As we continue through our series on the Kingdom of Heaven, we come across probably one of the most commonly heard parables of Jesus, about a sower of seeds and the results of his labor.

¹Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. ²And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: ³“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. ⁴And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. ⁵Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ⁶And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. ⁷Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. ⁸And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” ⁹And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” – Mark 4:1-9 ESV

What are some of your thoughts, ideas, or struggles with this parable?

Parables and confusion

We see in this scripture where it clearly states that Jesus was teaching with a parable. Most of the time in our 21st century culture, we just automatically think of parables as random stories. We must always remember that a parable is not the same as an allegory (very rarely used in the Bible, if at all). In an allegory, every detail has some spiritual significance, while in a parable much of the detail may not be important; it is the story as a whole which conveys the message.  In this parable, many people can get derailed by all the little details, “what time of year did he plant?”, “what kind of seeds did he plant?”, “what kind of birds were stealing the seeds?”, “how come the farmer did not take care of the seed that sprang up quickly?”, etc.

When this happens, individuals can miss the whole point of the parable. A parable sketches a story and the little details are not as important as the overall lesson of the story.

Can you recall times when someone or even yourself got all caught up in the details and missed the whole message?

When you sow seeds, do you use allegory or parable styles?

There may or may not have been a Galilean farmer actually sowing on the hillside above at the time: if there was, then it would have made the illustration even more vivid. But the real point is that, as Jesus was speaking, Jesus was actually sowing the word, and the hearers were responding in the different ways that he described; they were all part of the parable themselves.

The Purpose

It may seem strange to us today that the Twelve totally failed to understand the parable. Jesus often explained things afterwards in private to his disciples. It would have been of no use explaining the parable’s meaning to those who had not even taken the first step of thinking over the illustration. The Twelve showed that they were ready for the explanation by asking for it. That is why Jesus warned his listeners to listen thoughtfully in verse 9.

Only one of the four types of ground described proved fruitful, but it is unfair to blame the farmer for this, as some over-zealous commentators have done (‘he should have prepared the ground better’, ‘he should only have sown in the good soil’). The farmer must have known that some parts of his land were better than others, but he was giving them all an equal chance; it was probably the only land that he had. Only the results at harvest would show which was the good soil, and that would produce an amazing crop. We are told that even a tenfold return was good in Palestine; here the good soil yielded a hundredfold. So we can see that the final emphasis of the illustration is positive, not negative, a promise to encourage us, not just a warning to sober us.

How can you relate to the farmer? Do you struggle with the varieties of soil in your life? Are there good farmers located in difficult regions, where agriculture is very difficult? Are there poor farmers in fertile areas where everything just grows? How does that relate to our parable today?

Jesus explains the parable for his disciples and us:

¹⁰And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. ¹¹And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that 

“ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, 
and may indeed hear but not understand, 
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ” 

,¹³And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? ¹⁴The sower sows the word. ¹⁵And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. ¹⁶And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. ¹⁷And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. ¹⁸And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, ¹⁹but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. ²⁰But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” – Mark 4:10-20 ESV

What are your gleanings from the explanation? How can you relate or understand the quote right in the middle of the explanation?

Verse 12, is a quotation from Isaiah, and does not mean that God deliberately hides his truth from us; if that were so, what would be the point of any parables?

God is telling Isaiah that those who have already rejected God should be allowed to continue on their path. Jesus is essentially telling his disciples that those who refuse to hear God’s message of repentance – and who reject salvation through the Messiah, Jesus – will experience the path of judgment they have chosen (see John 3:17). But to those who receive Jesus, like his disciples, the mystery of God’s kingdom is revealed. They understand the parables. They move beyond hearing them to observing Jesus’ teachings and experiencing what the kingdom of haven means.

In spite of all their looking and listening, some people will not really see or understand; if they did, they would turn to God for forgiveness. Isaiah was describing a hard-hearted people who had turned their back on God and stubbornly refused to listen to him. This is what many of Jesus’ hearers are like, even today.

Inefficiencies

In a sense, this parable is the key to all the other parables, because in all of them Jesus preaches or ‘sows’ the word.

But, even in the case of those ready to listen, shallow response is a danger. Careless or superficial listeners, who have no root, or those whose lives are too full of worries or pleasures (sometimes equal dangers) will bear no fruit. Only those who listen, accept and act will be fruitful. Sometimes this parable is thought to teach spiritual persistence; but it is also a promise of spiritual reward. If we obey the laws of spiritual growth, as surely as there is a seed-time, harvest will come.

If we place ourselves in the parable as the soil, what are some of the things we need to be aware of? If we are going to have a harvest life, what should we do more of? What should we do less of?

Next week we will learn more about “The seed that grows”. Be aware that you are a vital sprouted seed that has taken root, that is exposed to the world, and can whither and perish. Take care of yourself and tend to your growth.

Cole, R. A. (1994). Mark. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 957). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.