“Again 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. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that
“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And 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. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And 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. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but 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. But 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.””
Do you have a green thumb?
Jesus begins teaching beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathers that He gets into a boat while the people remain on the shore. Then He tells a parable about a farmer scattering seed.
Some seed falls on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. The same seed is scattered everywhere, but the results are very different.
Later, when Jesus explains the parable to His disciples, He says the seed is the Word of God.
That means the focus of the story is not mainly on the skill of the farmer or even the quality of the seed. The seed is good. The question is what happens when it is received.
Jesus describes several ways people respond to God’s Word.
Some hear it and quickly lose it. Some receive it with excitement, but it does not take root deeply enough to endure difficulty. Others allow worries, desires, and distractions to choke it out over time.
And then there are those who hear the Word, receive it, and bear fruit.
This parable is honest about the human heart. Simply hearing God’s Word is not the same thing as holding onto it. There are many things that compete for our attention and trust.
At the same time, this parable also says something encouraging about Jesus and His ministry.
He continues scattering the seed.
Not selectively. Not cautiously. Generously.
Jesus knows that people respond differently, yet He keeps speaking, teaching, calling, and inviting. He does not withhold His Word until He finds perfect people ready to receive it.
That matters because it means the Gospel is for real people living real lives—people with doubts, distractions, fears, and weaknesses.
So, we don’t withhold the Gospel from certain people because we don’t they’ll receive it, we share the Gospel and see what happens. The truth is, we can’t see a person’s heart and can’t really judge the “soil” of their heart well. Many people who looked like “bad soil” have heard the Gospel and become amazing Christians.
This passage also invites us to ask an important question: What kind of soil am I?
Not in a hopeless or fearful way, but honestly.
Jesus tells this parable not to push people away, but to draw them in. He wants His Word to take root and grow.
I pray the soil of your heart is soft and free of rocks and thorns.
Let’s pray…
Lord Jesus,
Your Word is good and life-giving. Break up what is hard in my heart, and keep distractions from pulling me away from You. Help me to hear Your Word, hold onto it, and grow in faith through it.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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