[ Jesus tells The Parable of the Sower ]
“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
His disciples asked him what this parable meant.
He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Who does the Farmer represent?
What does the seed stand for?
What do the soils represent?
Technically speaking, what is a “seed” and how does it work?
Does the Word of God always work in the hearts of people?
What one factor insures that the Word of God will work and eventually produce a harvest of seed multiplied?
Who can work on hearts better than anyone else?
Who in the kingdom of God, is in the best position for scattering the Word of God in and around people’s lives (wherever they are at)?
Who is the Farmer? (sorry for asking this twice!)
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.