Parables Of The Kingdom – The First - The Sower Or Rather The Soil – Part 2 Of 5 Series

PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM – THE FIRST - THE SOWER OR RATHER THE SOIL – Part 2 of 5

In the first message of the Parable of the Sower, we studied the introduction to the 7 Parables of the Kingdom from Matthew’s Gospel chapter 13. We looked at the seed being sown and the four types of soil. All the seed was good seed but the soils varied hugely. I think a better name for this very well known parable would be “The Parable of the Four Soils”.

In this message, Part 2, we shall look at the deeper explanation of this Parable. We will do just the first “soil”, that of the pathway or road. I have to break it that way because of length.

THE PARABLE IS EXPLAINED

FROM MATTHEW - {{Matthew 13:18-19 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 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 the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.”}}

FROM LUKE – {{Luke 8:11-12 “Now the parable is this: THE SEED IS THE WORD OF GOD and those beside the road are those who have heard, then THE DEVIL COMES and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved.”}}

[A]. THE FIRST RESULT – THE ABSENCE OF SOIL

In Luke, one concise statement informed the disciples exactly what the seed was. The seed is the word of God and ever remains so. Whenever the word is preached or taught or issued in printed form or committed to radio waves or displayed through the Internet, the seed is being sown. The scripture does not directly state it, but the Lord is the Sower and the word preached during those three years shows the Sower at work.

We can’t emphasise enough that the seed is THE WORD OF GOD! When we sow the seed, it is the gospel preaching, that of God’s word for salvation. It is an ugly distortion these days from the Prosperity Doctrine that sowing the seed means giving money to these corrupt charlatans so they can grow fat in absolute luxurious materialism. The seed you sow is the preaching of the gospel not money given (deluded) in the hope that God pays off your debt and takes away your sickness.

It is important that the Lord is the Sower, because the true word begins with Him. All who follow after are just transmitters of that true word of the Lord’s.

The explanation was then given. The FIRST group comprises those in whom the word has had no effect at all. It is even worse than “in one ear and out the other.” It did not even get into the ears! They reject the preaching, scoff at the message, ridicule the messenger and readily apply modern psychological rationalism, i.e. skepticism, liberalism, to the message.

The outcome of these hearers is hardened hearts and willful disobedience. Luke explains it as - they hear, and the devil or his agents snatch away the word, so that they can (may) not believe and they can’t be saved. Luke had already seen this principle in operation as he accompanied Paul, and he certainly had seen it with the Jews and the Gentiles. “Snatches” pictures the greedy selfishness that is seen often in the animal world and interesting to observe in the birds of prey.

Mark is very similar to Matthew but he says this – {{Mark 4:15 “and these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown, and when they hear, immediately SATAN COMES and takes away the word which has been sown in them.”}} He attributes the failure of the seed (preaching) to Satan who comes immediately. That is, the seed has not a chance to even think of germinating.

Matthew says they hear but don’t understand, then the devil snatches away the word. It is not correct to assume that Luke proposes these hearers have no opportunity to believe because the devil leaves them with no other option. Matthew clarifies that further with the “understanding” part. He says they don’t know it or understand it so there can be no conviction, no sense of need or no desire for repentance. Luke 13:27 says, {{“I do not know where you are from. Depart from Me . . .”}} i.e. there was no relationship there. {{“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked”}} (KJV Jeremiah 17:9). Such battles rage in the unconverted hearts.

The word must crash through a fortress framework of unbelief and rationalism cemented through the errors of evolution, socialism (humanism), and rock music and the dead religiousness of the world. People’s hearts in some countries today are so hard, so cynical and so self-centred, yet so needy and empty. Nevertheless God’s word is not bound and the Lord’s power is not limited, and can overcome the wickedness of the human heart, but we should appreciate what the conditions on the road and beside it, are like.