The Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13.1-9; 18-23
This morning we begin a sermon series on parables told by Christ Jesus in Matthew’s gospel. Some of the parable will be very familiar to us all but we should not allow that familiarity to close our minds to hearing God speak to us again through His Word. Most of you will have heard a parable described as ‘an earthly story with a heavenly (or spiritual) meaning.’ That is a simple definition of a parable. A parable is also a comparison of two subjects for the purpose of teaching. It usually proceeds from the known to the unknown in order to teach something spiritual. There is generally, but not universally, one salient point to the parable. A parable holds the attention of the hearer, enables them to see themselves and whilst dealing with something well known adds a twist which fascinates and makes the hearer reflect.
Why did Jesus teach in parables? Well if you look at verse 1 of chapter 13 we see that He has moved from teaching in the synagogue to teaching in the open air, by the seashore. This move is significant in Matthew’s gospel. Having been rejected by the religious leaders of the day He moves now out into the open air and addresses the crowds of common people. By telling parable He holds their attention, to fascinate without alienating them. Secondly if you look at verse 35 you will see that they are an instrument of revelation but only for those to whom it is given to see (verses 11, 16-17). The parable revealed truth to those who were hungry to receive it but concealed it from those who were too lazy to seek its meaning. Verse 12 tells us that the law of atrophy is at work amongst the hearers of the parable – if you don’t use the muscle it withers and dies, the same is true spiritually of Jesus’ hearers and of ourselves. The parables bring light to those who look for it but for those content in the darkness, it intensifies that darkness. Thirdly, the parables are a spur towards decision. The kingdom of God cannot be understood from outside. 1 Corinthians 2 verses 14 – read. Finally the reason Matthew groups parables together is to clarify them and to make it simple to understand them. For example these parables in chapter 13 mark the hinge upon which the whole gospel of Matthew turns, from this point on Jesus leaves Galilee and turns towards Jerusalem and the cross. As people hear these parables they are challenged to see where they stand in relation to the kingdom of God which Christ brings. Put another way they ask ‘What will you do with Jesus?’
Verses 1-3 The parable begins with Christ using a familiar everyday sight – the farmer sowing seed in a field. The seed which ‘the farmer’ sows is able to transform the soil. The seed is the Word of God proclaimed by the Sower of God. The kingdom of God comes when the seed and the soil come together. And the kingdom comes in to a life where the seed takes root and begins to germinate and shoot.
Verses 4, 19 – The Shallow Soil/Seed. The fields of Galilee, like today, would be unfenced with many paths running through them. The paths would have been rock hard with the countless feet, hooves of animals and cartwheels travelling over them. Jesus uses the imagery of a hard path which the seed finds impossible to penetrate and hungry birds which come to snatch it away as illustrations of how some hear the word of God but do not digest it, understand it or appropriate it in their lives. They are very vulnerable to losing it all as the devil comes quickly into such a heart and snatches it all away. Hebrews 4.2 tells us that for the seed to be effectual it must not only be heard but also combined with faith. The seed planted on to a hard heart that does not receive it with faith is easily snatched away and bears no fruit at all. It comes to nothing. Ask yourself this morning: Has the seed (the word of God) bounced off me like a seed bouncing off a hard path? C S Lewis in the Screwtape Letters writes of such an account of a man who was beginning down the path to belief in Christ and how easily he was distracted by hunger and the news headlines on a billboard. We are easily distracted from the word of God when our hearts have been trampled hard by sin. You see the word which is only heard and not acted upon is easy prey for satan to snatch away. The path is part of the field and it is even made up of the same soil – except it has been packed hard and made impenetrable. The seed lands on it, it is close enough to the Sower for that to happen, but to no avail because it is not prepared to receive the seed. Quickly satan comes and snatches it away before it can penetrate any openings in the path’s surface.
As Malachi so rightly told his hearers – there comes a time in life when you have to plough up the unploughed ground in order to receive the seed. For some in here this morning that is the very challenge you need to hear this first Sunday of 2007 – your heart is a hard path and though you hear the word of God it is so easily snatched away, even before the end of this sermon it is gone.
Verses 5-6, 20-21 The Superficial Soil/Seed. Jesus explains that this type of soil receives the seed with great enthusiasm, makes a great start but as soon as trouble or persecution comes they fall away because there was no root, no depth to their belief. This person can be jollied along in the right atmosphere and company but they have no roots to stand on their own and once on their own they fall away quickly. They will blow with the prevailing wind. They are superficial in their faith. This seed comes to nothing in the life of the hearer and bears no fruit in the world. Let me say as humbly as I can there are too many such Christians in churches today, even here at HT. Many of you started off great but now you blow with the prevailing wind of the company you are in – Christian here but not at work or in with some of your other friends. This seed died, it bore no lasting fruit, why would you think you would be any different? However there is also a challenge to us all here not to be content with superficial faith and not to allow others to settle for superficial faith. We must challenge ourselves and encourage others not to settle for what is superficial. That which is superficial never lasts, it quickly withers and dies.
Verses 7, 22 – The Secular Soil/Seed. This seed too seems to start very well. There is growth, there even appears to be roots going down into soil and yet all is not well. This soil has never been weaned from the secular world around it – it still contains the thorns and thistles of the old worldview and way of life. Look at what Jesus says of this soil in verse 22. It is deceived or delights in the wealth of the world. Such a person is concerned with the things of this world, his status and financial standing and these things are the priorities of his life and they slowly take over, grow stronger and choke the shoots of faith. Again this seed comes to nothing in such soil. Let me ask you seriously this morning: Are you a secular seed? Is your reputation before men more important than your standing before God today? Are you more concerned with the labels on your clothing than the label of your character? Are you more Christian Dior than Christian? The seed took root and shoots began to grow but the concerns and cares of this world were more important in this life – you know weeds, thorns need to be dug out early before they take root and become persistent problems. Such thorns are very subtle in a life – taking root unseen and then growing to choke the life of faith. Left even for a short time they quickly spread and begin to take over. The same is true in our lives – we need to be ruthless in digging out the worldview which is not biblical. We talk so easily and freely of things today that the bible considers sin. We embrace lifestyles and life choices that are sinful and we think we can embrace them and live as Christians. The truth is such things choke the life out of our faith and it comes to nothing in our lives. You know such temporary disciples of Christ are very common in churches. The warning of this seed is timeless.
Verses 8, 23 – The Successful Soil/Seed. You know this man is no different than any of the other three soils mentioned before. It is scattered in the same way upon the soil of his heart. He hears the exact same word (seed) as the first soil. He hears it with excitement like the second soil. He lives in the exact same world with all its deceits and temptations as the third soil. The difference is the roots go deep and it produces fruit in due season. But how did this seed become fruitful.? Jesus said ‘Unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone, a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds’ John 12.24. There is your answer. The price of being fruitful is dying to self so that the life of Christ might be seen in and through our lives. The key to good soil prepared for the seed to bear fruit. The hard ground has to be ploughed and broken up. Weeds removed and stones removed. The seed planted, watered, and nourished. Then it can bear fruit. But I want you to notice something – the soil cannot do any of this by itself – the sower does it all. He ploughs up the field. He removes the weeds. He plants the seed and he makes it bear fruit. The soil lies barren without these things being done by the sower. It is an ongoing relationship between soil and sower that brings the seed to fruition. It is the same in the spiritual life – an ongoing relationship with Christ brings about spiritual fruit in due season.
In this parable the sower is always the same. The same seed is sown on to each soil. It is the soil which determines the results and how much fruit is produced. This parable held up before Jesus’ hearers a mirror for them to see where they stood in relation to God in Christ and it does the same for you this morning. So which soil best describes you this morning? Which soil do you want to be?
Amen.
