One of the most famous parables from the Bible is the Parable of the Sower, sometimes more accurately named the ‘Parable of the Soils.’ Please read it. You will see similarities between the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, and Luke regarding this teaching. You will also notice some differences. Why is that?
Suppose I asked a few men to give a historical account of what it was like to be in Afghanistan from 2004-2005 at Cobra Base, a Forward Operating Base in a remote area. Do you think their stories would be the same? Would there be overlap and variations in their reports if I asked them to write about one particular individual who is no longer living – a biography? Indeed, there would be. That is what the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are like when compared side-by-side. A more detailed account from a fourth man sharing several personal interactions that the rest of the men never mentioned is what John’s Gospel is like compared to the other three.
The Parable of the Soils is one teaching that Jesus specifically explained to His disciples. He told them that if they did not understand this teaching, they would not understand any parables. Compare and contrast the parable explanations from Matthew 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20, and Luke 8:11-15. Use a side-by-side comparison as you go through each description. What is the same between the three Synoptic Gospels and the variations among the different New Testament writers? Were they all describing the same event, or did Jesus teach this more than once to more than one group of people? Jesus may have taught this one time or many. Still, it is crucial to understand this teaching because it applies to every human being on the planet.
Parable of the Sower
Matthew
18 “Hear then 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 what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
Mark
13 And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. 16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. 17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. 18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, 19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”
Luke
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. 14 And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
While many more observations can be made from these passages, Take a moment to look at the different soils.
- Path with Birds
- Rocky Soil
- Weeds
- Good Soil
How should we view the seed and the response of each of these soil types?
Consider the following passages with the parable in mind, and describe how each verse relates to the various soil types:
- Path with Birds (2 Corinthians 4:4)
- Rocky Soil (Matthew 5:10-12; 1 Peter 1:3-9 & 4:1-2)
- Weeds (1 John 2:15-17; Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:4-9)
- Good Soil (Matthew 3:8; John 15:1-17; Galatians 5:22-23)
What soil type describes your current condition? Do you need to pray to be the good soil right now? Who comes to mind as you study the soil types? Will you pray for them to be the good soil?
Now is an excellent opportunity to stop and pray. Please take a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and exhale slowly. Assess the soil of your heart. What is keeping you from being fruitful right now? Identify it. Name it. Confess it to God. Learn from it and move forward as you seek a relationship with God.
Before moving on from the parable, I want to explore an observation:
“Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God…But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:11, 15, NASB).
The Bible provides the answers we need to know God.
Question: What is the word of God?
Answer: The Word of God is the Bible, Jesus, and it is also the message associated with Him (The gospel).
If we only looked at the Gospel of John, we would have answers to many of our theological questions. John starts his letter by explicitly telling the reader that Jesus Christ is God and that Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-3, 14, 18). Suppose we apply Jesus to ‘the word of God‘ to the seed of Luke’s parable. In that case, the only thing left to add on my part is John 15:1-17, where He instructs His disciples to abide – remain – in Him and be fruitful. The point of John’s letter is that life is all about unbroken fellowship with God.
Only viewing God’s ‘word’ from Luke as Jesus without looking at other passages using the same language leaves us unanswered questions. Consider the Hebrews author and the word of God written about that is alive and active. The ‘word’ is described as sharper than any sword and penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the heart’s thoughts and attitudes (Hebrews 4:12). The author of Hebrews did not use the pronoun He (meaning Jesus) when describing the word of God here, and Paul said the same thing elsewhere:
And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers (1 Thessalonians 2:13, ESV).
So, what is the word of God if it is not explicitly referring to Jesus?
Look at the result of the seed when planted in good soil again:
“Now this is the parable: the seed is the word of God…But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance” (Luke 8:11, 15, NASB).
There is a passage that comes to mind when considering how one is capable of bearing fruit in God’s economy:
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace (Colossians 1:3-6, NIV).
Paul taught that it is the gospel that leads to good fruit. So, if you accept that the word of God is Scripture, then you have to be a bit more specific because there are a lot of words in the Bible that you could read on their own and produce zero good fruit. For example, the entire Old Testament without the revelation of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ – the woman’s ‘Seed’! Religious Jews have the OT, yet they do not know Christ. It is all about Him!
Before dragging the author of this article into the street, Gospel Stewardship does not think we should forget about the Old Testament. That point should be clear based on everything written up to this point. However, many followers of Jesus Christ need to do what the New Testament authors did and get to the point. Use the OT effectively as they did by pointing to Jesus. Do not look for secret knowledge in the OT to sound relevant because the only thing relevant in eternity is an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father and King Jesus by the Holy Spirit of God. Get people to the Savior.
In Afghanistan, tiny camouflage Bibles were available at the larger bases where several chaplains served military members. I noticed something profound when I picked one up out of a box before heading to the airfield to get on a helicopter and head to the next hot spot to provide additional reconnaissance support. The Bibles were only the New Testament and contained only Psalms and Proverbs from the Old. What? Why not the rest of the OT? Because when you get to the point, it is about Jesus and a relationship with God!
There is no sense in wasting time when you have men and women getting ready for a mission where they might get blown up or shot if they are eager to figure out what they need to know about God. There isn’t time to teach the historical context of Ezekiel. Examining the relevance of the sacrificial system after the giving of the Ten Commandments is not a good use of time when you need salvation. Get to the point and point people to Jesus! I like to summarize the OT this way: You and I need a Divine Savior, and that Savior is the Son of God, Jesus, written about in the NT. Start there. Then, go back and learn more about Him through the OT through the lens of the NT that shines light and understanding on ultimate reality.
That is my rant for this section. Let us get back on track with this idea of the word of God and the seed. One of my favorite passages in the NT is the end of Ephesians and addresses this topic:
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:17-20, NASB).
Paul said to put on the whole armor of God (put on the new man = put on the Lord Jesus!) and then pray! Pray, pray, and pray some more. Always pray to God on behalf of the other followers of Jesus to persevere in their faithfulness – globally – and pray for Paul to communicate the gospel clearly and boldly. If Paul’s request was for prayer to proclaim the gospel, then perhaps the gospel is the most important thing that anyone needs to know from the culmination of the 66 books that are the Bible – the word of God.
It is essential to revisit the passage from 1 Thessalonians where Paul says that the Church was comprised of followers of Jesus who received the word of God. In just a few short sentences before that, he reminds them of how he and his ministry team encouraged, comforted, and urged them to live worthy lives of God (2:12). It is my greatest hope that you would understand your calling in Jesus Christ and live as an example for others to follow as you follow Jesus.
Another interesting observation from a few sentences before Paul’s use of the word of God is the use of the gospel:
Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God (1 Thessalonians 2:8-9, NASB).
Paul used the word of God synonymously with the gospel of God. Sandwiched between Paul’s double use of the phrase gospel of God and the phrase word of God, we find Paul sharing his heart toward God’s people to live worthy lives in Jesus Christ! Please understand why I pray night and day for God’s people to grasp this mystery of the gospel message of salvation through complete trust in Christ. It is the only way to know God intimately. The gospel reconciles humankind with a holy God, and it is a message for everyone to hear.
To learn more about the mystery of the gospel see Ephesians 3:1-12 and Colossians 1:21-29 and also note that Paul discusses his stewardship in both sections.
There are too many things to say on the matter. I want to make sure that you, the reader, do not leave the point I’m making before seeing it from Peter’s perspective. Look at his words and compare with what Paul taught:
Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things (1 Peter 1:10-12, NIV).
Peter described the entire message of the Prophets and the OT to be the Good News of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ to all who receive the gospel. Look at what he goes on to say regarding this truth:
Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God…And this is the word that was preached to you (1 Peter 1:22-25, NIV).
The apostle’s teaching involves the gospel as the key to new birth in God through Jesus Christ by His Spirit. The seed is the gospel, and we are called to sow it liberally everywhere we are.
One final comment on the seed because it would not be right to leave out the revelation in the NT regarding the promises to Abraham:
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ (Galatians 3:16, NASB).
Paul clarifies that the promise made to Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus. Luke confirms that truth about Abraham in Acts:
It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, “AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED” (Acts 3:25, NASB).
Luke also used the singular form in Greek to emphasize “Seed, and not seeds.” There is much more to say about this, but I must include one last passage concerning the seed as John used it. Read John’s words and go back a page and compare with the words of Peter:
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God (1 John 3:9, NASB).
Christ’s Spirit is indeed the seed spoken of in the NT, which coincides with the word of God based on John’s account of Jesus, the Creator of the universe. Tell people about Jesus. You can do it! Now see John 3:1-36 and 1 Peter 1:1-25 regarding new birth. They confirm that the Spirit of Christ is the necessary ingredient to making all of this work. Many people have a Bible, but that does not save them. Many people read the Bible and conclude that Jesus is Lord, but that does not save them. Many people are water baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, but that does not save them. Many people speak in a weird, unintelligible language and claim it is a prayer language to God, but that does not save them or anyone else. Humility is the only way to salvation. Like a child who believes that God created the universe out of nothing, we must approach God with the same humility. Through submission to the truth that we are guilty of rebelling against Him, we can receive His forgiveness and eternal life by faith in His perfect work through Christ on the cross.
The seed – the gospel message of salvation in Christ – is sown in the hearts of those who hear it. The gospel takes root and reproduces good fruit through God’s people. The gospel brings forth new life in Jesus Christ because a life-changing response to the gospel is how Christ’s Spirit indwells the person. The humility required to admit fault before God and turn to Him is impossible to ask of prideful human beings. However, that is the call of the physician to the sick. Sin is sickness. Jesus is the physician. He promised to heal me from my illness, and while I have rebelled against Him along the way, He has been so patient with me. My experience is similar to those who were with Moses in the wilderness. He has sent messengers into my life to speak the truth and encourage me to pursue a relationship with God. The Lord commands us to sow the seed. It is our job to share the good news and trust Him to produce good fruit.
