Sowing Seeds – Matthew 13: 1 - 9
Intro: One evening during a reception Franklin Roosevelt decided he would conduct an experiment to see if anyone really paid attention to what he said. As each person passed down the receiving line shaking his hand Roosevelt murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” Most guests responded with phrases like; ”Marvelous! Keep up the good work.” “We are so proud of you.” “God bless you.” Toward the end of the line while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, his words were actually heard. The ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”
I Roosevelt discovered that most people do not listen in certain settings. Sometimes I feel the same way. Is anyone listening or just some?
A This parable is only one of 6 such parables found in MT. MK, and LK. The first 3 verses in the parable set the scene.
B Can you imagine how difficult it would have been to hear what Jesus said? There was no sound system. The large crowd of people was on the shore with Jesus offshore in a boat. Could they possibly hear with all the distractions?
C Contemporary research tells us we only retain 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we hear and see, 70%of what we say, and 90% of what we say and do. (From “Keys to Success, page 183) This leads me to question what the people heard.
II Regardless, the remainder of the passage is a teaching story that Jesus used to instruct the people. Sowing was a stock metaphor for teaching or preaching at the time of Jesus. . . What do you think Jesus was attempting to teach them and us?
A It is accepted practice to refer to the farmer as Jesus. However, I believe Jesus is referring to the farmer as anyone who shares the Word of God with people. He tells us and those on the shoreline how the word of God will be received.
B The 4 categories of soil represent the types of listeners gathered on the shore and anywhere else God’s word is taught.
C Hard soil (those who will never accept what is being taught), rocky soil (those who accept and others who reject), weed-infested soil (Those who accept but either quickly forget or are lead off by to some other idea or religion.) and good well-kept soil (those who will believe and continue to share God’s Word).
III The emphasis in the passage is on the responsibility of the individual believer to produce “fruit”. If we see ourselves as the farmer, though we may be weary and feel we have done our part or are too old to plant seeds. Yet, we must continue.
A In his parable, Jesus tells us we have no assurance of how the “seed” will be received. We can’t choose the type of people to whom we minister. We just need to keep throwing out the seed.
B Don’t worry about whether the “seed” will grow. That’s not our responsibility. As a follower of Christ Jesus, you must learn that you are not responsible for everything and everyone. You just do what God is leading you to do and pray that God will cause your seed to grow.
C As disciples of Christ Jesus, we must continue to cast the seed of the gospel as broadly as possible with no guarantee where it will land. There are all types of people out there. There are people in crisis who vanish when things get better. There are families who come for the kids until they can’t make them come any more or who move away when grown. It is very easy to become discouraged!
Concl: Jesus goes beyond simply encouraging listeners to “keep on keeping on” in the face of rejection, disappointment, and decline. Instead, this parable challenges us to believe in God’s abundance. The good sower is not so cautious and strategic as to throw the seed in only those places where the chances for growth are best. We are to be high-risk sowers who relentlessly and indiscriminately throw seek on all soils trusting God for His word to take root and the gospel to sprout and grow.
