Sower.

The Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils) is found in Matthew 13:3-9; Mark 4:2-9; and Luke 8:4-8. After presenting this parable to the multitude, Jesus interprets it for His disciples in Matthew 13:18-23; Mark 4:13-20; and Luke 8:11-15.

Matthew 13 focuses mainly on a series of parables. Jesus first describes these to a large crowd along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Later, in a house, He explains to the disciples the meanings of the parables of the sower, the weeds, and the fish caught in the net.

Jesus then travels to Nazareth, teaches in the synagogue, and is rejected by the people of His original hometown.

In Matthew 13:4, Jesus begins His first parable by describing the act of planting a field. He pictures a sower scattering seeds, some of which fall along the path. These seeds are vulnerable to being trampled upon by people or devoured by birds.

Matthew 13:4 - "And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:"

4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.

6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: somea hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Jesus begins His first parable (Matthew 13:1–3) by describing the act of planting a field. He pictures a sower, something His audience could easily picture in their minds. The sower would carry a pouch with seeds of grain, or would have held them in the folds of their clothes.

The sower grabbed handfuls and scattered them thoroughly across as much of the field as possible. Obviously, this is very different from modern farming practices, where machines deliberately place seeds in massive, straight rows. In the ancient world, sowing a field like this meant hoping for as much seed as possible to take root and grow.

The more seed was scattered, the more potential crops there were to gain.

This parable focuses first on the scattered seeds that don't make it to maturity. The first of those are the seeds tossed along the edge of the field, which land on hard-packed, uncultivated walking paths.

That ground is not prepared for seed—it has not been tilled, or turned, and its surface is hard. Seeds landing there merely lay on top of the path and wait to be eaten by the birds.

The disciples will later hear what each of these scenarios represents. In this first one, seeds that fall on the path are like people who hear teaching about the kingdom of heaven and just don't get it (Matthew 13:19).

They're either disinterested, hardened, or unprepared. One way or another, the "seed" of this teaching never even breaks the surface.

Almost immediately, Satan comes and snatches away the eternal truth of the kingdom, before anything else can happen to make it take root in the person's heart.

Symbolically, this represents careless, inattentive hearers who lack understanding and affection for God’s truth . The parable emphasizes the importance of receptive hearts and genuine interest in Jesus’ teaching, as those who gladly receive it will find deeper meaning and understanding, while those who remain indifferent may become spiritually blind and hardened.

What are the other parts of this parable?

In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9), Jesus uses agricultural imagery to convey spiritual truths. Here are the other parts of the parable:

The Seed on Rocky Ground (Matthew 13:5-6): Some seeds fall on rocky soil with little depth. These sprout quickly but lack root, so they wither when the sun scorches them. Symbolically, this represents people who receive the Word of God with initial enthusiasm but lack endurance when faced with trials or persecution.

The Seed Among Thorns (Matthew 13:7): Other seeds fall among thorns, which choke and suffocate the plants. This symbolizes those who hear God’s Word but allow worldly cares, wealth, and desires to distract them, preventing spiritual growth.

The Good Soil (Matthew 13:8): Finally, some seeds fall on good soil, producing a bountiful harvest. These represent those who receive the Word, understand it, and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. Good soil signifies receptive hearts, genuine faith, and a willingness to obey God’s truth.

Jesus encourages us to be like the good soil, cultivating our hearts to receive His Word, allowing it to take root, and bearing fruit in our lives.

How can we cultivate good soil in our hearts?

Cultivating good soil in our hearts involves intentional practices that foster spiritual growth and receptivity to God’s Word. Here are some steps:

Regular Bible Study: Spend time reading and meditating on Scripture. Seek understanding and apply its principles to your life.

Prayer: Develop a consistent prayer life. Communicate with God, express gratitude, seek guidance, and surrender your heart to Him.

Repentance: Acknowledge and confess sin. Repentance softens the heart and allows God’s Word to take root.

Humility: Recognize your need for God. Humble hearts are receptive to His truth.

Guard Against Distractions: Be aware of worldly influences that can choke spiritual growth (e.g., materialism, busyness).

Community: Engage with other believers. Fellowship, accountability, and encouragement help cultivate good soil.

Obedience: Apply God’s Word in practical ways. Obey His commands and trust His promises.

Remember, cultivating good soil is a lifelong process. Be patient, persistent, and open to God’s transforming work.

Matthew 13:1–9 turns the focus back to Jesus' spiritual teachings, with the parable of the sower. As Jesus sits in a boat just offshore, He tells the crowd about a seed-thrower whose seed fell on a path, on rocky soil, among thorns, and on good soil.

Only the seed on the good soil is productive. Jesus later explains the meaning of the parable to His disciples (Matthew 13:18–23), but He does not fully explain it for the crowds.

To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower: “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.” May our faith and our lives exemplify the "good soil" in the Parable of the Sower.

It has been said that a parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The Lord Jesus frequently used parables as a means of illustrating profound, divine truths. Stories such as these are easily remembered, the characters bold, and the symbolism rich in meaning.

Parables were a common form of teaching in Judaism. Before a certain point in His ministry, Jesus had employed many graphic analogies using common things that would be familiar to everyone (salt, bread, sheep, etc.) and their meaning was fairly clear in the context of His teaching.

Parables required more explanation, and at one point in His ministry, Jesus began to teach using parables exclusively.

The question is why Jesus would let most people wonder about the meaning of His parables. The first instance of this is in His telling the parable of the seed and the soils. Before He interpreted this parable, He drew His disciples away from the crowd. They said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.

’ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Matthew 13:10-17).

From this point on in Jesus’ ministry, when He spoke in parables, He explained them only to His disciples. But those who had continually rejected His message were left in their spiritual blindness to wonder as to His meaning.

He made a clear distinction between those who had been given “ears to hear” and those who persisted in unbelief—ever hearing, but never actually perceiving and “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Timothy 3:7).

The disciples had been given the gift of spiritual discernment by which things of the spirit were made clear to them. Because they accepted truth from Jesus, they were given more and more truth.

The same is true today of believers who have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth (John 16:13). He has opened our eyes to the light of truth and our ears to the sweet words of eternal life.

Our Lord Jesus understood that truth is not sweet music to all ears. Simply put, there are those who have neither interest in nor regard for the deep things of God. So why, then, did He speak in parables? To those with a genuine hunger for God, the parable is both an effective and memorable vehicle for the conveyance of divine truths.

Our Lord’s parables contain great volumes of truth in very few words—and His parables, rich in imagery, are not easily forgotten. So, then, the parable is a blessing to those with willing ears.

But to those with dull hearts and ears that are slow to hear, the parable is also an instrument of both judgment and mercy.