I have entitled our message, “Where Do You Stand?” This morning, as we look at what’s called the “Parable of the Sower,” we’re going to see how Jesus talks about four different soils, or four different types of spiritual ground, on which people may stand in relation to God. Something challenging we will learn today is that some soil might “appear” to be fertile, but that doesn’t mean it really is.
In looking for an illustration, I stumbled across a gardening article; one that was “not” from a Christian perspective. This article spoke of how people were growing amazing and healthy looking tomato plants, but these plants were not producing tomatoes. The gardeners were making sure that their soil was super rich and beautifully dark by adding extra compost and fertilizer, something you would expect to lead to beautiful tomatoes; but their plants wouldn’t produce tomatoes in this apparently fertile soil, because the acidity level was too high. It was noted in this article that the reason why the tomato plants looked incredibly thick and healthy was because they were enjoying unusually rich soil; and that by kicking back and enjoying this abnormal abundance, these tomato plants had forgotten their true purpose to produce fruit.
Commentator Warren Wiersbe tells us of our passage that “this parable helped the disciples understand why Jesus was not impressed by the large crowds that followed Him. He knew that most of them would never produce fruit from changed lives, because the Word He was teaching them was like seed falling into poor soil.”(1) We will learn this morning that our hearts are as soil into which the gospel message is planted, and we must be certain that our soil is fertile and ready to receive the Word; otherwise, we will wither in our relationship with God, or even worse, we will perish without Christ.
The Parable of the Sower (vv. 3-8)
3 Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
Here we are presented with the “Parable of the Sower,” however, there is no immediate interpretation provided. Jesus later shares an explanation in verses 14-20; but before we look at His interpretation, let’s think about the agricultural practice of sowing seed, and how that was done in the Middle East.
Notice first of all how we learn that seed landed in many different places. Some fell by the wayside, some on stony ground, some among the thorns, and some on good ground. So, why would the farmer cast his seed in some of these bad places where it couldn’t grow? When sowing seed, “Palestinian farmers simply carried a container full of seed and broadcast this seed with their free hand.”(2) How many of you have ever broadcast seed by hand? You have probably noticed that when the wind blows, it’s difficult to control where the seed lands; and it’s almost impossible on an extremely windy day. This is the reason why the seed fell in many different places.
When the sower scattered his seed, it fell on different types of ground. It is said that “there were paths that ran through the unfenced fields, and in those places the ground was beaten down so that it was too hard to receive seed . . . There were rocky places where the limestone bedrock was just beneath the topsoil, or where the rocks had worked through, and the seed could not take root because of the rocks. Any seed that started to grow in the shallow soil soon withered in the intense heat and died because it could not sink roots. Other seed fell under the thorns of hedgerows which took the moisture and grew up, choking the seed that had fallen among the thorns.”(3)
We read how the seed that landed by the wayside was devoured, and the seed that fell on fertile ground was not eaten at all. This seed by the wayside was exposed and visible to the birds, because it had not been covered by the topsoil. But isn’t seed that lands anywhere subject to being eaten by birds?
There were two methods in the Middle East for preparing the ground and sowing seed. The Egyptians plowed the ground first and then sowed the seed on top of the plowed soil. The ground that the Egyptians prepared was not the “wayside” mentioned here in our parable; however, it represents a farming technique where there would have been a problem with birds landing to devour the seed. The Palestinian farmer, on the other hand, would sow his seed first and then plow, thereby working the seed into the soil for protection and germination.(4) The Harper’s Bible Dictionary says, “This [Palestinian] practice is apparently presumed in Jesus’ parable of the sower.”(5)
Now, let’s skip down a bit, starting with verses 14-15, and we’ll see the interpretation that Jesus provides for this parable.
Seed along the Wayside (vv. 14-15)
14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.
In verse 14, Jesus said that what is being sown is the Word of God. In the context of this passage, the sower is likely Jesus or His disciples. But today, the “sowers” (plural) are evangelical Christians, which include church members, pastors, and missionaries. In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 6 and 9, the apostle Paul stated, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase . . . For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field.” What we, as sowers, must keep in mind is that when believers take the message of salvation to the world, people are going to respond in many different ways to what we have shared with them.
Here, in verses 14-15, the Word of God was preached to the lost, but something terrible happened. Back in verse 4, we heard that the seed was eaten by the birds as it landed by the wayside. The Word of God was snatched from their hearts. It has been said, “Sin is like a woodpecker. Each particular attack makes noise but doesn’t seem to do much damage. But, like a woodpecker, if you let it chip away at your life long enough, it will leave many ugly holes that never fill in.”(6) The devil, like a persistent blackbird, will steal the Word planted within hearts, for he is said to be the thief who comes “to steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). So, the gospel message of salvation was preached to the lost; and tragically, the lost stayed lost.
Seed on Stony Ground (vv. 16-17)
16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble.
Here, the stony ground person hears the Word of God, which shares the hope of God’s love, forgiveness and the gift of eternal life; and so the stony ground person receives the gospel (or the good news) with gladness. These individuals want the benefit of salvation, but not the commitment and dedication that is expected of a Christian. They want their fire insurance, but they don’t want to pay their dues for it. We must not forget that 2 Corinthians 5:15 says, “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” But there are some people who think they can gain salvation, and still live only for themselves.
Now, I said that some people want their fire insurance, but they don’t want to pay their dues. So, I want to be clear in saying that salvation cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8-9). Works do not lead to faith, and works do not lead to salvation. However, faith does lead to works. In James 2:17, we read, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” The professing Christian who is not mindful of the things of Christ and His kingdom, and who is uninterested in service for the kingdom, might not be a true believer. According to James, their faith might be dead. On the flip side, there can be those who put on a good show of works and service, and yet still not know Jesus Christ. Stoney ground individuals can be readily identified as they fall away in their faith on account of tribulation or persecution; or perhaps even hardship or ridicule.
Ray Comfort, coauthor of The Way of the Master, says that there is one message that comes from the part about the stony ground, which is this: When the gospel is preached, there will be true and false conversions.(7) He says, “Judas, for example, was a false convert . . . Judas had no idea who Jesus really was. When a woman anointed Jesus with an expensive ointment in an act of sacrificial worship, Judas complained that the ointment should have been sold and the money given to the poor (John 12:3-6). In his estimation, Jesus of Nazareth wasn’t worth such extravagance – He was only worth about thirty pieces of silver. Moreover, the Bible tells us that Judas was lying when he said that he cared for the poor. He was actually a thief who so lacked a healthy fear of God that he was stealing money from the collection bag (John 12:6). Nevertheless, to all outward appearances, Judas was a follower and disciple of Christ.”(8)
Ray Comfort says, “False converts lack genuine [sorrow] for their sin. They make a profession of faith but are deficient in biblical repentance.”(9) Titus 1:16 says, “They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.”
“Although false converts fail to repent of their sins, they do have a measure of spirituality. Judas did. He convinced some of the disciples that he did truly care for the poor. He seemed so trustworthy that he was the one who looked after the finances. When Jesus said, ‘One of you will betray me,’ the disciples didn’t point the finger at the faithful treasurer, but instead suspected themselves, saying, ‘Is it I, Lord?’ So it’s not surprising that few within the body of Christ would ever suspect that we are surrounded by those who fall into the ‘Judas’ category.”(10)
If you’re not sure whether you believe that some professing Christians could actually be lost, then consider some of the other parables, such as the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-20), the wise virgins and the foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-13), the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46), and the parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:47-51); which all address the issue of false converts within the body of Christ – individuals who will be sorted out in the Judgement, according to the Scripture.
Before we move on in our parable, I want to remind us of what Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23. He said, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven . . . Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
Seed among the Thorns (vv. 18-19)
18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
The seed among thorns struggled to survive because it was strangled, and because the thick growth of the weeds blocked the sunlight which is so essential to the life of a young plant. Jesus said that this seed represents people who have heard the Word of God and became believers; but after enduring worldly temptation, or perhaps deliberately seeking the things of this world, they then became unfruitful.
“There is a story of a man who, resisting the cost of oats that he fed his mule, decided to gradually substitute sawdust in its diet. Everything went fine for a while – but by the time the mule was satisfied with sawdust, he died.”(11) When we, as Christians, start feeding ourselves on worldly pleasures rather than the Word of God, and when we become distracted from our relationship with Christ by the busyness of life, we often don’t even realize we are spiritually starving until the damage has been done.
According to verse 19, when believers become spiritually unhealthy, they cease to bear fruit. Spiritual health results from spending time in the Word of God, and getting to know Jesus better by abiding in Him. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” If we fail to abide in Jesus Christ then we will become unfruitful, failing to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and neglecting to bring others to faith in Christ.
Seed on Good Ground (v. 20)
20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.
This verse gets straight to the point. An individual who both “hears” the Word of God and truly and sincerely “accepts it” is like seed sown on good ground, and he or she will bear fruit. Bearing fruit is called “spiritual reproduction,” and it’s helping other people enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”
Commentator David Garland tells us, “The yield [mentioned here] represents the fruit produced by the individual plants, [and] these numbers do not represent a spectacular harvest.”(12) Nevertheless, it’s not about numbers, but about faithfulness. As long as we abide in God and as long as we are faithful in sowing the Word and being fruitful, then the harvest of souls that we bring in – no matter what size or how many people – is significant in the eyes of God.
Time of Reflection
So, where are you standing this morning? 1.) Are you standing in the soil by the wayside, having heard about salvation in Jesus, and still rejecting the message? 2.) Are you standing on the stony ground? Did you jump to obtain your ticket to heaven, and you haven’t lived a day for Jesus since? Or, on the flip side, are you trying to prove your love for Christ or trying to earn His favor through good works? If so, then you do not really know Him. 3.) Are you standing in the soil among thorns? Are you a Christian who has become distracted by the world, and are growing distant in your relationship with Jesus; and as a result, not bearing fruit? 4.) Are you standing on the good ground, growing in Christ and bearing fruit? The good ground is where we all need to be for the seed of God’s Word to take root, grow and become productive unto eternal life for ourselves and for others.
The apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Have you ever wondered what one can gain through dying? In John 12:24 Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.” What did Jesus mean when He stated that a grain of wheat must die in order to bear fruit? He was saying that a kernel of wheat must be covered up by the soil; or rather, plowed under.
The seed that fell on good ground was plowed under; and therefore, it sank its roots deeply into the soil. The other seed fell in places where it couldn’t be plowed under. Just like the seed, we have to be plowed under. We have to be buried to our former life of sin, and we have to sink our roots deeply into the Word of God. When we are resurrected into a new life in Christ, and we have sincerely accepted Him as our Savior and Lord, then we will bear much fruit.
Truly, to die is gain. If you have not sunken your roots into God’s Word, or been spiritually buried with Christ, then you can do so this morning. What I am saying is that you must forsake your former life of sin, and symbolically crucify your worldly passions and desires, by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord. You must be willing to surrender your life to God, if you wish to be forgiven of your sins and receive eternal life. So, I am extending an opportunity right now for you to come and make this commitment unto Christ, as we have a time of invitation.
NOTES
(1) Warren Wiersbe, “Mark,” The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1989), p. 122.
(2) Paul J. Achtemier, Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.) 1985.
(3) Ross Allen, “The Parable of the Sower and the Seed,” Bible.org: bible.org/seriespage/parable-sower-and-seed-matthew-131-23 (Accessed September 18, 2012).
(4) Achtemier, Harper’s Bible Dictionary.
(5) Ibid.
(6) Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1997), 334.
(7) Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort, The Way of the Master (Wheaton, Il: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003), 9.
(8) Ibid., 9.
(9) Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort, The School of Biblical Evangelism (Alachua, Fl: Bridge Logos Foundation, 2004), 131.
(10) Ibid., 131.
(11) Michael P. Green, 23.
(12) David Garland, “Mark,” The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 154.
