Parables: Ears to Hear what is Sowed

Mark 4:1-20 

The Parable of the Sower

1 And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat in it on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching:

3 "Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

9 And He said to them, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

The Purpose of Parables

10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that

'Seeing they may see and not perceive,
And hearing they may hear and not understand;
Lest they should turn,
And their sins be forgiven them.'"

The Parable of the Sower Explained

13 And He said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred."

Jesus told many parables like this one about a sower planting seed by broadcasting it in different fields of the world along the way.  He taught many different things in this way, not specifically stating the intent or commands of God or the exact responses given by examples so that those who had been given spiritual understanding by God (Psalm 78:1-2) could grasp what escaped those not willing to come by repentance through faith to give themselves entirely to the Lord and His word in willing obedience.  

This particular parable was a symbolic narrative about the sower broadcasting seed representing the word of God on varying receptive soils of human hearts as he went and the results afterwards.  Seed landed on the hard wayside along the road where it could not take root and lay exposed so that the birds were able to devour it before it began germinating and could pit down a root to keep it from being taken away.  This was later explained by Jesus as Satan coming quickly to take God’s word from the hearers before it can germinate in their hearts and change them to follow God.  Then came the seed of God’s word landing on stony hearts with little fertile soil in a softened heart to allow the seed to germinate at all.  These people were those who liked what they heard in the words of God but it never takes root because they really are not interested in being obedient or transformed by that word.  Their momentary joy in hearing the message of what is in it for them fades quickly as they count the cost of following it and the Lord (Luke 14:28, 33) and are unwilling to commit to following Him on His terms.  They then fall away and move away from Him as soon as difficult circumstances face them because they wanted a life free from problems and their great expectations were not satisfied.  Those whose hearts were embedded in thorns (Luke 21:34-36) heard the word broadcast to them but cared more for the concerns and pursuits of the earthly life than the spiritual and therefore pursue the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10) and live for transitory material things instead of eternal kingdom concerns.  These pursuits keep the seed from growing and choke it out like invasive weeds do, leading to an unfruitful life.  

Finally, there are seeds broadcast onto fertile hearts ready and willing to hear with joy and endure all manner of hardships which are counted worthwhile in light of eternity in following the Master wherever He leads in all manner of circumstance and hardship.  They count the cost and set down deep roots to grow upwards (Isaiah 37:31) in the storms and commitment to know, grow, and love of the one who sowed that precious word in their hearts and gave them the hearing and sight to know and grow with a new and fertile heart as its garden.  Jesus also instructed the disciples that this means of conveying the message of the gospel was planned long ago to find root in those for whom it was intended that their God-given comprehension would result in their sins being forgiven because it germinated truth in their hearts made new to be fertile and receptive to believe and receive (John 1:12) these gospel words of life (John 6:63, Acts 5:20).  The reprobate who are vessels set for destruction (Romans 9:22) have hardened hearts and Satan has them in his sway while those vessels of grace find understand to forgiveness and fruitful growth at varying levels just as the seeds challenged by thorns of concerns or receptive for dedication to grow and bear much fruit (John 15:8).  May we grow apart from the thorns of earthly pursuits and press to the goal of the heavenly calling of Christ as Philippians 3:12-14 gives us the example of the life to pursue as we have ears which hear what has been sown in our hearts.