AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER AND THE SEED

There are many teachings about the parable of the sower and the seed. This article considers not only the standard teaching but takes a closer look at the revelation of the parable given by the Lord to His disciples.


First, the parable as given in the three sections of Scripture as it is written.

In order to see the full picture on subject or teaching, it helps to consider all Scripture involved. Even if you have read these verses before, or perhaps even many times, we encourage you to read them afresh for this study.

• Matthew 13:1-9 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
  2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
  3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.
  4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.
  5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.
  6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
  7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.
  8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
  9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

• Mark 4:1-8 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.
  2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:
  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."
  9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

 

• Luke 8:4-8 And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:
  5 "A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.
  6 Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.
  7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
  8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold." When He had said these things He cried, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

In all three testimonies, the Lord said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

The Lord was inviting (and Luke even used the term “cried” which in this case means strongly urged or deeply from his heart) "all" who "had the ability to “hear” - to "use that ability" to “hear and understand” whatever "we are able.” Jesus said it that day, and His offer is still open: If anyone is able hear the Word of the Lord, hear!


Considering each account.

Each writer (Matthew, Mark and Luke), told what happened that day from their perspective, even if it was only related to them as we know Luke was not an early disciple and most likely was not there. And when we consider all three together, we get a much clearer understanding of what they saw and heard. So when we consider all three, we can see how it started that day.

We can see that Jesus left a house He was staying at and “large numbers of people” had come from “all over the place” to hear Him and that the Lord “got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea.” Perhaps the people were even uphill on the land, looking down toward the sea, as much of the land surrounding the Sea of Galilee is situated that way.

It seems that some teachers or preachers, only tell "this parable" from one of the Gospels above and expound on it from there. But there is so much more we can glean in considering all three and also later when Jesus relates the deeper meaning to the disciples.


Whenever the Lord, or an angel that God has sent, has given an interpretation on a matter, it would be sad to miss it.

Both Daniel and John had amazing experiences and were dumbfounded by them. Praise God, for their sake and ours, much revelation was given for a better understanding. As it is written in the following verses, the Lord spoke to the people in parables but He explained all things to the disciples.

• Mark 4:33-34 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.”

We have much ground to cover, but for now let us see a compilation chart of the verses so far.
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If we take these verses at surface value we can deduce that:

• The seed that fell by the wayside: Of the seed that landed by the wayside, some got trampled and the rest the birds of the air devoured.
• The seed that fell on stony ground: The seed that landed on stony, rocky places started to grow but because it was unable to develop much root enabling it to accordingly acquire moisture, when the sun bore down upon it, it withered away.
• The seed that fell among the thorns: This seed started to grow but did not last because the thorns it fell amongst, choked it out and it never even yielded.
• The seed that fell on the good ground: This seed took root, grew, increased and yielded produce in various measures, 30/60/100-fold.

Now, let’s look at the verses as Jesus explained the meaning of it to His disciples.

• Matthew 13:18-23 "Therefore hear the parable of the sower:
  19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.
  20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
  21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
  22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.
  23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

 

• Mark 4:13-20 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 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.
  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.
  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.
  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."
  
  

• Luke 8:9-15 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?"
  10 And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'
  11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
  12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
  13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away.
  14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
  15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”
  
  

Here is a compilation chart of the revelation Jesus gave on the matter from all three sections of Scripture.
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First let’s look again without Jesus’ revelation on the matter.

• The seed that fell by the wayside: Of the seed that landed by the wayside, some got trampled and the rest the birds of the air devoured.
• The seed that fell on stony ground: The seed that landed on stony, rocky places started to grow but because it was unable to develop much root enabling it to accordingly acquire moisture, when the sun bore down upon it, it withered away.
• The seed that fell among the thorns: This seed started to grow but did not last because the thorns it fell amongst, choked it out and it never even yielded.
• The see that fell on the good ground: This seed took root, grew, increased and yielded produce in various measures, 30/60/100-fold.

Now, let’s consider all the sections of Scripture together where Jesus gave the revelation.

• The wayside seed: When the sower sows the word, the word of the kingdom, the ones along the wayside hear it, but don’t understand it and those birds of the air, we now know they represent the devil and his demons, and that they quickly snatch it our of their hearts, lest they be saved.
• The stony ground seed: When this seed is sown, they hear the word and quickly receive it with joy, but because they have no root within themselves, they do not last long. When temptation comes along, they fall away. When tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly stumble and fall.
• The seed among the thorns: When this seed is sown, they hear the word. The seed grows but the briers which represent the “cares of this world,” the “deceitfulness of riches, the “desires for the pleasures of life” and the “desires for other things” choke it out and the fruit never comes to maturity.
• The seed on good ground: When this seed is sown, they hear the word and because their hearts are good ground, they understand it, accept it and with good and noble hearts keep it and grow to fruition. They bear fruit with patience, 30/60/100 fold.

Let’s go back and consider Luke 8:12, “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”

More is recorded that Jesus said in his teaching that day, than what we have looked at so far. Why did Jesus say, “lest they should believe and be saved”? Let's look at the other verses.

• Luke 8:9-10 Then His disciples asked Him, saying, "What does this parable mean?" 10 And He said, "To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 'Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.'”

 

• Mark 4:10-12 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that 'seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.”

 

• Matthew 13:10-17 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.' 16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

In this situation that Jesus is referring to, the seed is the Word of God.

It can only help those who have the eyes to see and the hearts to hear. In order to be the fruitful seed on good ground, there is a requirement. One has to be able to hear, understand, accept and keep the Word of God and only then can one truly "see with their eyes and hear with their ears," so they can "understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” or  "have their sins forgiven.”

With this understanding, we can understand even more the following verse:

• 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The soil where the seed goes is our hearts.

The soil where the seed goes is our hearts. And the condition of the heart determines everything about us. We have to want good more than evil to do it. We have to be willing at all cost to make it to case number 4!

• Mark 4:24-25 Then He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."

Our ability to hear the Lord is directly related to the condition of our hearts.

The Lord said that those people had hearts that had grown dull resulting in deaf ears and closed eyes to what God would send to heal them. He said the disciples were able to hear. The disciples had chosen to follow Jesus 100%. And even to them he said to be careful with what they did with what they heard... because when one utilizes well what they hear from God, they enable God to give them more. But those who hear and don’t do well with it, even what they have, they will have taken from them.

As we go through life, we can easily see some on both ends, who are extremes. Some completely deaf to God's voice and godly reasoning and others who hear God extremely well and have excellent godly reasoning.  It would seem that most of us are somewhere in between. It is up to us by how willing our heart is to hear and cooperate with the Lord. This is a serious matter.

This is why one can share the Gospel or biblical lessons with some people, and if they do not have “the ear to hear” (the ability due to the condition of their heart) it cannot be received. Only the Holy Spirit knows where each person is at, so it is most important for us to heed His voice on what and when to share however He directs.


The Lord had more to teach us when giving the parable of the sower and the seed. He continued and we have this Scripture also.

• Matthew 13:24-30 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field;
  25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way.
  26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.
  27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
  28 He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Do you want us then to go and gather them up?'
  29 But he said, 'No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them.
  30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn."

And the revelation given by the Lord:

• Matthew 13:36-43 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field."
  37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
  38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.
  39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.
  40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age.
  41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
  42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
  43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

In closing.

Notice who owns the field! Praise the Lord, "everything is His," including the field. Unlike the parable of the sower and the seed, this seed in this parable is not the "word," but is the “sons of the kingdom” and the devil has his tares, “the sons of the wicked one.” There will be harvests also. One harvest for of those who are offensive and practice evil whose final demise will be being burned in the lake of fire where there will be a wailing and gnashing of teeth. And 'a good harvest' of the wheat, for those who chose Christ, stayed true and will have a bright and glorious future in the kingdom of their Father.
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And again, the Lord who is calling out to all who have a heart to hear,
“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
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Copyright © 2018 E. Cockrell May be used for personal study or instruction but shall not be copied and/or distributed in whole or part without permission or for financial profit.

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Copyright © 2018 E. Cockrell May be used for personal study or instruction but shall not be copied and/or distributed in whole or part without permission or for financial profit.