Introduction: Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower

A. Introduction

1. Gordon Lindsay: “It concerns the fate of the Gospel to the people to whome it was preached. One might think that the Gospel with its good tidings when truly and faithfully preached would bring salvation to everyone who heard it. The Word brought worlds into existence, light out of darkness, life out of death; yet according to the parable only one fourth of those who heard it were saved by it…The parable begins with the sower, who is Christ, going forth to sow the seed, which is the Word of god. Men are born again by the Word. “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever” 1 Peter 1:23. Thoughts are things, and words are things which germinate and give forth action. How much more the Word of God. The seed is therefore the word of the kingdom; and the field is the world, not geographically, but ethnologically, meaning the whole social order, including all people of all tribes and nations, The field has four kinds of soil, each pointing to a different class of hearers.”

2. Benson Commentary: “He begins with the parable of a sower who cast his seed on four different kinds of ground, only one of which brought forth fruit, not because of any difference in the seed wherewith the others were sown, or any defect in the cultivation of them, but because of other reasons specified in the parable. And these were designed to represent four classes of hearers of the word of God, only one of which bears fruit to his glory; not because a different doctrine is declared to the others, or less labour bestowed upon them, but because of the hinderances of fruitfulness spoken of in the explanation of the parable.”

3. F.W. Robertson: “Where is the fault of failure? It does not lie in God, the sower. God does not predestinate men to fail. He willeth not the death of a sinner. The cause of failure is not in any impotency of truth. The old thinkers accounted for it by the depravity of matter. Once acknowledge freewill in man, and the origin of evil does not lie in God. The fault might be solely in the soil of the heart.”

4. D.C.: The word of God reveals the secrets of the hearts of men. In the parable of the Sower the Scripture reveals how and why all mankind reacts to the word of the kingdom. The supernatural ability, the divine power of the word is available to all, to whosoever hears it. We determine the fruitfulness of the word in our own lives through our free will. If we through free will walk in obedience to the Scriptures, we will produce fruit because God is faithful. If we fail, the responsibility solely rests upon us. God does not predetermine individuals to fail or succeed, the power of the word of the kingdom is made available to all who hear.

B. Scriptures concerning the word: In the following passages a small glimpse of the supernatural characteristics of the Scriptures are given. In some of the verses God’s faithfulness is highlighted and in others our responsibility is highlighted. Regardless of the focus, the possibilities are available to all who hear.

1. Genesis 1:11-12 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
1:12 And the earth brought forth grass, and the herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw it was good.

a. “This is the first mention in the Bible of seed, the marvelous mechanism by which God assures the continuance of each form of life after its kind. Each organism whose seed is in itself is a mute but eloquent witness against the age long scientific belief in “spontaneous generation” and transmutation of species.” Modern genetic research, with its amazing insights into the preprogrammed “genetic code” of each organism, (the intricately structured molecular system which is designed to transmit hereditary ‘information’ and to assure the continuance of the specific kind), has strongly confirmed, though unwillingly, this primeval divine injunction.” Many Infallible Proofs, Henry M. Morris, Creation-Life Publishers, 1974. p.236.

b. I Corinthians 15:37, 38 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain:
15:38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

2. 1 Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.”

a. incorruptible [Strong: 862  aphthartos af'-thar-tos from 1 (as a negative particle) and a derivative of 5351; undecaying (in essence or continuance):--not (in-, un-)corruptible, immortal.] [Zodhiates: Incorruptible, not capable of corruption. Exempt from waste, wear and final perishing.]

b. God’s word is incorruptible seed. God’s word is alive.

1). Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

d. God’s word abides forever.

1). John 15:4-7 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

3. Isaiah 55:10, 11 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

a. God’s word will reproduce after its own kind.

1).Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

2). Faith comes by hearing faith, and we hear faith when we hear the word of God.

b. Almighty God has determined that His word will accomplish and prosper in the thing he sent it. The wording in Isaiah 55:11 reminds me of a couple of other passages.

1). Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

2). Psalm 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

4. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God giveth the increase.
3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his reward according to his own labour.
3:9 For ye are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.

a. husbandry [Strong: 1091 georgion gheh-ore'-ghee-on neuter of a (presumed) derivative of 1092; cultivable, i.e. a farm:--husbandry.] [Zodhiates: A tilled field, farm. Used metaphorically of Christians. Septuagint: Proverbs 24:30; 31:16.

b. We are the field where the incorruptible seed will be planted, grown, and harvested. As the parable of the sower establishes, we determine the kind of ground we have.

5. Jeremiah 1:12 “…I will hasten my word to perform it.”

6. Romans 16:25 Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began.

a. The Apostle Paul is declaring that God has the power, the ability to establish, confirm, and strengthen us, according the gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, and exactly as the examples given to us in the Word. God’s Word, the Incarnate Christ Jesus has the ability within Himself to perform and carry out what it says. The key to becoming established in the Word depends upon the “revelation” of the Word, this is exactly what the verse says. Do I want to become what God’s word says I am? I need a revelation. The next verse in the list reveals it is my responsibility to place myself in the position to receive a revelation.

7. 1 Peter 1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind and hope to the end for the grace that to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

a). The use of this phrase, in light of its uses in the Old Testament is very significant especially because Peter is not talking about our physical loins, he is speaking of the loins of our mind, our thought life. When we gird ourselves we wrap something around us such as a belt, to strengthen us, but since he is speaking of our minds, Peter is exhorting us to wrap and strengthen something around our minds. We are to strengthen and gird our minds with the word of God because as we shall see, it is from revelation knowledge that the grace comes to us.

8. Acts 20:32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

a). The word of God is able to build us up in faith and grace and give us the inheritance that is made available to all.

9.  Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

a). We are to not allow our mouths to stop speaking the word of God and along with speaking we are to meditate, ponder, mentally focus on the Scripture. The goal is to observe and be obedient to the Word which will result in prosperity or growing spiritually and wisdom in my decisions.

C. Parables

1. This parable may be called “The Effect Of The Word Dependent On The State Of The Heart”, Commentary Jamieson-Fausset-Brown.

2. The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation, Brad Young. “The parable should be called “the Hearers”, because Jesus, in a word picture describing seeds’ growth in various soils, portrays four different types of disciples who hear his teaching.”