The Parable of the Sower – Part 2

“There Are All Types of Soil Out There”

Last time, we introduced the parable of the Sower and had these 3 impactful thoughts:

1. The Parable of the Sower is NOT about evangelism.
2. The Seed is the Word of God.
3. The Sower is God, NOT us.

Feel free to go back to Part 1 and read the text again or have your Bible open to Luke 8 as we continue.

Let’s switch gears… Where does this seed land?

Again, it’s like déjà vu. I have heard this part before (I’m surprised there’s not a little song from children’s church describing all the soils!) I’m not going to stray too far from Jesus’ original explanation of the parable that we read in Part 1, but I want to be sure that we have a preliminary understanding of the 4 types of soils as it will be very important to our discussion later.
Ok, here we go!

Soil #1 – THE PATH – Some of the seed that God was tossing out landed on a path where Satan quickly steals the seed away right when they hear the word of God. From Jesus’ explanation, Satan is like the birds of the air that prevent this soil from allowing the seed to be planted in their hearts. The people represented by this soil don’t believe the Word of God and are therefore not saved. They miss it because Satan was able to steal away the seed like a bird before the seed gets planted.

Soil #2 – ROCKY SOIL – Next, some of God’s seed fell on soil that is filled with rocks. What is this rocky soil? Jesus tells us in verse 13 – it is a place where the word of God cannot grow healthy roots in a person’s heart. The seed is not allowed to grow deep and when a time of testing comes, the seed withers away and dies.

Soil #3 – THORNY SOIL – The third place Christ talks about is soil that is full of thorny weeds. What are the thorns that are ruining this heart’s soil? According to Jesus, they are life's worries, riches and pleasures. The seed begins to grow and even has some roots, but life gets in the way. The seed grows for a while but never matures and never bears any fruit.

Soil #4 – GOOD SOIL – This last bit of dirt is where we all WANT to be. Jesus talks about how some seed landed in good soil. What is this good soil? What is it made up of? Based on Jesus’ explanation, it stands for those with a noble and good heart. It stands for those who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Thoughts that impacted me:

4. There are 4 types of soil: The Path, The Rocky, The Thorny & The Good.

We will return to discuss each of these types of soil in detail, but my challenge to you in the meantime is to keep reading. We have introduced the parable of the sower, but now read verse 4 through verse 21 as one passage and not 3 separate stories. We’ll deal with how the next two passages impacts this parable and our lives next time.

Look for Part 3 of the Parable of the Sower on Friday, January 8th.