Do you know the message of the parable of the Sower in the Book of Matthew, chapter 13? Do not worry! In this article we will show you a detailed summary.
Parable of the Sower
Jesus preached with parables, which are spiritual teachings that compared them to everyday life. This allowed his audience or listeners to understand the message.
Some may wonder why teach with parables? Jesus himself answered this question as follows:
Mattheww 7:7-8
10 Then the disciples came and said to him, Why do you speak to them in parables?
11 He answered and said to them: Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; but to them it is not given.
12 For whoever has, will be given, and he will have more; but whoever he does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13 That is why I speak to them in parables: because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
This means that he who seeks more of the Word will be given more. He who is hungry will have the bread of life. His spiritual hunger will be satisfied, but the one who rejects the Word will have what little he received taken away.
Now, in the context of the parable of the Sower, his message is contrasted with the sowing of seeds. To carry out this agricultural activity, the farmer ties a basket around his waist to keep his hands free. He plows the land, plows the land, fertilizes the land, prepares it, and then spreads the seeds all over the field. Then he must water the land to wait for the desired fruit.
Let us read the message related by the Lord Jesus:
Mattheww 7:7-8
That day Jesus left the house and sat by the sea.
2 And many people joined him; and getting into the boat, he sat down, and all the people were on the beach.
3 And he spoke many things to them in parables, saying, Behold, the sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some of the seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and ate it up.
5 Some fell on scree, where there wasn't much soil; and it sprouted quickly, because it had no depth of earth;
6 but when the sun came out, it was burned; and because it had no root, it withered.
7 And part fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked her.
8 But some fell on good ground, and bore fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.
9 Let him who has ears to hear hear.
The sower in this specific case is Jesus. The seed is the Word of God. The land is the heart of the people. This means that when a Christian goes out to preach in the street he is sowing the Word of God. When he has a conversation at work, at a family gathering and preaches, well he is sowing the seed.
Now there are people who have been trampled by sin and have a hard heart. It's hard for the Word to get in. They are those people who reject everything that has to do with God.
There are others who have a heart like the earth with stones. They receive the Word, they seem to be Christians. They show enthusiasm at the moment, but when the blows of life come, they abandon the way of God.
There are also people who listen to the Word of God, but their heart is in the cares of life, the riches of the world.
But there are also people who have a heart prepared to receive the Word of God. People who are hungry for God. They are the true Christians. Therefore, they bear fruit. They are people who, despite adversity, remain on the path of God, seek and worship God.
Purpose of the Parable of the Sower
This parable presents us with the four types of hearts that Christians are going to stumble upon along the way while preaching the Word of God. When the Lord presents us with four types of terrain, he is warning us that not all people are willing to receive the Word of God.
Not all people are willing to hear the gospel of Salvation. People decide their own destiny. As well as this parable, we can invite you to read another of the parables of Jesus in the following link entitled parable of the talents
Symbols and meanings
When Jesus told his parables, he related them to events and activities of daily life that facilitated their understanding and message. In order to understand them, we need to identify the symbols and meanings to fully understand the message.
Let our children tell the story according to each image
The sower
It is a picture of Jesus Christ:
Matthew 13: 37
37 Answering him, he said to them: He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
The seed
The Word of God
Lucas 8: 11
11 This, then, is the parable: The seed is the word of God.
Lands
The different hearts of men.
land along the road
The birds were able to eat the seeds because the soil was hard. This means that hard-hearted people have no way of getting the Word of God planted in their hearts. Our Lord, he explains to us in his own words who he refers to.
Matthew 13: 19
19 When someone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one that was planted by the wayside.
The birds represent the evil one and snatches from the heart of the person what has been sown (Acts 7:51-60). They are those who cover their ears so as not to hear the truth of Salvation.
In this terrain are the religious who reject the Truth. Even though it is in the Bible, those who adhere to the traditions of their fathers, to their religions, close their ears so as not to know the message of Salvation.
On the other hand, this ground represents those people who reject the Word of God and scoff at the gospel message (2 Peter 3:3). They are also those people given over to the delights of this world and prefer their worldly life instead of correcting their way (John 3:18)
the scree
According to the Word of God, this land represents the people who receive the message of the gospel, however when it comes the blows of life leave the way. They are people who prefer to return to the world than to be persecuted, mocked.
In this group, there are the comfortable people. People who prefer an easy Christianity that does not generate work. They are the Christians who follow false doctrines such as prosperity Christianity (Luke 9:57; Matthew 16:24)
Another qualification of people who are in this group are the hearers of the Word (Ezekiel 33:30-33; Mark 6:14-31; Romans 2:13). They are those who listen, but do not put into practice what they learn. They are characterized by criticizing the prophet, the one who carries the Word of God.
Mattheww 7:7-8
20 And he who was sown on stony places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately receives it with joy;
21 but it has no root in itself, but is of short duration, because when affliction or persecution comes because of the word, then it stumbles.
the thorns
According to the same explanation given by our Lord Jesus Christ, the people who qualify in this group are those who listen to the Word of God, but prefer to work, look for money instead of looking for the things of the Kingdom of God. Those people who are aware of the desire for money and are materialistic (Matthew 19:16-22).
Matthew 13
22 He who was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the eagerness of this age and the deceit of riches choke the word, and it becomes fruitless.
On the other hand, the thorny ground represents people who love the things of this world and end up losing their soul (1 Timothy 6:9-10). Greedy people who believe that material things will never end are added (Luke 12:13-21; Ecclesiastes 2:18-19)
Good land
According to the Word and the sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ, the true believer represents the good ground. They are those people who receive the Word of God for his Salvation (John 14:21).
Matthew 13: 23
23 But he who was sown on good ground, this is he who hears and understands the word, and bears fruit; and he produces a hundred, sixty, and thirty times one.
The good soil represents the people who are being transformed by the Power of God (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). On the other hand, it is the Christians who put their knowledge into practice and bear fruit. They are the doers of the Words (Galatians 5:22).
The good ground represents the heavenly citizens, that is, the true children of God (Philippians 3:20; Ephesians 2:19)
Summary
El parable of the sower summary, it is simply based on the fact that the Christian when he goes to preach he will meet four types of people. Some are hard-hearted, therefore they will reject the gospel message.
Other people who will listen, but quickly abandon the way of God because of the persecutions and ridicules that the Christian usually faces.
The third group are those who simply listen to the Word of God, but are not doers of the Word.
Finally the true Christian who is transformed by the Power of the Word and bears fruit.
To conclude, after having addressed the parable of the sower, we want you to tell us what other biblical story you want us to tell you.
Story about the parable of the sower
One way for our children to understand the Word of God is through literature, dramatizations and stories. This time we bring you a story in the following audiovisual material so you can share it with your children.
Comic books
Now, for the little ones in the house we leave the explanation of the parable of the sower adapted for children.
