Matthew 13:3-9 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
There are several viewpoints of the parable that have very impactful application to our lives. Let us read the explanation that Jesus gives his disciples when they asked what it all meant.
Matthew 13:18-23 18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 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. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
The Seed, Reaping and Sowing:
We have seed to reap and seed to sow. As believers in Jesus Christ, washed and redeemed, with our names written in the Lamb’s book of life, we have the most precious seed to sow, the seed of the Gospel. Many of us receive that seed with joy and it gets planted in our hearts and we witness a wonderful harvest of righteousness in or lives. But there is life in the seed. It always produces after its own kind. With every harvest we reap in our walk with Christ, there is an equal seed to sow into others. We become not only the soil that receives the seed of the Gospel but we become the sower of the Gospel into others.
Receiving the Seed:
We can see with this parable that there are many ways people can receive this seed of the truth. As we look at these different ways, we have to remember that we are not responsible for how someone receives the seeds we sow. We are responsible to obey the Holy Spirit and sow them. The Lord is the one who sends people to water and harvest but only the Lord brings the increase. Our work is not to bring the increase.
We can become man-centered in our approach to sowing seed and take on the role of God in other people’s lives. This can lead to disappointment or pride in our lives. Either we feel effective and fruitful which could lead to pride, or we can feel ineffective and fruitless which leads to disappointment. We are not to stop sowing when we feel ineffective and fruitless. We are also not to allow the fruitful work of the Lord be our identity.
We are to let the work of the seed do its job and work of the Holy Spirit be accomplished. We can’t allow ourselves to own the work of the Lord in other people’s lives either. We must simply obey and sow. If He calls us to water, we water. And if He calls us to reap, we reap. But we are all sowers!
The Seed must first fall to the ground and die.
John 12:24 24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.
When the seed of the Gospel is planted in our heart, where does this death take place? Jesus said that the seed must fall to the ground and die in order to produce fruit. There is life in the seed but the way to access this life is first through a process of death death.
The death takes places in our selfish desires, our will, our fleshly and soulish emotions. We cannot only receive the word of God, we have to respond to it. What makes our soil ready to receive and cultivated for growth? Humility, meekness, reliance on Jesus, and faith! This response to the word of God is what causes all of our pride, stubbornness, self-reliance and fear to die. It must take place in order for any seed of the Gospel produce fruit in our life.
As you share your faith and your testimony with others, have faith in the power of the seed of the word of God. Be sure to speak the word of God and know the word of God. Pray for those who you share the truth of the Gospel with. Pray that they can respond in humility and faith. Pray for yourself, to let self die and allow the word of God to bring forth a mighty harvest this year. Be a receiver, reaper and a sower of the Gospel this year!
