(PARABLES OF JESUS)

TEXT:        MATTHEW 13:1–9

BY:           BRO. SUNDAY EYANRIN (EVANGELIST)

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INTRODUCTION

The Parable of the “Sower” is recorded in three of the four biblical Gospels – Matthew 13:1-9&18-23, Mark. 4:1- 20, and Luke 8:4 -15. The human heart is like receptive soil to the seed of the Word of God. Jesus used this analogy in the Parable of the “Sower”.

The soil that the seed fell on represents four categories of hearers’ hearts, four different reactions to the Word of God: the hard heart, the shallow heart, the crowded heart, and the fruitful heart.

BEFORE WE PROCEED FURTHER, I WOULD LIKE TO ASK TWO IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

1. WHAT IS A PARABLE?

Parables are short stories that have symbolism, meaning, and a lesson, much like a fable.

2. WHY DID JESUS TEACH IN PARABLE?

When the Lord Jesus was conducting His ministry on earth, He would teach in parables regularly. Many of them were meant to reveal spiritual truths, eliminate spiritual confusion, and give the Holy Spirit space to work on open hearts.

I Plead with everyone to open his or her Bible to the Book of Matt. 13:1–9, as I read this great message of the Parable.

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. 3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.  4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  5. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  6 But 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 sprang up and choked them.  8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:1-9 NKJV 

THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

Let us consider the spiritual meaning within the illustrative narrative. Following is a list of the meanings of each term within the parable.

The Sower – Jesus Christ

The Seeds – The Gospel of the kingdom – “The Word of God “

The Bird – The evil one

The Soil – Our hearts and minds, we who are presented with the Gospel of God’s Kingdom.

INTERPRETATION / MEANING OF THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER

1. Listen (the seed snatched away)

“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.” – Matthew 13:19

This is the hard heart, the seed that falls along the roadside. This represents people who hear the Word of God, but never really believe.

2. Receive (the seed with no root)

“The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 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.” Matthew 13:20-21

Then there is the shallow heart. That is the seed that falls on stony ground. This signifies the people who hear the Word of God and receive it with joy, but because there is no root to sustain them, they wither.

Then this is the shallow heart. That is the seed that falls on stony ground. This signifies the people who hear the Word of God and receive it with joy, but because there is no root to sustain them, they wither.

ROCKY GROUND

3. Focus (the seed among thorns)

“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.” –Matthew 13:22 Next, this is the crowded heart.

“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.” –Matthew 13:22

Next, this is the crowded heart.

That is the seed that falls on ground where weeds choke out its growth. Slowly and surely, these people, busy with the cares and riches of the world, just lose interest in the things of God, and then fall away.

4. Respond (the seed on good soil)

“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produced a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” Matthew 13:23. Finally, there is the fruitful heart that receives the Word. The seed falls on good ground and the plants produce a rich harvest.

We are the ones who determine what kind of soil our hearts will be. We decide whether we will have a hard heart, a shallow heart, a crowded heart, or a receptive heart. This is exactly what James meant when he said,

“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). The Word of God cannot work in our lives unless we have receptive hearts.

HOW DOES THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER APPLY TO CHRISTIANS TODAY

I believe we have learnt so many hiding secrets from this parable. It has also revealed to us our spiritual responsibilities.

1. Every Christian is a Sower, male or female, old or young.
2. The Seed is the Gospel “The Word of God”
3. We must put deliberate effort to accomplish this task.
4. We must endure to get this work done.

PREACHING THE GOSPEL IS A COMMAND TO ALL CHRISTIANS

In Matthew 28:18-20 & Mark 16:15-16, it is a command for all to sow the seed of the Kingdom.

The command is “GO” into the World and preach the gospel.

Rom 1:16-17

In  Rom. 1:16-17, Apostle Paul declared,  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”  NKJV

Apostle Paul in 2 Tim. 4:1-5, declared, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. NKJV

CONCLUSION

Brethren, let us put more deliberate effort to reach out to the lost, because it our responsibility to bring them to Christ. Failure to do so, we will give account to the Lord.

May the good Lord bless His word in Jesus Name- Amen.

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