A_Few_Thoughts_on_the_Parable_of_the_Sower

A few thoughts on the parable of the sower Matthew 13: 1-23 Mark 4: 1-20 Luke 8: 4-15 Note: Read Mark 4: 1-20 In John 15; 8 Jesus says ‘This is how my Father shows who he is--when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples’ (MSG). The MKJV says, ‘In this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, so you shall be my disciples.’ In fact the whole chapter is devoted to fruit bearing, and fruit bearing is essentially to do with multiplication. Multiplication is a divine principle, a theme which runs through the Bible. For example He promised the Israelites to bring them from the land of Egypt into a land that ‘flowed with milk and honey.’ You remember that when the 12 chosen leaders spied out the land of Canaan, they reported that it was a land that indeed ‘flowed with milk and honey’, and they brought back, amongst other things, a cluster of grapes which they carried o a pole between two people. I believe that they did this not just to prevent the grapes from bruising, but also because it was unusual in size and therefore awkward to be carried by one person (Numbers 13). A few more examples:  Genesis 26 – Isaac sowed and, in the same year, he received 100%, because he did what the Lord told Him to do.  Isaiah 9:7 –It is prophesied of Jesus that there would not be an end to the increase of His government or rule. Paul says of Him that ‘every knee shall bow, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God our Saviour’ (Philippians 2:9-11).  John 15: 1, 2 – He prunes the vine that it might bear more fruit. I cannot help but believe that God is not tight–fisted; rather He is very open handed to all mankind but especially to those who obey Him. Part B In the parable of the sower, the Lord Jesus Christ is showing us how we can arrive at the point where we are able to bear or produce a lot of fruit to demonstrate the character of God. I would like us to have this at the back of our minds as we progress to the next part of this talk. 2 Important Keys 1. Understanding this parable is very important to the understanding of all the other parables:  It has been given unto us to understand the mysteries or hitherto hidden secrets of the Kingdom of God. In other words revelation is our portion. (This can be likened to Jesus saying that deliverance is the portion for the children of God.)  To those who do not believe, the parable does not make sense because they have closed their ears and eyes to the truth. 2. How you hear – it is all about how we hear. The parable is teaching us how to receive the seed or how to receive the word of God in order for it to be of benefit to us and bring glory to God (Matt. 13: 18-23). i ). Well trodden path is a picture of the hard heart that doesn’t respond to God’s word. The heart need to be prepared in order for it to receive the word of God. ii ). The rocky ground speaks of the unbelieving heart. The ground is so full of the rocks of unbelief that there is little room for the soil of faith. iii ). The thorny patch speaks of the divided heart, which is affected by life’s worries, riches and pleasures. These smother or suffocate the good seed that tries to grow up. In the end ‘they do not mature’ (Luke 8:4). Paul referred to the believers in the Book of Hebrews that they were ‘dull of hearing’ or ‘slow to learn’ (Heb. 5:11). a. It did not mean that they had problems with their physical ears or that they needed hearing aid. It had to do with their ability to hear with their spiritual ear, which enables the heart –rather than the head – to hear and understand. Jesus often referred to this kind of hearing (See Matt. 13:9; Rev. 2:7, 11, 13:9). b. It did not mean that they had not had been taught right (Heb.5: 12). CONCLUSION Jeremiah 17: 9, 10 “The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, GOD, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be." To be concluded.