The Parable of the Sower and The Parable of the Sower Explained Matthew 13
The Parable
The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side. v 1
And great multitudes were gathered together unto Him,
so that He went into a ship, and sat;
and the whole multitude stood on the shore. v 2
Commentary:
There are times when Jesus spoke to many and other times to just His disciples
and at times, only to one or two disciples.
Just like with us, there are things for everyone to hear
and things that are very individualized.
At the end of this parable, He says, He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Even though it is for everyone, not all will understand it.
Consider yourself blessed if you have ears
and can hear Jesus speaking to us in His word.
If you have not experienced Jesus’ Living Word, He will hear your prayer:
And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
The Parable:
And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying,
Behold, a sower went forth to sow; v 3
Jesus’ Explanation:
Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. v 18
Commentary:
This particular time Jesus was talking to the people, He spoke only in parables.
A parable is somewhat similar to a metaphor.
A parable is a short story with a moral to it.
A metaphor is an idea that similarly reflects another idea.
Sometimes Jesus did not explain the parables.
This time He did. Even so, some did not understand.
Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not;
and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. Matthew 13:13
The Parable:
And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side,
and the fowls came and devoured them up: v 4
Jesus’ Explanation:
When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not,
then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. v 19
Commentary:
Some seeds never even make it to the hearts of men.
Even the most wonderful treasures can just fall by the way side and be wasted.
It depends on how the hearer values the words
and how much they desire to learn about Jesus and His Kingdom to come.
The Parable:
Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth:
and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: v 5
And when the sun was up, they were scorched;
and because they had no root, they withered away. v 6
Jesus’ Explanation:
But he that received the seed into stony places,
the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; v 20
Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while:
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth
because of the word, by and by he is offended. v 21
Commentary:
This is the difficult part for many to love and accept the truth,
no matter what that means.
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb,
and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21
People like Jesus’ words on the surface.
They like that He is loving and kind and giving.
Many take issue with His words of Hell or of correction and harsh words for sin.
Jesus said,
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words
in this adulterous and sinful generation;
of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed,
when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. Mark 8:38
The Parable:
And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: v 7
Jesus’ Explanation:
He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word;
and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word,
and he becometh unfruitful. v 22
Commentary:
Those are almost like weeds. They just cling to something,
but never develop enough to make a difference in their faith
or the hearers can be led astray as the thorns interfere with the truth.
The Parable:
But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit,
some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. v 8
Jesus’ Explanation:
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word,
and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit,
and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. v 23
Commentary:
This is where we hope to be: Good Ground.
We can till our own soil to an extent.
We also have to let the Lord do His work in our lives.
He knows best and can overcome the world within us.
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:16
Our work means nothing without His Holy Spirit.
We also do not make anything grow or bear fruit. Only God can do that.
We cannot make anything grow in the flesh, in our own lives or in the lives of others.
Our work in the Lord is valuable to Him and He will reward us greatly.
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. v 9