Parable of the sower 1 of 2

           Matt 13: 1 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 . . . 

  In this passage - Jesus is comparing a farmer that is planting seeds of corn - to a preacher who is planting seeds of the gospel

4 And when he (the farmer) sowed, some (of the) seeds (he planted) fell by the way side, and the  fowls came and devoured them up:

When a farmer plants seeds in his field – there are always a few of the seeds that get dropped – and when we drop a seed - they fall into places (like a path or a walkway) where they will never really get a chance to sprout.   

A seed lying out on top of the sidewalk will be seen by a hungry bird – and it will be eaten just like a bowl of our favorite candy would be eaten by us

    . . . the birds would eat the spilt seeds long before they could sprout and grow into a new plant . . . well this also happens in our churches when the preacher “sows seeds of the gospel”   

In this instance – the preacher is the farmer – the seeds that he sows among the congregation represent the gospel – the wayside (or the ground) where the seeds fall represent the human heart that hears the gospel – 

while the fowls that devour the seeds represent the devil as Satan works in our life to take the seeds of The Truth out of our heart before they are able to change us  and make us into what God wants us to be . . .

You see – the condition of the soil (and the presence of pests) will determine whether or not the seeds will ever sprout – and if they do sprout – the type of soul also determines the health of the plant which results . . .

In life – the condition of our heart – and the degree of access that we allow Satan to have in our lives – will determine just how effective the gospel will be in terms of guiding our lives.

This parable of the sower   describes the four basic types of the human heart in respect to how we react to The Gospel message . . .

When we hear the truth – we are either glad or we are sad . . . we believe that it applies to others – or we understand that it applies to us . . . we either apply it to our lives or we ignore it.

The wayside hearer represents the heart that does “nothing at all” with the gospel when he hears it . . . Satan takes it away before it can have any effect – just like a bird eating seeds that have been spilt along the roadway {take the seeds away} before they have a chance to sprout.

5 Some (of the seeds that the farmer planted) fell upon stony places (the preachers message fell on the ears of a hard hearted person) where they had not much earth (where there was not much compassion – where there was 

not much humility – where there was not much forgiveness toward others – where there was only time for self and a lack of time for others) and forthwith (very quickly) they sprung up, because they had no deepness of 

earth (the seeds the farmer planted here sprouted quickly) and the message of the preacher is often quickly understood by the congregation - but it is also just as quickly forgotten . . .

James 1: 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

To deceive our own selves is to be delusional – this means to see things that are not really there.  

To hear the word – but not to apply the word that we hear     teaches us that we see righteousness in our lives that is not really there – we are delusional – we have made a mistake.

23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass (a mirror)

24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

He looks into the mirror – he sees that he has a need that should be taken care of . . . but when church is over – he forgets all about it . . .

Matt 13: 6 And when the sun was up, they (the newly sprouted seeds – the young plants) were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

The preachers’ message did have an impact – but it was short lived . . . the gospel was clearly understood because it did sprout - it was acknowledged as being a need the persons’ life – but as soon as The Book was closed and 

the preacher finished delivering his message – the message was forgotten . . . because there was no root – because there was no foundation – because there was no footing - it just didn’t last.

7 And some (of the seeds that the farmer planted) fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up (alongside of the corn) and choked them (and

the preachers’ sermon was heard – and it was accepted in a busy self-centered life . . . the gospel sprouted – the gospel message did take

root in this life . . . but there was just too much interference for the plant to grow properly – there was too much competition and the gospel message fell out of favor – as it was gradually  replaced by another . . . 

8 But (the) other (seeds that the farmer planted – they) fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.

Sometimes God’s message falls upon a heart that actually treasures what is heard . . . When this happens - The message sprouts – it takes root – the competition of the world is removed   so as not to provide a hindrance to its growth – and God’s will is actually accomplished . . . we will finish this thought on the next post - until then GOD BLESS . . .