The Parable of the Seed (Biblical Series #1)

Matthew 13: 3-8 says, "Then [Jesus] told them many things in parables, saying: 'A farmer went out to sow his seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on the rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Anyone that has ever farmed, can relate to the images used in this parable. The times have changed. Methods of farming have changed, but the principles are the same as they were in Jesus' time.

Modern farming has a "path" of sorts. At the entrance to every field is a place where truck and tractors park and pass between the field and the road. The weight of the equipment compacts the soil. Planting equipment has a difficult time penetrating the tight soil and often the seed is left on or near the surface leaving it vulnerable birds, insects and weather. The crop rarely grows well on this "path".

Many fields also have "rocky places". When I was a kid we farmed a farm that was on a hillside. The soil had washed from the hill leaving rocky, rough soil. The soil took the seed but rarely yielded much of harvest as there wasn't much soil for it to grow in.

The third area that this parable mentions is the seed among the thorns. Every farmer has to battle weedy, thorny areas. Other plants in the field compete with the grain for moisture, fertilizer and sun. If these "thorny" areas are not tended to then the crop suffers.

The goal of every farmer is put the seed where it will be the most productive. If planted in "good soil" crops are able to find deep soil, where they can sink roots free from competition. The result is a bountiful crop.

Jesus explains this parable to his disciples in 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 his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Jesus, when he gave this parable was actually talking about a spiritual harvest not a physical one.  The society of the time was highly agrarian. Many people were farmers and almost all would have understood how the seed would have reacted to its environment. Today's society has changed, few people actually farm, but the concepts are the same. As with physical seed, spiritual seed needs "good soil" in order to produce a harvest.