“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower”…”When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty”. Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23.
What did Jesus mean by the parable of the sower in the above Bible passage? What did He really want to achieve by it? Well, let’s try to unravel the meaning and the purpose of the parable.
Now, this was what happened: a crowd of hungry seekers gathered around Jesus seeking to hear His wisdom and learn about the Kingdom of God. In His usual way, Jesus began to speak in parable to illustrate how people respond differently to God and His word.
In order to drive the message home, He used a familiar farming scenario, to help them understand how the spiritual realities of the Kingdom operates, while at the same time encouraging everyone to reflect on the condition of his own heart, as a major condition to achieving the blessings of the Kingdom.
PURPOSE OF THE PARABLE
The parable is meant to unveil the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. It is meant to emphasize the fact that true spiritual growth and fruitfulness come from a heart that is open and prepared to receive divine instructions.
As no one can fully embrace or understand the divine wisdom intended for spiritual blessings with the human mind. The parable is meant to teach us that the journey to fruitfulness begins with the readiness to accept and act upon God’s instructions.
WHOM TO BLAME FOR THE POOR PERFORMANCE OF THE SEED?
If you were asked to judge the cause of the poor performance of the seed, whom would you blame? Was it the fault of the sower, the seed, or the soil?
To better understand this situation, we will examine the characters in the parable. The sower represents God, and the seeds symbolize His word. The different types of soil signify the diverse states of our hearts.
The answer is this: varied results from the sown seeds were due to the soil, not the seed or the sower. The seed’s germination proved it had life within itself. The sower’s duty was only to sow, which he did faithfully. The different soils determined the outcome. To produce a bountiful harvest in our lives, we must open our hearts to God’s word, and allow it to work within us in order to bear good fruit.
THE SEED ON THE PATHWAY
“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up”… “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side”. Matthew 13:3-4,19
The seeds that fell on the path and eaten by birds reflects those who hear the word but do not understand it, allowing the evil one to snatch it away.
As we know, pathways are never tilled or plowed; they are simply walked upon daily. Seeds scattered on such ground never flourish because no one cares about their sprouting. No farmer relies on produce from a pathway or expects a harvest from crops there. Seeds on pathways are simply trampled by passersby, as the path is just a route to their destination.
“Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. James 1:21-24.
LESSON TO LEARNT
he lesson to learn from the seed on the pathway is that you must not be a Christian who merely listens to sermons or reads the Bible without preparing the ground of your heart to receive the seed of the Word. Create room for the seed to sprout and grow to bear good fruit. This means actively engaging in the Word of God, reflecting on it, and making space for it to take deep root. Only then can your faith truly thrive and bear good fruit.
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”. James 1:21-25
By John Ogheneovo
To be continued in Part Two
