SOWING SEEDS

In the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13, Mark 4, and Luke 8) Jesus mentions sowing the seed of the gospel of the Kingdom into four kinds of soil (or persons). The soils were hard, rocky, thorny and good. Not all soils receive and produce much fruit.

Arthur Pink (1886-1952) wrote concerning the Parable of the Sower, “One great design of this opening parable is to teach us the measure of success which the gospel would receive among the Gentiles. In other words, we are shown what the results of this broadcast sowing of the Seed would be. First of all, most of the ground upon which it fell would prove unfavorable: the hard, shallow, and thorny soils were uncongenial to productiveness. Second, external opposition would be encountered: the birds of the air come and catch it away. Third, the sun would scorch, and that which was lacking in moisture at its roots would wither away. Only a fractional part of the Seed sown would yield any increase, and thus all expectations for the ultimate universal triumph of the gospel were removed.”

“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.” Jesus