Matthew 13:3-8, 18-23

The He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow.  And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had not root they withered away.  And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  But others fell on good ground, and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty"....

"Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.  This is he who received seed by the wayside.  But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while.  For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles.  Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the Word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word, and he becomes unfruitful.   But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty."

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     Seed was sown in Jesus' day by randomly scattering seed as the sower walked through the fields.  In the parable, some seed falls by the wayside, where the ground is hard.  The seed lays on the surface of the ground, and is snatched up by birds.  Some fall on stony places.  This seed grasps the little soil available and springs up, but has no depth of root, so when the sun comes  up, it withers.  Some fall among thorns.  These seed grow but are overtaken by thorns.  The seed's growth is stunted with little or no fruit.  Some seed falls on good ground.  These mature into heathy, strong plants that bear an abundance of good fruit.

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     The seed is the Word of God.  Christians are the sowers. The field is the world and the ground is our hearts.

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John 4:34-38

Jesus said to them,..."Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true: 'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."

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     We are laborers in His fields.  Field workers do not all do the same thing.  Some sow seed.  Some harvest.  Paul said: 

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 I Cor. 3:6 

I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 

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     Certainly it is God Who creates life and causes fruit to grow.  But we have jobs to do in His fields.  The field is the world, and He says the harvest is "white" or ready for harvest.  People need God's Word.  God's Word is the mightiest weapon in the world (Hebrews 4:12).  It is the only weapon that can defeat evil and save the sinner.  We need to be spreading God's Word, and especially the Good News of the Gospel, at every opportunity.

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But there is more.

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     In the parable of the sower, some seed falls on the hard ground of the wayside.  This seed is quickly removed by the enemy.  To avoid this, before the seed is planted, the ground must be cultivated.  

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Matthew 5:44

But I (Jesus) say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.

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I Peter 2:11-12

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by our good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

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     Notice the scripture does not say we should just live good lives, It says we should live honorably among them.  This involves interaction.  Getting to know them.  Developing relationships so we know how to pray for them and how to sow seed in them, while they have the opportunity to witness the light of Christ within us and the difference in our lives.  This involves time and effort as well as vigilance to avoid the temptation to compromise so they will "like" us, according to false human wisdom.  A farmer must cultivate and cultivate deeply when soil is hardened.

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     Other seed in the parable falls on rocky ground.  Here the seed is gladly received, but quickly withers.  In rocky ground plants have difficulty getting enough water to maintain life.  Water quickly drains away through the rocks, and the rocks absorb the heat of the sun, making the ground even hotter and drier.  It is not enough for a seed to sprout.  An unsprouted seed holds the promise of life within.  A sprouted seed that dies is dead.  Certainly more seed can be planted in this spot of ground, but if it is to grow, the rocks must be dug up and removed, and replaced with good, fertile soil.  

     To lead someone to pray a salvation prayer is a wonderful and exciting event.  But the work of a gardener is not over when the seed sprouts.  The plant must be protected and nurtured until it grows strong enough to continue growing on its own.  Just like a baby, new Christians need the love and care and nurturing of other Christians.  Inviting them to church is not enough.  Giving them a Bible is not enough.  You have a responsibility to disciple them.

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Matthew 28:19-20

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I (Jesus) have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

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     We are laborers.  This involves work.  This is the work Jesus assigned to us.  This involves time and effort, commitment to Christ, self-sacrifice, and prayer for God's love to flow through us for others.  But if the seed we sow is to bear fruit, the ground must be prepared for planting and the new plants must be protected and nurtured.

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     And then there is the thorny ground.  Notice in the parable that these plants don't die, they are just weak and unfruitful.  If we are Christ-followers, we need to help our brothers and sisters remove the weeds from their lives by loving, encouraging, discussing the Word together and praying for each other (Hebrews 10:23-25). 

     We also need to constantly examine our own lives.  We are redeemed, saved from the penalty of sin by the blood of Christ, but we still have sin natures and live in a sinful world.  Pulling weeds in the garden is a never-ending, daily job.  We all have weed seeds around us just waiting for an opportunity to sprout and grow.  Weeds can be sneaky.  They can mimic good plants and go undetected until they are quite big.  They can wrap themselves around good plants making it difficult to find the root and pull it out. 

     These are the cares the flesh and of this world.  It is easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of this current life.  We have to constantly remind ourselves that this life is not really reality.  It is like a vapor (James 4:13-15; Matthew 6:31-33).  Eternity is reality.  

     Let us all strive to break up the hard ground, dig up the rocks, pull the weeds and plant ourselves and all the seed God gives us on good ground.​​