Luke 8:4-15
4 Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable:
5 “The sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the sky ate it up.
6 Other seed fell on rocky soil, and when it came up, it withered away because it had no moisture.
7 Other seed fell among the thorns; and the thorns grew up with it and choked it out.
8 And yet other seed fell into the good soil, and grew up, and produced a crop a hundred times as much.” As He said these things, He would call out, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9 Now His disciples began asking Him what this parable meant.
10 And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest they are told in parables, so that while seeing they may not see, and while hearing they may not understand.
11 “Now this is the parable: the seed is the word of God.
12 And those beside the road are the ones who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they will not believe and be saved.
13 Those on the rocky soil are the ones who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these do not have a firm root; they believe for a while, and in a time of temptation they fall away.
14 And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked by worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and they bring no fruit to maturity.
15 But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and virtuous heart, and hold it firmly, and produce fruit with perseverance.
The Parable of the Sower
The purpose of parables
This is a very well-known passage. At this point in His public ministry, large crowds began to gather around Jesus. However, not everyone came with pure motives. To that crowd, Jesus spoke using parables. A parable has the nature of both revealing and concealing God’s truth. To those who have ears to hear, the truth is communicated clearly; to those who do not, only confusion remains. The themes of parables were usually matters people experienced in everyday life. The four types of soil in the Parable of the Sower were the very kinds of ground that farmers in those days worked on daily. Many who have traveled to the Holy Land have probably seen a roadside, rocky ground, thorn-infested ground, and good soil all situated right next to each other. Through this parable, Jesus sought to teach that even when the same seed is sown, the results differ depending on the soil. Have you already decided that the Bible is difficult to understand? Indeed, there are many passages in the Bible that are challenging. However, the central message of the Bible can be understood with surprising ease—if only one has a heart willing to listen.
Explanation of the parable
The seed is the word of God, and the soil is the heart of the one who hears. What Jesus most wanted to emphasize is that how we respond to the word of God determines the course of our lives. As I meditated on the meaning of this parable, I realized one thing: throughout the entire Bible, God is asking, “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9). In other words, God is still giving us the opportunity to respond to Him. The Bible contains many accounts of people who completed their earthly lives in response to God’s call. The twelve disciples, beginning with Peter, are among them. It always starts with a small response, a small first step. Is your heart ready to respond to God’s voice? If you do your devotion without any intention of responding, it will end up being dry and lifeless. Let us cast aside indifference toward the word of God (the roadside heart). Let us repent of a heart that receives the word of God only superficially (the rocky ground heart). Let us confess before God a heart that places the pleasures of this world first (the thorn-infested ground heart). Today, with what kind of resolve are you seeking to respond to God? Good soil bears good fruit.
Today's prayer
Father God of Jesus Christ, I thank You that even today You are waiting for my response. Please forgive me for the times I have made self-centered decisions, setting You aside. Transform my heart into good soil. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.