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you think that a person can believe in Jesus Christ and then some day
leave the faith, even reject Jesus, and still be a Christian? What does
it mean that someone accepts or believes in Jesus Christ? There is confusion
today about the characteristics of a true Christian. Some believe that
a person becomes a Christian with a prayer. The following question is
not unusual, “He prayed to receive Jesus Christ when he was in
his twenties. He no longer attends church, but I just know that he is
a Christian. Isn’t he?” This study (Matt. 13:1-23; Mark 4:1-20;
Luke 8:4-15) will answer this question as we examine Jesus’ parable
of the “Sower and the Seed.” This was the first of Jesus’ kingdom
parables. It is foundational because it reveals the true identity of
the citizens of the kingdom. Day In Jesus’ Life. The events of
the last two studies and the preaching of the kingdom parables all occurred
in one day of Jesus’ life. It must have been a long day for Jesus.
He must have been very tired and weary from His confrontation with the
religious leaders. At the end of the last study, Jesus’ family
had just arrived. As we start this study, Jesus leaves the house and
sits down on the seashore of the Sea of Galilee. Most likely His family
followed Him and they had some time together. But His break from the
people did not last long, as we discover in our first two verses.
That day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. And large crowds gathered to Him, so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach. (NASB) Matt. 13:1-2 Mark 4:1 adds that the crowd was very large. So Jesus got into a boat
and sat down, just as the Jewish rabbis did when they taught. The large
crowd stood on the beach in order to listen to Him. Then Jesus started
presenting His parables.
Parable of the Sower. The gospel of Matthew
says that Jesus presented many parables to the large crowd. Yet, the
Holy Spirit only recorded a small number of them. The most significant
of the parables is the parable of the sower and the seed. It is also
the first recorded parable.
And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” (NASB) Matt. 13:3-9 The parable was simple. It was about a sower who scattered seed as he
walked. Some of the seed fell along his path, some fell beside the path
or on rocks, among thorns and thistles, among weeds, and some fell on
good soil. As expected, only the seed that fell on the good soil grew
to produce a harvest. That was the end of the parable. Jesus did not
explain its meaning to the crowd.
Why Speak in Parables? Matthew and Mark
tell us that as soon as Jesus and the twelve disciples were alone, the
disciples asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”
As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. (NASB) Mark 4:10 And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” (NASB) Matt. 13:10 The disciples did not understand why Jesus did not clearly explain the
parables. How were the people expected to understand the message of the
parable? Jesus’ answer was direct and maybe shocking.
Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.” (NASB) Matt. 13:11 The disciples could know the meaning of the parable but not the crowds.
Mark 4:11 adds “those who are outside get everything in parables.” That
is, those who are excluded from the kingdom, those who do not believe
in Jesus Christ cannot know or understand the parable.
Why were they excluded? The answer to the question is given
in Jesus’ next statement.
For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. (NASB) Matt. 13:12-13 The first part of Jesus’ answer, Matt. 13:12, reveals that the
crowd had a spiritual problem and that there is an established spiritual
principle which grants more information to those who already have spiritual
understanding and insight. That is, those who are not part of God’s
spiritual family will eventually lose what little spiritual understanding
they do have. It is like those who work hard. Usually, the more you work,
the more you obtain in this life. Those who do not work eventually have
very little and may lose what little they do have. In the spiritual realm,
those who have a deeper relationship with God will grow even more. Those
who do not have a relationship will become even further separated from
God.
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