Sermon: The Parable of the Sower (Part 1) Matthew 13:1-10
Truth Taught- A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.
Introduction
In this next section, Matthew introduces the reality that from here on out our Lord’s teaching the crowds is almost consistently done in parables.
Here’s what parables are not…
Parables are not earthly teaching with a heavenly meaning.
Parables are not stories to help us remember what Jesus taught.
Parables are not stories that teach morality.
Their purpose as Jesus will tell us in the next section (Next week, Lord willing) is two-fold. They reveal truth to some and they conceal truth for others.
Typically, the parable is teaching something about the Kingdom of God. So, they are a to deliver knowledge to some and hide it from others.
One commentator writes, Jesus now, more than ever before, begins to speak in parables, in order a. to further reveal truth to those who accept the mysterious, and b. to conceal it from those who rejected the obvious. [1]
We were introduced to the concept that knowledge of God must be revealed back in Chapter 11.
Matthew 11:25–27 (ESV)
25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
This knowledge of the Father doesn’t come to us like other knowledge. Most other types of knowledge being wise and having understanding are a big plus. Here, Jesus tells us that there is a type of knowledge that is not discovered by hard investigation or rigorous scientific experimentation. Knowledge of the Father only comes to us by revelation.
Jesus tells us that He is the only One who knows the Father and the Father is the only One who knows Him. Because Jesus is the only One who knows the Father, if we are to know the Father then Jesus has to reveal the Father to us. This revelation is not determined by being smart or not but is simply left in God’s hands to reveal any way and to whom He chooses.
27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
If anyone is to be saved, possessing true knowledge of the Father given through the Son then the Son must reveal Him to us. There is only one way to receive this knowledge and it is fixed in and through Jesus.
The point with all this is that the crowds, in general, are an evil and adulterous generation and Jesus has formally passed judgment on them and upon their cities. Woe to you He declared.
So, understand that when Jesus starts teaching in parables, it’s all over. These are judgment stories for the crowd. Truth is hidden and they will remain blind and deaf to the knowledge contained within. No more clear Sermon of the Mount stuff where they marveled at Jesus’ teaching but never repented. No more clear straight up teaching. From here on out it will be in parables, hidden and vague.
Matthew 13:1-10 (ESV)
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.” 10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”
1. Interpreting the Crowd
13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.
This event takes place on the bank of the Sea of Galilee. This was a rural area with a very dispersed population. Naturally, there should be no crowd here at all. It would be like standing in the middle of a cornfield out in the country in Indiana and preaching a sermon trying to draw a crowd. There are no people to speak of you cannot draw a crowd where there are no people.
This crowd, on the other hand, was gathered through amazing phenomena. They were gathered out of controversy. Sometimes crowds are drawn through a good show; sometimes it’s through a charismatic speaker, sometimes through something never seen before etc. This crowd formed because of controversy, and traveled to see more.
We have covered Chapters 11 and 12 of Matthew’s Gospel and we too saw Jesus clash with the religious leaders. We saw them try to trap Him and He stayed one step ahead.
We saw the Sabbath controversy…Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?
Matthew 12:15 (ESV)
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all
We saw the demon-possessed man healed and the Pharisees credit Satan not the Holy Spirit.
We saw, as they demanded Jesus to give them a sign.
Matthew 12:38 (ESV)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
This was a crowd that gathered because of controversy. They were not following Jesus because they saw in Him eternal life but because they saw in Him action, excitement and something different.
We have probably all seen the nice little children’s pictures of Jesus sitting out in the boat teaching this crowd. This event, however, is anything but what the little children’s lessons teach. The children’s pictures can sometimes confuse the truth. What I mean is there is a big difference between a crowd and a church.
In our fallen world as with the world in Jesus’ day, a crowd is interpreted as a good thing, the bigger the crowd the better the event. Crowds are means of affirmation. A large crowd must be better than a small group of people. A mega church must be better than a small church.
Evangelical Christianity does not, for the most part, know the difference between a crowd and a church.
If we fall into the trap that the modern church has been ensnared by and it even appears Jesus’ disciple had succumbed to we will never see the truth of these passages of Scripture.
When the disciples asked Jesus at the end of our text, verse 10, why do You teach them in parables, they are not simply asking Jesus a question. In the Greek, it’s a statement shrouded with a question mark so as to not look too demanding.
Men, have your wives ever said something like this to you? You’re not going to wear that shirt with those paints are you? Or perhaps children your mom might say, you’re not going to go outside without your coat, are you?
What were the disciples getting at? Jesus, You’ve got an amazing crowd here today. No one has ever seen a crowd like this in Galilee. Now is the time, Jesus to give them everything You’ve got. Have them all sign up as followers, march them into Jerusalem singing Jesus is the Messiah and banging their cymbals. You see to the disciples the crowd equals opportunity; the crowd equals power and a large potential. This is exactly the wrong interpretationof this crowd.
Their question was basically showing that they wanted Jesus to say more than He said. Say more than this parable about seeds and dirt…tell them You’re the Messiah straight up!
2. The Parable of the Soil and Seeds
3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Here in this parable we have four different types of soil. The seed seems to be the same, the difference is found in the soil itself. We will go into greater detail when we cover Jesus’ explanation of it. But here I want us to see the basic meaning.
The Seed- The Gospel of the Kingdom
The Soil- The condition of the hearer’s heart
The Fruit- Is the proof that the person is a genuine believer.
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower: “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.”
Salvation is more than saying after the Sermon on the Mount…
Matthew 7:28–29 (ESV)
28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Salvation is more than asking…
Matthew 12:23 (ESV)
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
Let’s look briefly at the parable. Remember the difference is in the soil the seed lands upon. Only God prepares the soil…
The picture is a small town farmer who broadcasts the seed by dipping his hand into the bag or basket and throwing the seed onto the ground.
A. Seed on the Path
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
Some of the seeds landed onto the hard beaten down soil. It just laid on top and the birds saw a free meal. They came and ate it. This hard packed soil was not prepared to receive the seed.
B. Seed on Rocky Places
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
Here, this seed sprouts and has the illusion of life. The seed sprouts but once the scorching sun’s heat hits the small plant it quickly dies and withers away. This soil too was not prepared to receive the seed.
C. Seed Among Thorns
7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
Here the seed sprouts and too has the illusion of life. The thorn bushes grow quicker and heartier and the sprout is choked out. This soil was full of weeds and their roots choked out the life of the seed that sprouted. This soil was not prepared to receive the seed.
D. Seed in Good Soil
8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
This soil is good soil. This soil is not too hard or packed down, it’s not rocky but fertile, it’s not full of thorns and weeds. It’s been prepared to receive the seed. Because God had prepared this soil to receive the seed, the seed sprouts and bears fruit…some produced as much as a hundred times what was planted.
9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
Our Lord signals us that there is more here than on the surface. His call is for those who have a spiritual capacity to understand to take notice. God is doing something here.
What is the one point the parable is teaching?
To summarize the point of the Parable of the Sower: “A man’s reception of God’s Word is determined by the condition of his heart.” A secondary lesson would be “Salvation is more than a superficial, albeit joyful, hearing of the gospel. Someone who is truly saved will go on to prove it.” They will produce fruit in various ways and in different amounts.
The fruit of the Spirit will be evident in those who are good soil with the good seed planted, sprouted, and growing.
Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
I pray God has given you the capacity to ponder this parable. I pray He has prepared your heart to hear His Word and that Word is sprouting in your life and changing you.
*Resources Used:
Matthew by D A Carson in the Expositor’s Bible Commentary
A Theology of Matthew by Charles Quarles
A Gospel of Matthew by France
Matthew by Craig Bloomberg
Matthew by Doriani
Matthew by Charles Price
Matthew by Leon Morris
Blue Letter Bible
Matthew 13:1-10 Albert Mohler
[1] Hendriksen, The Gospel of Matthew, 549
