The Parable of the Sower

Back in the mid-70s when I was a kid, my grandfather said he’d pay me 10 cents a plant to pull weeds from his planted crop. When he told me, my eyes lit up. I started doing the math. A dollar could buy a lot of candy back in those days. We hopped in his old green truck, drove down the rutted, puddle-filled track beyond the main barnyard, stopped at the top of the hill, where he showed me the field. To my 10-year old eyes, that 50 (?) acre section I saw was massive. Undaunted (mostly), I plodded my way carefully through the crop to pull the mustard weeds. At least they were easily identifiable with their bright yellow tops. After about an hour, I was wearing out. I had covered maybe 500 sq. ft and had hardly made a dent.

This story made its way back to my “recent” files this spring as I was working my garden and thinking about that planting story Jesus told - the parable of the sower. Weeds make an appearance in that story, too.

You’ll find the story in all the synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In Matthew 13, Jesus speaks to the “great crowds” that had gathered on a beach to hear him. Making the nearest boat his pulpit, he tells them a parable of four kinds of soil in which seed was planted. I love the fact that Jesus frequently used simple aspects from His creation to teach the people about the Kingdom of God. Everything God has created can teach us something if we look with eyes to see (vss 15, 16).

First, the soil along the path. It’s hard-packed and trodden down. In the days of hand planting, you can see the necessity of many paths throughout a field in order to plant. I have a few paths in my small garden. The sower wouldn’t intentionally waste seed here, but some would inevitably fall on the path as he scattered the seed by hand as he walked these straits. Those seeds became bird feed. Secondly, the rocky ground. Farmers around here pick rocks from their fields and pile them. (I remember that job as a kid, too!) Rocks aren’t conducive to a better yield. But in ancient Israel, that was a problem. The ground was so rocky, you just couldn’t pick them all. They were ubiquitous. So, you planted around them, or on top of them, if you didn’t see them. Seeds growing in shallow soil, thinly covering a rock below, wouldn’t last long without the roots being able to access the deeper moisture. The hot sun would wither them soon enough. Thirdly, some seeds fell among the thorns. If you’ve ever looked at the boundary line of a farmer’s field, you’ll usually find an eclectic collection of scrub, brush, and various weeds. We have such a field behind our house. And sure enough, as this year’s crop of winter wheat approaches this boundary, it becomes shorter, yellower, and generally less healthy looking (and eventually less productive). Finally, the good soil. This is where you want to plant because the yield will be the greatest. The soil is broken up, fertilized, free of stones and weeds, and is most receptive to the seed. More on the good soil a little later.

Whether many in the crowd understood Jesus’ objectives in this story is uncertain, based on what he tells his disciples when they asked him why he spoke in mysterious parables all the time (Matthew 13:10-17). But he explained it to the disciples, and so to us in verses 18-23. The different kinds of soil are different kinds of people, and the seed is the Word of God.

As I apply these truths to my life, I am first led to examine my own heart and ask, “What kind of soil am I?” Paul said there was great value in examining ourselves to see if we are in the faith - in it for real (2 Corinthians 13:5). Paul’s statement, and this parable, bring us face-to-face with the unsettling biblical truth that some professing Christians aren’t real. Some hear it and think nothing more of it (the path). Some hear it and “receive it with joy” but then later give up the faith because it’s too hard (the rocky soil). They forget Jesus’ promise that trials will come to test the genuineness of our faith (John 16:33; 1 Peter 1:6, 7). Am I one of these fakers? Have I persevered through challenges in life where it would have been easier to go back to the world? I know whom I have believed and I know that HE is able to keep me safe until that final day (2 Timothy 1:12). I am powerless to save myself. He is all-powerful! Praise God for the strength he gives us to persevere. We’ve all been through many difficulties in life, and we’re all living one now. He can see us through. All of our difficulties are only “light momentary affliction(s)” (2 Corinthians 4:17) which will seem like nothing in light of the “eternal weight of glory” that awaits those who stand firm in their faith.

I can relate to the thorny soil. I’m not really interested in the question of whether this kind of soil describes a Christian or not. I just know I have weeds to pull and I always will. There are things that keep me from being as fruitful as I could be. Do I have worries and cares? We all do. The key is what I do with them. I am reminded to take them to the Lord in prayer (Philippians 4:6,7) and he will give me peace. Otherwise, constantly fretting about my problems will keep me from being fruitful. There’s too much good to do! Faithfulness and obedience first (give my cares to him), then fruitfulness follows in the Lord’s good time. And then there’s that other insidious weed: the deceitfulness of riches, making us think that wealth insulates us from trouble or harm. The real deceitfulness is in the partial truth - wealth does protect in a way (Proverbs 10:15). It’s like a fortified city, says Solomon. It allows the rich person to not have to worry about providing for his or her family when they’ve lost their job, for example. They can buy whatever they need, which pretty much remains true as long as they live. Who wouldn’t want that? It’s easy to see why people chase wealth. It makes big promises. But those who trust in it, will perish eternally. Wealth cannot save a soul. Only Christ can do that. Riches are a false floor, a deceptively real virtual reality. They only crowd and choke. They will “make themselves wings” (Proverbs 23:5) and be gone, if not in this life, when we die. The challenge for me, and most North Americans, is that we are all wealthy compared to the rest of the world. How do we keep ourselves from trusting in it and being deceived? Once again, I praise God that he is the one who keeps my soul. He knows when to give and when to take away. This is why I praise God when I see the value of my retirement funds plummet. I trust in Him, not them. Blessed be the name of the Lord (Job 1:21). Wealth can be a debilitating weed, keeping us from working diligently for the
Lord. Instead we can be tempted to spend our life being “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:4). When we do have it, let’s make sure we use it for His Kingdom (1 Timothy 6:17-19). (Thinking of the Food Bank right now!).

An important aside here ... If you have not trusted in Jesus to save you from your sin and the coming judgement at the end of your life, don’t wait. Now is the time (2 Corinthians 6:2). You do not know when you will die. Wealth will not save you. It is deceitful. You are in eternal peril, though you may not perceive it. You are not good enough to stand in the presence of the perfectly holy, pure God who made you (Romans 3:10). No one is. But Jesus will give you His righteousness as a gift, if you ask. Only then will you be safe from the judgement to come (1 Thessalonians 1:10). Then, live for Him without turning back (Romans 6:23; Matthew 24:13).

And this brings us back to the good soil. Those who have trusted in Jesus and persevere in their faith are the good soil. The fallow ground of their hearts has been broken up (Hosea 10:12). Their hearts are soft, not hard. This reminds me of the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22,23). But, when will I ever be patient enough, or kind enough, or loving enough? By the grace of God and his power mightily working in me through the Holy Spirit, I will continually strive to do so until the day I die (Colossians 1:29). And he will help me bear much fruit (Philippians 1:6).

Finally, I think of the Sower. How many seeds of the gospel have I planted recently? Plant the seed. God makes it grow. We have some very unique opportunities these days.

As I get older, spring is becoming my new favourite season. Watching things grow is awe-inspiring. There’s a miracle of God in every single seed, branch and root! And so I garden: planting seeds, watching things grow, pulling weeds, and waiting for God to produce fruit. No one pays me to pull weeds anymore, but I’m content to patiently wait for what God has promised - in this life and the glorious life to come.