The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
2 And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.
3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. – Matthew 13:1-23
The testimony that Jesus gave during His ministry centers around the gospel (good news) of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus has the key to this kingdom, and He is the ruler thereof in truth and in righteousness, and the righteous will dwell with Him forever.
Here’s the problem.
The unrighteous have no place in the kingdom of God. Thanks be to God, that we serve One who considers His inheritance to be more than a throne in an uninhabited land; His inheritance is His people, and He provides all things necessary for His people to gain entrance to this kingdom.
His word is the way—all of His words—including the words that He spoke through the prophets of old, the teachings He gave during His life on this earth, the testimony of His apostles, and the continual word that comes to us by the Holy Spirit of God.
Without the word of God, we have no access to the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus IS the Word of God—He whose blood was shed for the remission of sins of all who place their trust in Him.
The Parable of the Sower describes the manner in which mankind might receive the gospel of the kingdom of Heaven—the manner in which mankind might receive Jesus Christ Himself.
How have we received Him? Do we believe in His words? Do we trust them?
Do we fully understand the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, or has the fulfillment of this parable caused His word to be stollen, withered, and choked out of the hearts of many—at least in part?
What forces in this world hinder us from receiving Him as well as we should?
How can we get to know Jesus better, hold on to Him tighter, Honor Him more fully, and grow in the Kingdom of God that is “within you” so that we can live fruitful lives that manifest Jesus and His kingdom in this present world? How can we live more faithfully as we await the kingdom to come when Jesus returns to overthrow the kingdoms of this world and raises His chosen from the dead?
We will consider all of this as we go through the Parable of the Sower. This series will be divided into several articles, all of which are added as a link below as the articles are completed:
- Seed That Fell by the Wayside
- Seed That Fell Upon Stony Places
- Seed That Fell Among the Thorns
- Seed That Fell into Good Ground
This article is part of a series that considers the Parables of Jesus. Right now, we are looking at The Parable of the Sower.
PREVIOUS PARABLE SERIES: The Parables of Jesus: Building on Rock and Sand
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Jesus Alone 