The Parable of the Sower Revisited
The parable of the sower is a wonderful story that Jesus tells about the power of throwing seeds and preparing the soil of our hearts (Matthew 13:1-23). In the parable there was a farmer sowing seeds. He seemingly throws his seed indiscriminately among different types of soils. We should note that there is power in the seed no matter where the seed lands, but life is more readily released when it lands on good soil.
But if there is power in the seed, we should take a closer look at what the seed is. We often take the seed as meaning the Gospel. The Bible states it as the message of the kingdom (Matthew 13:19). The message of the kingdom is much broader than just the salvation message. Many of Jesus’ parables start, “the kingdom of heaven is like…”. This is the message of the kingdom. He wants us to know the message of the kingdom so that His kingdom will take root in our lives and we will resemble His kingdom.
Our Enemy Understands This Parable
Our enemy understands this parable. We catch a little of this in the explanation of how he snatches up the seed that lands on the hard soil. He knows there is power in the seed that takes root. He can’t remove seed that is in the ground, so he will send trouble, persecution, worry, or lies to stifle its growth.
What we often miss is that our enemy uses this principle to feed his own seeds into our lives. He knows if he can get his seed into our soil, then we will start to manifest his kingdom instead of God’s. He is not content with removing God’s seeds, but he is also adding his own into our fields.
The Seed In This Parable Are Thoughts
The enemy is constantly feeding us lies in hopes that some of his seed will find soil to grow. Like the farmer in the parable, the enemy does not throw seed sparingly. This is why we are to take all of our thoughts captive and think on whatever is excellent and praiseworthy (2 Corinthians 10:5 & Philippians 4:8). These thoughts become our behaviors (James 1:15).
Jesus adds to the discussion of seeds by telling the parable of the weeds (Matthew 13:24-43). He says the enemy comes into His fields to scatter weeds. While Jesus tells us that this parable is referring to people, the principle is still the same: the enemy is sowing bad seed into our fields.
Our Application to the Parable of the Sower
One of the reasons we are not to be quick in removing the weeds is that we may uproot some good crop. We too often look to remove sin our lives and those we disciple and forget we may be pulling out good crop as well. If sin is an outflow of evil desires or bad thoughts, than removing the sin does not negate the power in the seed.
The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts of sin. As our friends and disciples love Jesus and pursue Him, we need to trust the work of the Holy Spirit as we sow good seed. It is the truth that sets us free, therefore, we need more good seed to release us from the effects of the bad seed. Lies are replaced by truth. Evil is overcome by good. Fear is driven out by love.
May we go forth and sow the message of God’s kingdom. Let us speak the love of God into every circumstance. In every conversation, may we speak only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. This is how we sow good seed.