Understanding
Biblical Truth
The Parable
of the Sower and the Seeds
Mark 4
4 And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered
unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea;
and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
We just read that Christ began to teach from a ship. His ministry
had grown so large, that as the people pressed on Him, to hear Him, they pushed
Him into the sea. Therefore, to combat the overcrowded conditions, He taught
from the sea, in the little ship.
2 And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto
them in his doctrine,
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Christ taught the crowd, many things by parables, and on this day,
He shared with them this doctrine.
3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
Understanding Biblical Truth:
This parable starts with the notion that there was a sower, or a dispenser
of seeds, a farmer, who began to spread his seeds to the ground.
4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way
side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
As this farmer spread out his seeds, some seeds fell upon the edge
of the road. Remember, a road is
usually a section of compacted ground, where people have walked over, or it has
intentionally been prepared, thickened, and packed, for the purpose of walking.
The seed which landed upon the edge of the road was found by the birds, who
then ingested the seeds. The soil was so thick that the seeds could not
penetrate the dirt. Therefore, it was easy for the birds to find the seeds,
and completely devour them.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much
earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Some of the farmer’s seeds fell on stony ground or ground
that was void of soil. Almost immediately, these seeds began to germinate,
because the earth was too shallow, for it lacked sufficient earth.
6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it
had no root, it withered away
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Because these seeds were on stony ground, they were able to burrow themselves into the earth,
unfortunately, the earth’s depth was not sufficient to allow the growth of roots
to sustain the plant in its early development, and the hot sun baked the
plant, and it died.
7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and
choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Now, some of the farmer’s seeds landed on thorny ground. Since thorns had grown there, we
know that there existed sufficient earth to allow the seeds to form the root
systems they required for growth. Unfortunately, the weeds placed themselves in
competition with the farmer’s seeds, for the limited resources, particularly,
water. This competition favored the weeds, being indigenous to the ground where
they were already growing. Additionally, it is reasonable to believe that these
weeds had the benefit of having started to grow first, and therefore, had
another advantage of being further developed than the farmer’s seeds. These
advantages for the weeds, allowed them to acquire a disproportionate number of
resources, particularly water, and therefore, the farmer’s seeds suffered from
dehydration and died.
8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that
sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and
some an hundred.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Now, some of the farmer’s seeds landed on good ground, the ground where the growing
conditions were optimal for the development of his seeds. Ground with sufficient
soil for the roots to develop, and sufficient water to sustain the plant in the
heat of the sun. This allowed the plants to develop until the sun becomes an
actual benefit to the plant, allowing them growth thru photosynthesis, rather than
being a detriment to them, when the heat boiled and dehydrated the plants. These
plants were able to grow and yield thirty, sixty, or a hundred times more seeds
than was used to grow the plant.
9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear,
let him hear.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Then Jesus states to those listening, he who has understanding, let them hear, and understand
more, or better. At this moment, all in the crowd were listening, so this must
mean that Christ had reserved this statement for a particular group of people,
that were to be found amongst those who were currently listening.
0 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the
twelve asked of him the parable.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Later, after the crowd had dispersed, the people that remained
with Christ, and the twelve apostles, inquired of Him, the meaning of the
parable that He had shared with the crowd.
11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to
know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are
without, all these things are done in parables:
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Christ explains to His disciples, the twelve apostles, and the people who remained, “To you is given the blessing of
understanding. You will see, hear, learn, and understand the true meaning of
God’s kingdom, but to everyone else that has seen, and heard this parable, they
will not share in the blessing of understanding, for they are without. But exactly, what are they
without?
12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing
they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted,
and their sins should be forgiven them.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Here we discover the meaning for the phrase “that are without”.
One could oversimplify the interpretation, to merely stand for the group of
people who lacked understanding, but this is not an accurate account for Christ’s
words. Our Savior, so that His interpretation is not errored, goes on to
further explain the phrase. He states that there exists something in the people,
or around them, or something that they lack, that makes is responsible for them
being
without. Jesus further defines this condition, though they see with their
eyes, they do not see with their minds, and though they hear with their ears,
they do not hear with their hearts, therefore, they reject the message. Christ then goes on to say, that
if at any time, these individuals were to accept this message, then they would be converted, and enmity toward sin
would be found in their hearts, and their sins would be forgiven. So, what is
blocking, or lacking in the persons’ brains, that prevents the conversion from
one’s experience, thru their own senses, to the realization of its existence,
reality, in the mind? What establishes this barrier to the transformation from the
brain’s senses to the mind’s reality? How can there be a reality in the brain,
but not in the mind. We will address this later.
13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how
then will ye know all parables?
Understanding Biblical Truth:
The Savior then goes on to ask His disciples, the twelve, and those who remained behind. Those who
crave spiritual food, or satisfaction of their spiritual needs, over the satisfaction
of their hunger, or their physical needs. This establishes the first commandment,
that nothing should come before God, not even our most basic needs of
life. For this reason, Christ did not turn the stones to bread (Matthew 4:4). Christ then asks of His
disciples, those who desire truth, don’t you understand this parable? Jehovah
then makes the statement, if you do not rid yourselves (the plank in your eye –
Matthew
7:5) or
acquire for yourselves (the eye salve – Revelation 3:18) those things that block, or those things that remove,
the transformation of your senses (brain) to your intellect (mind), then you
shall never understand any parable. For this reason, Christ states that we must
become like little children (Matthew 18:3), with no preconceived conditions in our minds or
hearts, lest they block our understanding of truth. This establishes the
difference in existence and function between the brain and the mind.
Now there was a specific reason why Christ taught the others, in parables,
they simply were not ready for the truth. If Christ would have shared this
truth with them, and they, existing in a state of unreadiness, this knowledge
would have led to the rejection of truth, and this would have become the road to destruction.
They would have been held to a level of understanding, even though they were not
prepared for it, and failure would have been imminent. By Christ teaching in a parable, He showed His love for them, creating a layer of mercy, where they could have time to
remove the plank, or obtain the eye salve, and then be ready for acceptance.
Otherwise, their defeat would be ensured.
14 The sower soweth the word.
Understanding
Biblical Truth
–
Now
Christ elaborates on the meaning of “the seed”. He explains the farmer plants
the “word of God” in man’s heart. So, we need to uncover two things, who is the
Sower, and what does the seed lead to? What is the grown plant’s equivalent?
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is
sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh
away the word that was sown in their hearts.
Understanding Biblical Truth –
Again, Christ repeats the story and continues to explain its
meaning. The seed, or truth, that lands by side of the road, where the road has
been packed, therefore, the condition of the roadside is, condensed,
impenetrable ground, our hearts are hardened. Ground that nothing can sink or
burrow into. This is done for the purpose of walking so that as one steps,
they do not sink into the soil and trip. Therefore, this seed has no ability
to cover or burrow itself into the soil. Therefore, this plant never
germinates or starts the process of root production. These are those people,
who hear the truth, and immediately reject it. Therefore, there is no establishment of plant growth
at all, and without growth, plant death quickly ensues. This seed is easy for
Satan to find, and steal by eating it. Satan is the bird.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony
ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with
gladness;
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Christ then explains the condition of the stony ground. Remember, the roadside’s
condition is so condensed or packed so tightly, that the seed of truth cannot
penetrate from the eyes or ears, the senses, into the mind or belief, the soil.
In the stony ground, there is some soil above the stones, but insufficient for
there to establish adequate root development. This person experiences the seed,
or truth, within their senses, and gladly accepts it, within their senses. There
is initial cultivation of this seed, and root development initiates.
17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a
time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word’s
sake, immediately they are offended.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Christ then expounds upon the fact
that the environment is not conducive to adequate growth. Even though the roots
begin to sprout, they are inadequately sufficient to sustain the further
development of the plant. The seed, the truth, all though successfully planted,
only has the ability for minimal growth. This plant has the capability to
survive, but only for a limited time. The unprepared soil allows for
scant growth, and when difficulty develops, the undeveloped plant is incapable
of adapting to the changes and quickly dies from malnourishment and dehydration. Satan’s temptations are the scorching sun that causes our truth
to wither away.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as
hear the word,
Understanding
Biblical Truth:
Christ
explains to his followers, the apostles, and those who remained. Next, we find
an environment where optimal growth has the potential to occur. Unfortunately,
there existed other plants, weeds that sprung up first, and these weeds were
not removed prior to the dispersal of the seeds, insufficient preparation of
soil. As the seed germinates, it must compete with the weeds for the limited
resources, minerals, water, and sunlight. Since the weeds have deeper roots,
and taller leaves, having commenced their growth prior to the germination of our seeds, have an unfair advantage over our little seed, and easily overcome
it. The weed absorbs most of the available water since its root system is
vast. The weed blocks out the sun since its leaves envelop the tiny leaves of
our little seed. Therefore, the weeds choke our seeds to death, by depriving
them of what is needed for growth.
19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of
riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it
becometh unfruitful.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
So, our little seed has some growth, unfortunately, it is limited by
the circumstances that the weeds present. As we can see, the weeds can be anything
from the lust of the eyes, the deceitfulness of riches, the lust of the flesh, cares
and needs of this world, and the pride of life, the lust of other things
entering in. These conditions, some preconceived, others we experience as life
goes on, choke the truth out of us, and lead us to compromise when we are
weak.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as
hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some
sixty, and some an hundred.
Understanding
Biblical Truth:
Finally,
Christ gives the “Good News”. There is some seed, that lands on perfectly
prepared soil. The soil where there are plentiful minerals and water. The soil where
the weeds have been removed. The soil where the access to the sunlight is perfect. These
seeds, where the soil has been prepared for growth, give the seeds their
maximum opportunity for growth and grow they do. Some seed geminates into a
bush that provides thirty times more than was started with, others sixty times,
and still others one hundred times.
Conclusion:
Now, this is truly a beautiful story, but what does it mean? Why did Christ share
this “Good News” with his followers? Why did those who left, failed to
understand what Christ was saying? Does God favor man?
We
need to understand the following, what is the seed? What is the roadside ground?
What is stony ground? What is the weed-filled ground? What is good
ground? Lastly, who is the Sower of seeds?
Let
us start to answer these questions by turning back to the source, it is
written.
Romans 12:3 – For I say, through the grace given unto me, to
every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought
to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
This
verse clearly states that every person is given a measure of faith. So how does
this “faith” have any significance with our seed? The seed is our given
faith. When Christ created His children, he placed in them, an innate
need to search for that which is greater than himself. This desire causes man
to seek knowledge and truth, unfortunately, knowledge does not always equate to truth, and often man’s journey has been derailed by the search for knowledge,
rather than the search for truth. So, this innate desire is the seed. God gave everyone
this seed.
So,
what is the ground? The ground is what we do, and how we prepare to cultivate
our seed. The ground is our hearts and minds. When our hearts
are so packed with deception, that no level of truth can penetrate,
there can be no growth for our little seed. Then Satan comes to destroy our
little seed, or faith, creating in us disbelief. This often leads to the
rejection of God’s word or atheism.
When
our faith lands upon a heart in stony ground, there is
some level of soil, so initially, there is growth, as when we are born again in
our nature. Unfortunately, we do not prepare our soil by removing the stones,
and the things that plagued us, and separated us from God, before our rebirth,
return and do the same again. We return to the way we were before. Let us see
what “it is written” has to say.
Matthew 12:43-45
Here
Christ explains the cause-effect relationship of having our faith cast
upon stony ground. First, He explains that the unclean spirit leaves the man. The
man is free to think, to search, and to accept. The man searches for rest but
finds none. So, what the man was searching for was rest, but finds none, truth.
Most likely this man searched in that which he knew, knowledge, and since that
was inadequate before, it remained inadequate. Therefore, the man lost hope and
returned to his house, or the way his heart condition was before his rebirth. The
man become bitter against all that is God, and now evil has increased in his
heart against God, and we find him seven times worse than before. His enmity against
Jehovah has increased seven times. This man failed to search for truth, the word
of God, rather he searched for knowledge, the word of men. This knowledge,
along with Satan’s works, led this man back to where he began, confused, angry,
alone. If only this man would have searched elsewhere. Today, many professed
Christians are willing to accept the “word of men” without confirming these
words to the “word of God”, therefore, we are witnessing the same pattern, and
these unfortunate souls will eventually find their knowledge lacking truth. This
will lead many to despise our Creator, and they will choose to believe in
alternative knowledge, evolution, atheism, and apostate Protestantism.
Again,
we find our seed land upon the soil that has been improperly prepared, yes,
we removed the stones, but we failed to destroy the weeds. Our weed-filled soil, although sufficient in minerals and water, has a problem,
it has weeds. The weeds create a competition for the available resources, water,
and minerals. This is like when we accept the truth, but we lose our first love,
our desire to know more, and our drive for growth thru truth.
Revelation 2:2-4
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou
canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are
apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake
hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because
thou hast left thy first love.
Understanding
Biblical Truth:
Here
our Savior recognizes the achievements of the early church. He commends their
works, their knowledge of the truth, their recognition of error, and their implementation
of learned behaviors for Christ. Unfortunately, Christ also condemns them for the
one thing that may eventually cause them to depart from the truth, which is their
first love. The church is of the impression that it knows enough, it does
enough, and it behaves well enough. These ideals potentially lead the church to
a pagan doctrine, righteousness by works.
The church, because of its belief, that it was good enough, lost its desire to learn
more, or continue its growth in truth, and its dependence upon God.
The
weeds suffocate our desire to have our characters mimic those of our Savior’s. We
begin to believe, as the early church, that we are good enough. We forget the description
of salvation that Christ gave us, in His sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the
poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
When mankind, or even the church, become aware of their inadequacy,
then and only then can their hearts soften to examine the truth, and accept it.
If ever they believe themselves to be full, or acceptable, they lose this
special blessing, that leads to the knowledge of their sins, and the enmity in
them. This enmity in sin leads to true AGAPE with Christ, toward God the
Father.
Finally,
some of our seeds fall upon good ground. This is ground that has been adequately
prepared to receive the seed. It is when we remove “everything” from our
hearts and minds that can become a barrier between the seed, truth, and our
spiritual growth, the plant. Only then
can the seed, truth, that the Sower, our Christ has planted, continue to grow. It can only continue
to grow when we have complete dependence upon the Son of God. If ever we depend
upon ourselves, we return to our empty home, and acquire the seven devils, and
find ourselves seven times worse than before.
So
let us review:
Christ is the Sower
of seeds. He implants in every man, a measure of faith. A longing to, and
desire, to meet his creator. Our hearts are the soil, and they can only
germinate the seed to the level of our willingness to prepare our soil by
removing the barriers between the Holy Spirit and
our minds. Christ provides the rain, minerals, and the sun, all
that is needed for the plant, or our faith, to grow. If we depend upon
ourselves, we will never obtain an adequate amount of water, minerals, and sun
for us to grow, and we will die. Our growth requires complete dependence upon our
Father in heaven. We only need to get out of the way as He, thru the Holy Spirit
remove the obstacles. If we do not interfere in this process, God will always
be successful.
Let
us answer the last question, does God favor men?
Romans 2:11 – For there is no respect of persons with God.
Understanding Biblical Truth:
Because there is no favor of men, we are all equals in God’s
eyes, and in His church. There is no hierarchy, and therefore we come together
as one. If there were favoritism, it would go against the very character that is
God’s, God is Love. Therefore, let us rejoice, for the greater the sin, the
greater God’s grace. We can come boldly to His throne of Grace and find His
love of us.
Amen.