. What is the meaning of Christianity? How does God want me to live? These and other questions should be a lifelong adventure to discover the answers. However, many people are content to be spoon fed by church leaders, TV evangelists, or books without putting forth the effort to know the truth personally. Do you know the truth or do you simply know what you were told?

We are very fortunate that Jesus Christ gives us the meaning of this parable and He indicates that it is an important parable.

I believe that it is significant to identify those that asked Jesus the meaning of the parable. Here in Mark's version of this event, we see that there were others in addition to the twelve that asked Jesus about this parable. Since Jesus did answer, we can assume that the meaning of the parable was not exclusive to the twelve. Consider Matthew's version of this moment.

Matthew's version says that the disciples came to Jesus to ask the meaning of the parable and Mark's version says that those around Jesus as well as the twelve asked Him the meaning. We have to remember that when the Bible refers to the disciples of Jesus Christ that this may include more than the twelve. Jesus Christ had many disciples or followers. So the two versions are consistent in that in general it was the disciples of Jesus Christ that asked Him the meaning of the parable. Are you a disciple of Christ (See John 8:31-32)?

The purpose of parables is twofold. First, they reveal a teaching. Second, they conceal a teaching. That may sound contradictory but we have to consider the circumstances surrounding these two purposes. First, parables are usually relatively simple stories that conceal its meaning from those that would oppose the teaching or "philosophy" and to those that do not care to know the meaning of the parable. Parables differ significantly from allegory in that the meanings are not secret or coded only to be deciphered by a select few. Parables are simple and can be understood by anyone that really seeks for the meaning.

Those that are against the "teachings" of a parable will not see its true meaning but focus on the story itself. This is true even today. Instead of trying to understand what Jesus was trying to say, many try to decode the story in a fashion that is very similar to allegory. These people will never receive the true meaning of the parable because they are not looking for it. Also, those who are not looking for the meaning of the parable will definitely not know the true meaning. To them, the parable is a "nice story."

Parables were meant to explain a rabbi's point by illustrating it; however, if the point were not stated, the parable would amount to no more than a story. Rabbis had some more secretive teachings that they thought only their closest disciples could handle, and they reserved these for private instruction. Only those who chose to become insiders, then, would understand the meaning of Jesus' parables.

Consider the following scripture.

The ability to understand the meaning of a parable is directly related to your ability to hear and receive the word of God. It is like the ground in the parable. If you are not capable of receiving the word and producing fruit then you are not likely to understand the meaning of a parable-at least in the way that it was intended. In other words, you have to have ears to hear and eyes to see in order to understand the meaning of a parable. The condition of your heart will determine whether or not you will be able to receive the lessons of the Kingdom of God and the meaning of Jesus' parable, which concealed those lessons. If you are a seeker for the truth then you will find the truth. If you want to know what Jesus teaches in his parables then you will find the meanings of those parables. If you are content on living a "religious" life without really attempting to understand the Kingdom of God, then you will not "see" the meaning of the parables because you prefer to stay on the surface with religious activities.

This principle is very similar to Jesus' statement to Nicodemus.

John 3:3 (KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Here the principle is applied to salvation (born again). Unless a person is saved (born again), then they will not be able to grasp the things of God's Kingdom. To these, the methods of God's Kingdom and the operation of that Kingdom are foolish. Unless you are prepared to grasp God's Kingdom then you won't.

Now Jesus tells his disciples the lesson that is contained in the story of the parable.

Notice Jesus' first statement. The meaning of this parable appears to be the key to understanding any lesson of the Kingdom of God and therefore very important. It would behoove us to really understand the meaning of this parable.

The Seed. Jesus identifies the seed as being the word of God. Notice that the sower is not identified. This may imply that the sower could be anyone that is sowing the word of God. This could include you! Understand that sowing the word of God does not mean that you are a preacher or teacher. Seeds come from fruit so that any fruit from God's Kingdom will provide fruit for you to sow. This could be love, compassion, and patience as well as scripture, and biblical understanding.

Seeds sown by the wayside represent those that hear the word but do not understand it. Satan is able to snatch the word from them since they do not understand it. Understanding locks the word into our hearts and minds. This is very similar to understanding a subject matter in school. Unless you understand the material you are not capable of using that knowledge to solve problems for example. Consider the following scripture.

Proverbs tells us a lot about getting understanding as well as wisdom and knowledge. You don't really have it if you don't understand it. Knowledge without understanding cannot produce anything because there are no roots within you. You might have head knowledge about biblical teachings but do you really understand it. For example, you may know to believe in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ but do you know what that means? What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? How do you do that? Would you be able to at least intelligently discuss salvation and the redemptive act of Christ to someone that doesn't believe without referring to church clich�s and religious phrases that would mean nothing to an unbeliever? You would indeed be sowing seeds on the wayside and you would also be considered wayside since the seeds that you have are simply lying on the surface waiting to be snatched away from you.

Seeds sown on stony places represent those people that hear the word and receive it with gladness. However, the word sown in their hearts never take root so its effects only lasts for a while because affliction or persecution that arises because of the word sown will cause them to be offended.

How can being offended have an affect on the word that is sown in your heart in such a way that it produces no fruit? The key is to know the meaning of the word offended that is used here. We think of offended to be something that you feel or experience when someone says something derogatory about you for example. However, the Greek word used here actually means to entrap (trip up). Figuratively it means to stumble or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure. A person therefore will stumble and fall or sin because of the persecution or affliction that arises because of the word.

What happens when you tell a religious person something that you have learned in the Bible? Chances are you will be ridiculed, told to shut up, ostracized, or persecuted for your stance on God's word. You can either be offended by rescinding your previous claims in order to keep the peace or you can stick to what you know to be true and therefore not be offended. Are you offended because of the results of the word of God that you have received?

This is a very common occurrence today with the word of faith movement and similar movements within the church community. You hear the word of God but the promises of riches and the deceitfulness of having an abundance of things choke the word right out of you because it cannot produce fruit in such an environment. The purpose of the word of God is not to make you rich or give you an abundance of things. See Matthew 6:19-34. The purpose of the word of God is to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God and to produce fruit within you. See Galatians 5:22-23. The fruit that should result from the word of God are such things such as love, patience, and kindness not cars, money, and houses.

The word of God in many cases has been deduced to formulas to make you rich. The word of God cannot produce spiritual fruit in you that would affect your life if your perception of it and your disposition were that of obtaining wealth and great possessions. The Bible is not a roadmap to riches. Rather, it is a guide to the true life in Christ-the Christian faith. How much word has been choked out of you because of your desire to obtain an abundance of things?

The good ground is the ground that is prepared and ready to receive the word of God. These people hear the word and receive it and they bring forth fruit to various degrees. Jesus doesn't indicate that a hundred fold is better than sixty fold or that sixty fold is better than thirty fold. These are just various degrees of fruit that the ground would produce. This tells us that different people will produce different and a different amount of fruit. Are you prepared to receive the word of God? That means, are you a seeker of the truth? If you are and if you are willing then God will reveal all of the things that pertain to His Kingdom because seekers are finders (See Matthew 7:1).

The lesson of the parable is simple. Those who are ready or prepared to receive the word of God will receive it and produce fruit in various degrees. Those who are not prepared to receive the word of God will not receive it and will produce no fruit. There are a number of things that can hinder the word from taking root in our hearts and this parable gives some of them. Namely, the fact of not understanding the word, offence because of the word, and the deceitfulness of riches all hinder the word from producing fruit in our lives. Note that the word of God was heard in each instance in this parable so the problem is not in the hearing but the receiving.

I believe that the key to knowing the "secrets" of God's Kingdom is simply to be a seeker (disciple of Christ). Jesus said that those who seek would find therefore we could be sure that God is not going to hide things from those who are genuinely seeking for the truth, which is Christ. Be a seeker, know the truth, and understand the Kingdom of God and live by it. So seekers will be able to receive the revelation or the meaning of the parables and therefore receive the Way of the Kingdom of God to live it.

Many times in this and other writings of mine you will see references to the word of faith movement. Let me say that I am against this movement. The name of the movement is actually a misnomer because it is not about the word of faith as taught in the Bible. The word of faith in the Bible refers to Christianity. The word of faith in the "Word of Faith Movement" refers to your belief or faith to acquire things.

The subject parable has been twisted to comply with the false teachings of the Word of Faith Movement. Pawning it as a promise of God to receive things based on your faith has misrepresented this parable. It is taught that the type of ground you are will determine the blessings that you will acquire from the word that is planted in you. These blessings, however, are riches and prosperity pertaining to the acquisition of things. To these people, the purpose of the word of God is to provide you with things. This is far from the truth of the word of God. The purpose of the word of God is to bring life according to John Chapter 1. The purpose of the word of God is to reveal the truth of His kingdom. To believe that the purpose of the word of God is to provide you with things is a fallacy and falls under one of the types of ground given in the subject parable.

Therefore, do not be deceived by the desire for riches. Rather, seek the truth of God's word and seek his kingdom and God will meet your needs according to his riches in glory and according to his will for your life.

How receptive are you to the word of God? Are you able to receive the word of God to bring forth fruit? Do you care about receiving revelation from the Spirit of God or are you stuck in your own religious says. Those that are able to receive are those that are Disciples of Christ. The disciple has a heart that is conditioned for the truth of God's word. Those who are not true Disciples of Christ will not receive the revelation pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

This parable tells us that the ability to receive the word of God and produce corresponding results is directly proportionate to the heart of the hearer. If you heart is hard then you are less likely to receive the word of God and live by it. You are surely less likely to spread God's word. Those that have will receive more and those that do not have will lose even what they do have (the seeds on the wayside for example).