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The Sower and the Seed

 

Understanding Biblical Truth

The Parable of the Sower and the Seeds

Mark 4

 

4 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

We just read that Christ began to teach from a ship. His ministry had grown so large, that as the people pressed on Him, to hear Him, they pushed Him into the sea. Therefore, to combat the overcrowded conditions, He taught from the sea, in the little ship.

² And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Christ taught the crowd, many things by parables, and on this day, He shared with them this doctrine.

³ Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

Understanding Biblical Truth:

This parable starts with the notion that there was a sower, or a dispenser of seeds, a farmer, who began to spread his seeds to the ground.

⁴ And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

As this farmer spread out his seeds, some seeds fell upon the edge of the road.  Remember, a road is usually a section of compacted ground, where people have walked over, or it has intentionally been prepared, thickened, and packed, for the purpose of walking. The seed which landed upon the edge of the road was found by the birds, who then ingested the seeds. The soil was so thick that the seeds could not penetrate the dirt. Therefore, it was easy for the birds to find the seeds, and completely devour them.

⁵ And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Some of the farmer’s seeds fell on stony ground or ground that was void of soil. Almost immediately, these seeds began to germinate, because the earth was too shallow, for it lacked sufficient earth.

⁶ But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Because these seeds were on stony ground, they were able to burrow themselves into the earth, unfortunately, the earth’s depth was not sufficient to allow the growth of roots to sustain the plant in its early development, and the hot sun baked the plant, and it died.

⁷ And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Now, some of the farmer’s seeds landed on thorny ground. Since thorns had grown there, we know that there existed sufficient earth to allow the seeds to form the root systems they required for growth. Unfortunately, the weeds placed themselves in competition with the farmer’s seeds, for the limited resources, particularly, water. This competition favored the weeds, being indigenous to the ground where they were already growing. Additionally, it is reasonable to believe that these weeds had the benefit of having started to grow first, and therefore, had another advantage of being further developed than the farmer’s seeds. These advantages for the weeds, allowed them to acquire a disproportionate number of resources, particularly water, and therefore, the farmer’s seeds suffered from dehydration and died.

⁸ And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

 

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Now, some of the farmer’s seeds landed on good ground, the ground where the growing conditions were optimal for the development of his seeds. Ground with sufficient soil for the roots to develop, and sufficient water to sustain the plant in the heat of the sun. This allowed the plants to develop until the sun becomes an actual benefit to the plant, allowing them growth thru photosynthesis, rather than being a detriment to them, when the heat boiled and dehydrated the plants. These plants were able to grow and yield thirty, sixty, or a hundred times more seeds than was used to grow the plant.

⁹ And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Then Jesus states to those listening, he who has understanding, let them hear, and understand more, or better. At this moment, all in the crowd were listening, so this must mean that Christ had reserved this statement for a particular group of people, that were to be found amongst those who were currently listening.

⁰ And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Later, after the crowd had dispersed, the people that remained with Christ, and the twelve apostles, inquired of Him, the meaning of the parable that He had shared with the crowd.

¹¹ And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Christ explains to His disciples, the twelve apostles, and the people who remained, “To you is given the blessing of understanding. You will see, hear, learn, and understand the true meaning of God’s kingdom, but to everyone else that has seen, and heard this parable, they will not share in the blessing of understanding, for they are without. But exactly, what are they without?

¹² That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Here we discover the meaning for the phrase “that are without”. One could oversimplify the interpretation, to merely stand for the group of people who lacked understanding, but this is not an accurate account for Christ’s words. Our Savior, so that His interpretation is not errored, goes on to further explain the phrase. He states that there exists something in the people, or around them, or something that they lack, that makes is responsible for them being without. Jesus further defines this condition, though they see with their eyes, they do not see with their minds, and though they hear with their ears, they do not hear with their hearts, therefore, they reject the message. Christ then goes on to say, that if at any time, these individuals were to accept this message, then they would be converted, and enmity toward sin would be found in their hearts, and their sins would be forgiven. So, what is blocking, or lacking in the persons’ brains, that prevents the conversion from one’s experience, thru their own senses, to the realization of its existence, reality, in the mind? What establishes this barrier to the transformation from the brain’s senses to the mind’s reality? How can there be a reality in the brain, but not in the mind. We will address this later.

¹³ And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

Understanding Biblical Truth:

The Savior then goes on to ask His disciples, the twelve, and those who remained behind. Those who crave spiritual food, or satisfaction of their spiritual needs, over the satisfaction of their hunger, or their physical needs. This establishes the first commandment, that nothing should come before God, not even our most basic needs of life. For this reason, Christ did not turn the stones to bread (Matthew 4:4). Christ then asks of His disciples, those who desire truth, don’t you understand this parable? Jehovah then makes the statement, if you do not rid yourselves (the plank in your eye – Matthew 7:5) or acquire for yourselves (the eye salve – Revelation 3:18) those things that block, or those things that remove, the transformation of your senses (brain) to your intellect (mind), then you shall never understand any parable. For this reason, Christ states that we must become like little children (Matthew 18:3), with no preconceived conditions in our minds or hearts, lest they block our understanding of truth. This establishes the difference in existence and function between the brain and the mind.

Now there was a specific reason why Christ taught the others, in parables, they simply were not ready for the truth. If Christ would have shared this truth with them, and they, existing in a state of unreadiness, this knowledge would have led to the rejection of truth, and this would have become the road to destruction. They would have been held to a level of understanding, even though they were not prepared for it, and failure would have been imminent. By Christ teaching in a parable, He showed His love for them, creating a layer of mercy, where they could have time to remove the plank, or obtain the eye salve, and then be ready for acceptance. Otherwise, their defeat would be ensured.

¹⁴ The sower soweth the word.

Understanding Biblical Truth –

Now Christ elaborates on the meaning of “the seed”. He explains the farmer plants the “word of God” in man’s heart. So, we need to uncover two things, who is the Sower, and what does the seed lead to? What is the grown plant’s equivalent?

¹⁵ And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

Understanding Biblical Truth -

Again, Christ repeats the story and continues to explain its meaning. The seed, or truth, that lands by side of the road, where the road has been packed, therefore, the condition of the roadside is, condensed, impenetrable ground, our hearts are hardened. Ground that nothing can sink or burrow into. This is done for the purpose of walking so that as one steps, they do not sink into the soil and trip. Therefore, this seed has no ability to cover or burrow itself into the soil. Therefore, this plant never germinates or starts the process of root production. These are those people, who hear the truth, and immediately reject it. Therefore, there is no establishment of plant growth at all, and without growth, plant death quickly ensues. This seed is easy for Satan to find, and steal by eating it. Satan is the bird.

¹⁶ And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Christ then explains the condition of the stony ground. Remember, the roadside’s condition is so condensed or packed so tightly, that the seed of truth cannot penetrate from the eyes or ears, the senses, into the mind or belief, the soil. In the stony ground, there is some soil above the stones, but insufficient for there to establish adequate root development. This person experiences the seed, or truth, within their senses, and gladly accepts it, within their senses. There is initial cultivation of this seed, and root development initiates.

¹⁷ And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Christ then expounds upon the fact that the environment is not conducive to adequate growth. Even though the roots begin to sprout, they are inadequately sufficient to sustain the further development of the plant. The seed, the truth, all though successfully planted, only has the ability for minimal growth. This plant has the capability to survive, but only for a limited time. The unprepared soil allows for scant growth, and when difficulty develops, the undeveloped plant is incapable of adapting to the changes and quickly dies from malnourishment and dehydration. Satan’s temptations are the scorching sun that causes our truth to wither away.

¹⁸ And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Christ explains to his followers, the apostles, and those who remained. Next, we find an environment where optimal growth has the potential to occur. Unfortunately, there existed other plants, weeds that sprung up first, and these weeds were not removed prior to the dispersal of the seeds, insufficient preparation of soil. As the seed germinates, it must compete with the weeds for the limited resources, minerals, water, and sunlight. Since the weeds have deeper roots, and taller leaves, having commenced their growth prior to the germination of our seeds, have an unfair advantage over our little seed, and easily overcome it. The weed absorbs most of the available water since its root system is vast. The weed blocks out the sun since its leaves envelop the tiny leaves of our little seed. Therefore, the weeds choke our seeds to death, by depriving them of what is needed for growth.

¹⁹ And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

So, our little seed has some growth, unfortunately, it is limited by the circumstances that the weeds present. As we can see, the weeds can be anything from the lust of the eyes, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust of the flesh, cares and needs of this world, and the pride of life, the lust of other things entering in. These conditions, some preconceived, others we experience as life goes on, choke the truth out of us, and lead us to compromise when we are weak.

²⁰ And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Finally, Christ gives the “Good News”. There is some seed, that lands on perfectly prepared soil. The soil where there are plentiful minerals and water. The soil where the weeds have been removed. The soil where the access to the sunlight is perfect. These seeds, where the soil has been prepared for growth, give the seeds their maximum opportunity for growth and grow they do. Some seed geminates into a bush that provides thirty times more than was started with, others sixty times, and still others one hundred times.

Conclusion:

Now, this is truly a beautiful story, but what does it mean? Why did Christ share this “Good News” with his followers? Why did those who left, failed to understand what Christ was saying? Does God favor man? 

We need to understand the following, what is the seed? What is the roadside ground? What is stony ground? What is the weed-filled ground? What is good ground? Lastly, who is the Sower of seeds?

Let us start to answer these questions by turning back to the source, it is written.

Romans 12:3 – For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

This verse clearly states that every person is given a measure of faith. So how does this “faith” have any significance with our seed? The seed is our given faith. When Christ created His children, he placed in them, an innate need to search for that which is greater than himself. This desire causes man to seek knowledge and truth, unfortunately, knowledge does not always equate to truth, and often man’s journey has been derailed by the search for knowledge, rather than the search for truth. So, this innate desire is the seed. God gave everyone this seed.

So, what is the ground? The ground is what we do, and how we prepare to cultivate our seed. The ground is our hearts and minds. When our hearts are so packed with deception, that no level of truth can penetrate, there can be no growth for our little seed. Then Satan comes to destroy our little seed, or faith, creating in us disbelief. This often leads to the rejection of God’s word or atheism.

When our faith lands upon a heart in stony ground, there is some level of soil, so initially, there is growth, as when we are born again in our nature. Unfortunately, we do not prepare our soil by removing the stones, and the things that plagued us, and separated us from God, before our rebirth, return and do the same again. We return to the way we were before. Let us see what “it is written” has to say.

Matthew 12:43-45

When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Here Christ explains the cause-effect relationship of having our faith cast upon stony ground. First, He explains that the unclean spirit leaves the man. The man is free to think, to search, and to accept. The man searches for rest but finds none. So, what the man was searching for was rest, but finds none, truth. Most likely this man searched in that which he knew, knowledge, and since that was inadequate before, it remained inadequate. Therefore, the man lost hope and returned to his house, or the way his heart condition was before his rebirth. The man become bitter against all that is God, and now evil has increased in his heart against God, and we find him seven times worse than before. His enmity against Jehovah has increased seven times. This man failed to search for truth, the word of God, rather he searched for knowledge, the word of men. This knowledge, along with Satan’s works, led this man back to where he began, confused, angry, alone. If only this man would have searched elsewhere. Today, many professed Christians are willing to accept the “word of men” without confirming these words to the “word of God”, therefore, we are witnessing the same pattern, and these unfortunate souls will eventually find their knowledge lacking truth. This will lead many to despise our Creator, and they will choose to believe in alternative knowledge, evolution, atheism, and apostate Protestantism. 

Again, we find our seed land upon the soil that has been improperly prepared, yes, we removed the stones, but we failed to destroy the weeds. Our weed-filled soil, although sufficient in minerals and water, has a problem, it has weeds. The weeds create a competition for the available resources, water, and minerals. This is like when we accept the truth, but we lose our first love, our desire to know more, and our drive for growth thru truth.

Revelation 2:2-4

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

³ And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.

⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Here our Savior recognizes the achievements of the early church. He commends their works, their knowledge of the truth, their recognition of error, and their implementation of learned behaviors for Christ. Unfortunately, Christ also condemns them for the one thing that may eventually cause them to depart from the truth, which is their first love. The church is of the impression that it knows enough, it does enough, and it behaves well enough. These ideals potentially lead the church to a pagan doctrine, righteousness by works. The church, because of its belief, that it was good enough, lost its desire to learn more, or continue its growth in truth, and its dependence upon God.

The weeds suffocate our desire to have our characters mimic those of our Savior’s. We begin to believe, as the early church, that we are good enough. We forget the description of salvation that Christ gave us, in His sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

When mankind, or even the church, become aware of their inadequacy, then and only then can their hearts soften to examine the truth, and accept it. If ever they believe themselves to be full, or acceptable, they lose this special blessing, that leads to the knowledge of their sins, and the enmity in them. This enmity in sin leads to true AGAPE with Christ, toward God the Father.

Finally, some of our seeds fall upon good ground. This is ground that has been adequately prepared to receive the seed. It is when we remove “everything” from our hearts and minds that can become a barrier between the seed, truth, and our spiritual growth, the plant. Only then can the seed, truth, that the Sower, our Christ has planted, continue to grow. It can only continue to grow when we have complete dependence upon the Son of God. If ever we depend upon ourselves, we return to our empty home, and acquire the seven devils, and find ourselves seven times worse than before.

 

So let us review: 

Christ is the Sower of seeds. He implants in every man, a measure of faith. A longing to, and desire, to meet his creator. Our hearts are the soil, and they can only germinate the seed to the level of our willingness to prepare our soil by removing the barriers between the Holy Spirit and our minds. Christ provides the rain, minerals, and the sun, all that is needed for the plant, or our faith, to grow. If we depend upon ourselves, we will never obtain an adequate amount of water, minerals, and sun for us to grow, and we will die. Our growth requires complete dependence upon our Father in heaven. We only need to get out of the way as He, thru the Holy Spirit remove the obstacles. If we do not interfere in this process, God will always be successful.

Let us answer the last question, does God favor men?

Romans 2:11 - For there is no respect of persons with God.

Understanding Biblical Truth:

Because there is no favor of men, we are all equals in God’s eyes, and in His church. There is no hierarchy, and therefore we come together as one. If there were favoritism, it would go against the very character that is God’s, God is Love. Therefore, let us rejoice, for the greater the sin, the greater God’s grace. We can come boldly to His throne of Grace and find His love of us. 

Amen.