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And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Luke 8:4-8)
A huge number of people (great multitude) traveled out to hear Jesus. Can you imagine hearing this parable, but not having a clue what it meant. That is what happened back then. In fact, even those closest to the Lord did not know what it meant. We, of course, have the advantage of reading His explanation to those closest to Him. Here is what the parable means:
“The seed is the Word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.” As he said these things, he cried out: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” ~LUKE 8:5-15
The seed is “The Word of God” and the sower is Jesus, who is sowing “His seed”. All the prophets of the Old Testament would preface their proclaiming the Word of God with “Thus saith the Lord”. But when Jesus speaks, He is the Word and His words need no preface. Jesus is the Word become flesh (John 1). He continues to sow His seed every day.
Which kind of soil will my heart be today, Lord? The choice is mine to make. Will I blindly follow down the world’s hardened path that is trampled underfoot? Will I give in to temptations that come my way today? Will I be overcome with the cares, riches, or pleasures of life? Help me, Lord, to hold fast to You, the Word, with an honest and good heart today!
