The Parable of the Sower

Mark 4:13-20New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

13 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 

14 The farmer sows the word. 

15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 

16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 

17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 

18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 

20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.

http://www.2x2ministry.org/bible_study/parable_sower_seed_soil.php

Mark 4:13

I have heard The parable of the Sower from Sunday School days and numerous sermons preached on it for evangelism and mission purposes. Jesus said that this parable is the first of all the other parables and in fact Jesus indicated that the disciples must understand this parable in order to under the other eight parables. So, it can be stated that The parable of the Sower is the  mother of all the other parables taught by Jesus. It holds the key to unlock the secrets of the other parables. 

As we are know and have been taught :-

Sower : Jesus or anyone who shares good news to others

Seed : The Word of God - clearly stated by Jesus (no need to guess)

Soil : The conditions of the hearers' heart 

Environment : The world and its temptations

Fruits : The bearing of fruits from the seed sowed into our lives

Often, we heard that this is the story of four types of people and their heart conditions. But, we could read that these are the four stages that each of one could go through. Ground #1 to Ground # 4. 

Ground # 1 Along the Path / Side walks V15
As soon as the Word is sown, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 

Why did Satan come to take away the Word / Seed ? The Word must be very precious and has great impact. Notice that Satan does not come to take away health and peace, he comes after the Word and steal it. Therefore, we must guard the Word. 

Ground # 2 On Rocky Place V16-17

When the seed / Word sown on rocky places, it is like a person hear the Word, receive it with joy. Then trouble and persecution come because of the Word. When the Word comes into effect, that is why trouble trouble and persecution come. If the there is no root for the seed, they will fall away quickly. 

Ground # 3 Among Thorns V18-19

The Word falls among thorns, the believers have faith and chew on the Word but the desire and cares of the world comes in. Deceitfulness of wealth, worries and desires of the worldly things, choke the Word. When the Lord gives success, He always gives Good Success, so that we have time for everything we love to do for the Lord, our loved ones and ourselves. However, with Bad Success, a promotion that takes away too much of our time to serve the Lord or be with our loved ones or simply for ourselves, then it will make us unfruitful.

Ground # 4 On Good Soil V 20
When the Word sown on good soil, the believers hear the Word, accept, admit, guard and agree on it. It produces much fruits, thirty folds, sixty folds and even a hundred folds. Sometimes, we want double portion of fruitfulness but it is actually many folds that we can have.

Ultimately, all Christians must be like Ground # 4, the good soil where we hear the word, guard the word, nurture it to growth and be fruitful and where the fruits produce more seeds to bear more fruits. Probably, at different seasons of our lives, we have gone through these four types of grounds. Hopefully, as we grow, we will be ever ready to hear, receive and guard the Word. 

Here are some of the commentary I have found in internet which are interesting to know.

http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/cgg/ID/481/Parable-of-Sower-and-Seed.htm

Richard T. Ritenbaugh
Parables of Matthew 13 (Part 1): The Mustard Seed

In Matthew. a total of eight parables are recorded. These eight parables can be divided into three sections. 

1) The first sections is "Satan's Plan to Destroy the Church" consists of the first four parables: 

• the Parable of the Sower, 
• the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, 
• the Parable of the Mustard Seed, and 
• the Parable of the Leaven. 

2) The second section "God's Work on Behalf of the Church" (What God does to make sure that Satan does not destroy the church) consists of the next three parables: 

• the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, 
• the Parable of the Pearl of Great Price, and 
• the Parable of the Dragnet. 

3) The third section "The Ministry's Duty to the Church" is the last parable, the Parable of the Householder, who takes out of his treasury both old and new.

Notice the comment Matthew makes following the first section. In Matthew 13:34 is an explanation why the first four parables can be titled "Satan's Plan to Destroy the Church":

All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: "I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world."

What was kept secret from the foundation of the world? Satan's plan to destroy God's plan ofsalvation, which He is fulfilling through the church.

Matthew 13:34 applies specifically to what Jesus had just said, but it also applies generally to all the parables. Through them, Jesus opens up matters that have been concealed from the foundation of the world. In Psalm 78:2, it does not say, "I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world." Instead, it says: "I will utter dark sayings of old," providing another clue that what Matthew 13:34 refers to in respect to the first four parables is dark. Jesus is speaking of dark mysteries, dark things happening. These can only be Satanic things, bad, negative things inspired by the Devil.

What Jesus spoke before verse 34 is primarily negative, not positive, and these negative things have been hidden from man since the foundation of the world. What happened at the foundation of the world? Adam and Eve sinned. That was the first step in Satan's plan—"Get them while they're young"—and he has been doing the same thing ever since. Jesus touches on this in the first parable.

So, in the first half of this chapter, Jesus is saying, "Look, My disciples, this is the plan that you must fight against. If you understand what is in these parables, you will have a pretty good idea of what is happening spiritually."

John W. Ritenbaugh

Unity (Part 5): Ephesians 4 (B)

Matthew 13:3-9

The seed is the Word of God, and its hitting the ground is not the end of the story. A variety of things can happen that will affect the growth of that seed. Some might fall on stone, others might be buried too deep. Rain may come and wash away some of it. Birds may devour others. But because life is in the seed, something will happen.

In the last century, archeologists found wheat and cotton seeds in some of the burial chambers that they excavated. Those seeds—which were probably anywhere from 2,000-4,000 years old—grew when put into the right soil. The spirit of life was still in them, even though they had lain dormant for thousands of years.

This is dramatic confirmation that, if a seed is sown, it will do something when it lands in the right kind of soil. Jesus shows in this parable that the environment affects the seed's growth. When we make the proper application—people are the ground, and our environment and what we do after receiving the seed—the word of truth, containing the doctrines—is what affects its growth. In this analogy, growth represents sanctification, which is is the formation of God's image in us by living His way of life empowered by His Spirit. What we do with the seed is "work[ing] out [our] salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). It is the equivalent of rain, sunshine, weeding, fertilizing, so that the potential for fruit is the greatest. Sanctification is worked out through application, by living the doctrines and the truths of God.

A Rap on The Parable of Sower by Stephen Amato

One day a farmer went out to sow

Scattering seed to and frow

Some fell along the path

Which could not deliver from God's wrath

For the devil took what they hadn't craved

So they didn't believe and were not saved.

Some fell on rocks but withered and died

For their faith was not deep enough to be qualified

To receive the life God promised to those

Who really believed Jesus died and arose.

Yes at first they were overjoyed

But when trials came their faith was destroyed

For they received it without their faith being rooted

And so fell away after they were persecuted

But then some among thorns fell

But in the end didn't mature too well.

For they were too concerned for their security

To bring any fruit to maturity

But those on good soil retained what they heard

It wasn't taken away by any bird

Nor did they fall away like those on the rock 

But continued to believe when others did mock

The problems in life would not make them stop

And by persevering they produced a crop

http://www.bcbsr.com/survey/pbl5.html