MATTHEW 13:3-93And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; 4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: 5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: 6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: 8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. 9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matthew 13:3‑9)—explained in verses 18-23.
See also MARK 4:2-202And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, 3Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8And 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. 9And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 10And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11And 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: 12That 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. 13And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables? 14The sower soweth the word. 15And 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. 16And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17And 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. 18And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19And 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. 20And 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. (Mark 4:2‑20); LUKE 8:4-154And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: 5A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. 6And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. 7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. 8And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. 9And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? 10And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. 11Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8:4‑15).
Verse 3. And He spake many things unto them in parables, saying, " Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
Verse 4. And when he sowed some seeds fell by the wayside, and the fowls came and devoured them up.
Verse 5. Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
Verse 6. And when Me sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
Verse 7. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
Verse 8. But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
Verse 9. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”
WHEN the Son of Man was on the earth, He was the Sower of the seed, afterward the work was taken up by the Apostles, and is continued by His servants. The seed sown is the word of God (Luke 8:1111Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. (Luke 8:11)). According to Matthew it is the word of the Kingdom (ver. 19), for it is the testimony of God concerning Christ, and also the proclamation of the kingdom. It is a life-giving, regenerating, sanctifying word, through the power of the Holy Ghost, as Jesus said, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth... the words that I speak unto you are Spirit, and they are life" (John 6:6363It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63)).
The wayside hearer is one that heareth the word, but understandeth it not. The seed lies on the surface; it does not penetrate the understanding; hence Satan or his emissaries soon catch it away. When once the word is understood and received in faith as the testimony of God, it is beyond Satan's reach.
In the stony-ground hearer, although the emotions are affected and the feelings are excited, there is no real and deep heart experience, hence "the root of the matter" is not in him. The impression is superficial and transitory; temptation or persecution arising, he is stumbled. In this case, the hard heart unbroken has prevented the truth from taking root.
When the seed is sown among thorns, the cares of this world, in the case of the poor, the deceitfulness of riches in the wealthy, and the desire of other things entering in, choke the word and it becomes unfruitful.
In the wayside hearer, the danger is from Satan.
In the stony-ground hearer, the danger arises from the hardness of the heart, and the obduracy of the flesh.
When sown among thorns, the danger is from the world, its allurements, entanglements, and engrossing cares.
The good ground is that which is neither hard, nor trodden down; neither rocky, or stony, or cumbered with thorns and briers; it represents the heart that is prepared to receive the word with all readiness of mind, without prejudice or opposition, which allows the word to penetrate, and is open to deep conviction, and having received the truth, keeps and treasures it; and brings forth fruit with patience, not allowing the world with its cares or pleasures to interfere. The word is received as the word of God, under the constraining love of Christ, and in the purifying power of the Holy Ghost. Three methods of reading the Scriptures may be mentioned:
First—The ATTENTIVE hearing and ACCURATE reading of the word of God in the Divine presence, and in dependence on the teaching of the Spirit of God, "the ear of the soul being opened to hear what the Spirit saith" (verse 9). In contrast with the WAYSIDE hearer.
Second—So hearing or reading as that the truth may lead to an EXPERIMENTAL acquaintance with the mind of God, and affect the heart and character. In contrast with the STONY GROUND hearer.
Third—The word of God so heard or read that it might lead to PRACTICAL results wrought out amidst the actual circumstances of every-day life; neither the cares of business, nor the possession of riches hindering fruitfulness, but rather used as a means of serving and glorifying God. In contrast with the THORNY GROUND hearer.
Where these three are combined, and the word of God heard or read ATTENTIVELY, EXPERIMENTALLY, AND PRACTICALLY, there is the good ground; and, just in proportion to the careful study, the experimental realization and carrying out of the instructions of the Word, will be the measure of fruitfulness, whether THIRTY, SIXTY, or a HUNDREDFOLD.
Or we may thus state it. The diligent perusal of the Scriptures will lead to a thirtyfold fruit-bearing. When with this is combined an experimental reception, there will be a sixtyfold. And when, again, the truth clearly perceived and experimentally held is put into practice in the ordinary affairs of life, there will be the hundredfold fruit-bearing. In solar light there is a combination of three distinct rays; the yellow or luminous ray, diffusing light: the red, the calorific or heating ray, diffusing warmth: and the blue, or actinic ray, producing fruitfulness.
When the Scriptures are read in the light of the Divine presence, their truth and beauty are distinctly seen. This corresponds with the yellow ray.
When read in the apprehension of the person and work of Christ, the center theme of inspired Scripture, the heart is warmed and comforted, as by the red ray.
When interpreted and brought home by the power of the Holy Ghost, un-grieved, invited, and depended upon, the fruits of the Spirit will be brought forth in their fullness and perfection, as by the blue ray.