The Parable of the Sower
Luke 13:1-9
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
When you are planting plants, sometimes you may just toss them here and there but most seeds, you will intentionally dig a hole and place them here and there. The same goes for our personal relationship with Christ and our discipling relationships with others.
Jesus mentioned four reason why seeds may or not grow. For a farming community, planting seeds is a way of life, so they know what happens. But Jesus wants his listeners to go from planting seeds of corn to planting seeds of faith.
The first is the seed which is placed on the sidewalk. These seeds have no hope, they are eaten right up. These seeds are people who have a chance to hear the word of God but do nothing. They turn away from the word to the world. Then the evil one comes and swallows them up.
The second seed finds soil but it is a little rocky and cannot completely grow. These people are the ones who start to have a relationship with God but they never rooted their lives in God’s goodness. And when they wind comes, or times get hard, they are blown away.
The third seed that falls with weeds, starts to grow but cannot fully grow because the weeds chock it out. Theses are people who try to live with one foot in the world and one foot in Christ. Living to different lives. But unfortunately, the voices in the world seem to be louder than God’s. And the sad part is the last two are where most Christians live.
The last seed finds good soil to grow and bear fruit 100 times its beginnings. This person is rooted in Christ and cannot be moved. They hear the words, follow them, and prospers in every season. This person is the one who is making disciples who make disciples.
We all want to be the last seed but most Christians know that they are not. But the beauty of Christ, is that no matter where you are, you can always root yourselves in him. If you are seeds 1-3, you will need to reach out to someone who is the fourth seed to walk with you, to grow with you. If you are a seed 4, then you need to reach out to find a seed 1-3 to help them grow with Christ.
Jesus mentioned four reason why seeds may or not grow. For a farming community, planting seeds is a way of life, so they know what happens. But Jesus wants his listeners to go from planting seeds of corn to planting seeds of faith.
The first is the seed which is placed on the sidewalk. These seeds have no hope, they are eaten right up. These seeds are people who have a chance to hear the word of God but do nothing. They turn away from the word to the world. Then the evil one comes and swallows them up.
The second seed finds soil but it is a little rocky and cannot completely grow. These people are the ones who start to have a relationship with God but they never rooted their lives in God’s goodness. And when they wind comes, or times get hard, they are blown away.
The third seed that falls with weeds, starts to grow but cannot fully grow because the weeds chock it out. Theses are people who try to live with one foot in the world and one foot in Christ. Living to different lives. But unfortunately, the voices in the world seem to be louder than God’s. And the sad part is the last two are where most Christians live.
The last seed finds good soil to grow and bear fruit 100 times its beginnings. This person is rooted in Christ and cannot be moved. They hear the words, follow them, and prospers in every season. This person is the one who is making disciples who make disciples.
We all want to be the last seed but most Christians know that they are not. But the beauty of Christ, is that no matter where you are, you can always root yourselves in him. If you are seeds 1-3, you will need to reach out to someone who is the fourth seed to walk with you, to grow with you. If you are a seed 4, then you need to reach out to find a seed 1-3 to help them grow with Christ.
Reflect
- What seed are you?
- What needs to change in your life right now to grow closer to Christ?
Pray
Father, wherever we are in our walk with you, help us to see your goodness and love. Allow us to grow closer to you. Give us the strength to leave to world behind us and focus on you.
Clay Merriman, May 27, 2020
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