When we look at the world with its wickedness and the church with its weakness you might think that the gospel has failed.

1 – The method of his teaching (vs. 1, 10-12)

The method of his communication was in parables. A parable is an earthly story that has a heavenly meaning. There is more than meets the ear with a parable. There is hidden truth in the Bible that cannot be understood by human wisdom. Jesus wanted to reveal truth to those who wanted to learn and conceal from those who did not. The spiritually rich get richer and the spiritual poor get poorer. Jesus is investing wisely. Truth not used is taken away. Use it or lose it! It was the righteous judgment of Christ. He would not cast his pearls before swine.

2 – The seed

The seed is the Word of the Kingdom (vs. 19) – The Bible. The Bible is like a seed. See 1 Peter 1:23. The Bible is alive! See Hebrews 4:12. The Bible pulsates with life and power. It is not like any other book. It germinates life. It is not enough to till the ground – you have to plant the seed! You will never be a soul winner without sowing seed.

3 – The sower

The sower is Jesus himself (vs. 37). Jesus uses the title Son of Man. Jesus is sowing seed with a lavish hand. He is just scattering seed everywhere. Jesus wants us to do the same thing. You never know where the seed is going to grow. God is not looking for a soil tester – He is looking for seed sowers. There is plenty of seed to be sown. The hardest ground could be the one where the seed grows. You may think you are sowing on concrete but keep on sowing! What may look like concrete on the outside could be good soil on the inside. Just scatter the seed!

4 – The soil

There are four kinds of soil which represent the hearts of people. Three of the soils show the problems that the sower has to face:-

• The seed has no reception (vs. 4) – The “wayside” (vs19) was path along the side of a field which has become packed down by the number of people walking along the path. The path is too hard for the seed to penetrate and take root. Your heart can get hard (Hebrew 3:7-8).
• The seed has no root (vs. 5, 6) – The soil is shallow with solid rock beneath. The seed springs up quickly but the sun scorches it because there is no root. When persecution arises the shallow person who relies on their emotions will fall away. When problems happen if life they are gone.
• The seed has no room (vs. 7) – The seed is crowded out by the thorns. Riches are one example of things that choke the seed and prevent it from growing. Repentance is being broken from your sin. Jesus came to save us from sin. In each instance there was nothing wrong with the sower and the seed.
• The seed has no refusal (vs. 8) – This is the open heart of the one who receives Christ. Is there fruit in your life? Do you have a desire to share the gospel with others? See Jeremiah 4:3. Break up the fallow ground. God will not refuse the one whose heart is broken before him.

Has the gospel failed? No! There is nothing wrong with the sower or the seed. It is the ground that is the problem. We are called to sow the seed, the responsibility for the outcome lies with the heart of the person.

Categories: Matthew