Parable of the Sower



Matthew 13: 18-23

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path.  The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.  But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

I've read that parable so many times. I'm sure most of us have. It's kind of a Bible Study staple. Yet, as many times as I've read it, each time I see something a little different, like a new layer is revealed. The whole Bible is like that - it's the living word of God.

The thing that strikes me lately about the parable is how it applies to us in our daily walks now. The sower in the story didn't look at the ground he was sowing. He didn't use his own judgement to determine that he was going to sow seeds here but not there because he did or didn't think they'd take. He simply sowed the seeds along the path, without judgement.

How many times in our day do we come across someone we could witness to, or we could take some time for, to show a little of God's love but we don't because we think they wouldn't be open to it, or they weren't going to get it, so why bother? Do we pick and choose who we're going to share the gospel with, using our own discernment and bias? Jesus didn't say, "Spread the gospel to the ends of the earth - to the people you LIKE."

Sometimes God calls on us to show His love and compassion to people we don't particularly care for, or someone we normally would never associate with. Jesus ate and drank with prostitutes and tax collectors. He showed them what God's love looked like. He sowed the seed.

The sower simply spread the seeds, everywhere he went along the path. Should we do anything less?

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