The Parable of the Sower

What does Parable Mean?

The word ‘parable’ means a juxtaposition, a comparison of two things side by side, or more figuratively speaking, an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

Spiritual or heavenly concepts are often difficult to grasp without first relating them to something familiar to us in the natural world. Such is the case with the parable of the sower, as well as all of Jesus' parables, which use earthly things to illustrate heavenly truths.

The Mysteries of the Kingdom

This teaching was initially beyond the disciples' comprehension. However, as believers in Christ today, we have been given the Holy Spirit to reveal or to unveil these spiritual truths to us. It is now within our capacity to understand the teachings of Jesus.

We could say it this way; Unto you who believe in Me, it has been given to you to understand the mysteries of the kingdom. And so, Jesus began to give them the explanation.

Meaning of the Parable of the Sower

The Seed is the Word of God

The seed is the word of God. The natural seed in Jesus’ comparison represents a heavenly thing, the word of God, which is given to us in the Bible. The next verses compare the different ways one can hear the word of God, that is, the way they receive the seed.

The seed, the word of God must be received, or sown into, the soil of the human heart, the human spirit. How is it sown into the heart? By hearing it. And Jesus gives us here four degrees or levels to which a person can hear the word of God.

So then, the seed is the word of God, and the soil is the human heart, the spirit of a person.

By the Wayside

Receiving the Word of God

Those by the wayside did indeed hear, but they failed to understand the word they were hearing. Understanding of the word may not come instantly. We must hear it, think about it, get what it is saying, and then we understand. But the enemy of our soul, the devil, can give us distractions, contradictory thoughts, and take us off the word before we understand it, and we lose what we heard. The word, the seed, does not have a chance to germinate in our heart.

Now understand, this is not talking just about receiving the word for salvation. Salvation is more than just receiving Christ and being born again. It covers every aspect of deliverance needed in our lives, including the renewing of the mind, which is an ongoing process that goes well beyond the new birth. Our pursuit of the revealed word is a lifelong process.

Desire the Sincere Milk of the Word

Peter says we should desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby. This receiving of the word into our heart, the sowing of the word into our spirit, is an ongoing process, as we continually pursue its truth. And through the revelation given us by the Holy Spirit, we grow in the knowledge, the revealed knowledge, of God. That’s the job of the Holy Spirit.

He will Guide You into all Truth

It requires the help of the Holy Spirit in our heart to receive and understand the things of God. And Jesus promised to send Him to guide us, to take us by the hand, and lead us into all the truth, the truth that was beyond what the disciples were able to comprehend on the day Jesus spoke this parable.

So, in the parable of the sower, the people of the wayside are the ones who hear the word on the surface, and do not take time to understand, those who hear the word at a superficial level, and it slips away from them without bearing fruit in their lives.

The word will produce something in us when it is sown and allowed to come to fruition. It was sent to produce something in us. But it must be sown in our heart, understood, and allowed to grow within us over a period of time.

Stony Places

It says that some of the seeds fell upon a rock, or in stony places, and quickly came up but died due to lack of moisture. The word of God must be cultivated within us over time. It must be watered, so to speak, by going back and looking at it again and pondering it and drawing fresh insight from it, and it will live and remain in us.

In Matthew chapter thirteen, Jesus is explaining this same verse and He says it a little differently.

He has no root in himself, no resolve, no strength and determination to stick with it. When he is tempted to abandon the word he falls away and goes back to his condition before he heard the word. And the word is not allowed to continue growing and produce fruit, as it should.

The teachings of the word often challenge our natural thought processes. For example, the world encourages us to hold on to what we have in order to succeed, while the Bible advises the opposite: to give generously and receive blessing in return. This stands in stark contrast to the mindset we are accustomed to. Consequently, when faced with the pressure of difficult situations, it's tempting to abandon these divine principles and fall back to our familiar ways of thinking. In times of temptation, it’s easy to fall away.

Cares of this World

Cares and riches and pleasures of this life. The allure of wealth and pleasure is strong in the world, and can consume much of our time and energy, leaving little of nothing for the pursuit of the word of God. Jesus calls it the care of this world in Matthew chapter thirteen.

The care of this world refers to the worries, anxieties, and troubles we face in life. These concerns can undoubtedly distract us and hinder our ability to focus on other important matters, particularly the ability to embrace and retain the word of God in our hearts. Jesus specifically mentions that worries, the pursuit of wealth, and the desire for pleasure can stifle the word, preventing it from bearing fruit.

Be Careful for Nothing

How do we prevent worry and anxiety from hindering our pursuit of the word of God? The only way to deal with fear and anxiety is to learn the way God has given us to deal with these things. The Bible has much to say about overcoming worry and fear. In Philippians 4:6 the Apostle Paul tells us to be careful or anxious (fearful) for nothing, but to make our requests to God, and in doing so, the peace of God will keep our heart and mind.

Hearers of the Word

Remember, we are talking about the ways, or the levels, at which different people hear the word of God. The wayside folks heard the word, and it went in one ear and out the other. The stoney ground people heard the word and understood it, but they had no resolve, no strong determination, to walk it out over a period of time, but fell away when pressure came, and the seed sown among thorns was among people who were burdened with cares, running after wealth, and seeking the pleasures of life. They were distracted by other things.

And understand that any person can choose to be any one of these types of hearers of the word. That’s the point Jesus is attempting to make. It's our decision on how much of the word of God we allow ourselves to hear, and how much of our focus and attention we place on that word.

Some Seed Fell on Good Ground

These are honest and sincere people desiring to do the right thing, desiring to receive the word and reap its blessing. They sow the word in an honest and a good heart, and they keep it there, they are resolved to walk it out, come what may, and as it says in Hebrews 6:12, they are among those who through faith and patience inherit the promises contained in the word of God. Why is patience needed? Because it takes time for the word of God to produce fruit in a person’s life.

We misinterpret this verse very often. It says that no one lights a candle and foolishly covers it up or hides it. And that’s true. Well, God is the same way. He has lit a candle, the candle of HIs word, and He doesn't intend to hide it from us. Remember, this parable is about the extent to which we allow ourselves to hear the word of God. We do not receive the light of God’s word without hearing it deeply.

This is referring to the word of God, the subject Jesus is still speaking on. In other words, nothing was made secret in God’s word except for the purpose of being revealed to those who are willing to look for it; nothing was hidden except to make it known. God’s word exists to be revealed to us, not kept secret.

What does the Parable of the Sower Mean?

What ‘s the message of this parable? What’s the conclusion of the story? Jesus gives it to us in verse 18.

Pay attention to the level at which you hear the word of God. The light of the word shall be given to those who have an ear to hear and a desire to pursue the word. And whoever turns a deaf ear to the word will lose whatever light they seem to have. Because without the light of God’s word illuminated to our hearts, what we think we know about spiritual things is based in the foolishness of natural thinking.