Reading through the Gospels 80

Mark 4:1-20; Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:4-18

Mark 4:1-20; Matthew 13:1-23; Luke 8:4-18

PARABLE OF THE SOWER & THE PURPOSE OF PARABLES

Again, by the Sea of Galilee! Gathered around Him a crowd, so He got in a boat so everyone on the shore could see and hear Him. He was teaching parables.

1. A sower, as he was sowing, inadvertently sowed seed along the path, and the birds came and ate it.

2. Other seed inadvertently fell on rocky ground without much soil and immediately it began to grow. Since it did not have much soil, the sun scorched it and it withered away.

3. Other seed inadvertently fell among thorns and the thorns choked it so it could yield no grain.

4. Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, continuing to grow 30, 60, and 100 times.

Jesus did not explain the parable, but charged them "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." That is convicting to me and I feel I cannot do it on my own accord, but pray to God for help to really hear with my ears and not just listen. May the words sink in, connect wires, and make sense!

When Jesus was alone, the 12 disciples inquired about the parables. Jesus replied, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that "they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.”

They must not have understood because Jesus continues, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?" Jesus wants his disciples to understand his parables first so that they can help the people understand them. If His own disciples do not understand, how can the people?

And then continues to explain the parables. Everyone who is given the Word does not hold onto it. Some fall away from grace because you have no root.

The sower is sowing the Word.

1.  Along the path, "Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them." A farmer throws out seed and it falls on the footpath, hardened by trompling. The birds eat the seed because on a path it would not be covered up with more dirt to protect it. The birds would be satan taking away the Word from one's heart. This listener hears but never comes back to the Word. HARDENED HEART | snatched

2. In rocky ground, "the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the Word, immediately they fall away." Hears, but has little soil! Faith withers under pressure. Growing on rocky ground gives no room for roots. The roots in their heart would be shallow. When the listener first hears, joy fills up the heart thinking it is going to be all sunshine and roses, but when troubles come along, instead of turning to God, one falls away. These seeds are not taken to heart. SHALLOW HEART | scorched

3. Among thorns, "They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful."   The listener hears the Word, but has so much else keeping busy with worldly desires that the stuff of the world crowds out time with God. If the Word is heard and does not prove fruitful, nothing has really happened in the heart. PREOCCUPED HEART | choked

4. Good soil, "the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." The listener hears, accepts, and bears fruit. FERTILE HEART | harvested

We are not called to try to find good soil before we throw seeds (God's Word), but we are called to merely throw seed wherever we can. We should not worry about where it lands because we will never run out of seed. Sow in reckless love. We are not in control of whether or not someone rejects God's Word.

Read hymn: Preach you the Word by Martin H. Franzmann

1.  Preach you the Word and plant it home

        To men who like or like it not,

     The Word that shall endure and stand

        When flow'rs and men shall be forgot.

2.  We know how hard, O Lord, the task

        Your servant bade us undertake:

     To preach Your Word and never ask

        What prideful profit it may make.

3.  The sower sows his reckless love

         Scatters abroad the goodly seed,

     Intent alone that all may have

        The wholesome loaves that all men need.

4.  Though some be snatched and some be scorched

         And some be choked and matted flat,

     The sower sows; his heart cries out,

        "Oh, what of that, and what of that?"

5.  Of all his scattered plenteousness

        One-fourth waves ripe on hill and flat,

     And bears a harvest hundredfold:

        "Ah, what of that, Lord, what of that!"

6.  Preach you the Word and plant it home

        And never faint; the Harvest Lord

     Who gave the sower seed to sow

        Will watch and tend His planted Word.

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Written December 10, 2025

(Matthew 13:20 ESV) As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy,

(Matthew 13:44 ESV) “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

I have already studied these two parables and shared my notes, which are here:

Matthew 13:17-23 The Parable of the Sower Explained

Matthew 13:44 The Parable of the Hidden Treasure

Please read to learn more about the parables on those pages before continuing to read this writing which is focusing on JOY in these two verses.

In the Parable of the Sower, the word JOY is found in the second sowing of seeds onto rocky ground.

Right away I see that STOOPID follows the JOY! It is rather STOOPID to lose one's faith because it gets started on a shallow heart. It is also STOOPID to throw out seeds of faith to where it is not taken to heart only to watch it wither away. I would feel so sad for the person having almost strong faith, but then lost. There is a pattern thus far in our studies where I see the JOY and STOOPID are always present, just like it seems they are in our lives today.

Seeds of faith are always a JOY when one first hears the Good News of God's Word and saving faith. I ponder what it feels like learning for the first time that faith is 100% a gift and that I have assurance of heaven. "Oh Wow," does not seem to cut it as a description. For me personally I was a bit in shock at how easy it is because the world always makes it sound so complicated. Believe and that's it, yep!

It is the kind of delight that bubbles up within and overflows onto others. It's contagious!

There is always the opportunity to pray for those whose journey starts rocky. There is always hope that one's heart will open wide so that God’s Word grows into something beautiful and abundant. I recall a song, "it only takes a spark, to get a fire going."

In the Parable of the Hidden Treasure, I enjoyed reading my notes again on how it can be interpreted two ways, with a focus on "me" and a focus on "God."  Either way, the JOY in the verse is realizing that faith is a gift and realizing that I am God's greatest treasure.

It is the same kind of JOY in both parables. This New Testament JOY is different than the JOY we have studied in the Old Testament. This JOY is not just an emotion that we feel, but rather JOY given by the Holy Spirit. This JOY is lasting into eternity. That is, unless it falls on rocky soil and one turns from the faith as in the parable.

This JOY is the kind that we have to hold onto even when the STOOPID moments arise.

Please pray with me. Thanks be to You, God, for the gift of JOY in knowing that I will be with You for eternity some day. Make my faith bubble up and overflow to others so it is contagious. Amen.

Concordance G5479 chara: χαρά, Pronounced khar-ah' (khar-ah') Meaning joy, gladness, delight, greatly joyful, from the root word G5463 (χαίρω - rejoice); Found 59 times in the Greek New Testament.