Using agricultural language because his audience was familiar with it, Jesus told the Parable of the Sower to describe the four outcomes that result from exposure to the Word of God, all but one of them unfavorable depending on the character of the reader or listener.
The Revs. Kathryn Almendarez, Isaiah Tunson and Mike Atkins say the parable, or story, he told to impart a moral lesson is in Matthew 13:1-23 and Luke 8:1-15.
“Jesus discusses sowing seed on the wayside, in a stony place with no depth, among thorns and in good soil,” said the Rev. Almendarez, co-pastor of the Open Door Church.
“He is speaking about the Word of God being sown in the lives of people,” Almendarez said.
“Some who have hardened their hearts are more interested in wickedness, so the word is of extremely limited effect in their lives. Some are simple and lack depth not grasping the value of it, and they fall away during times of persecution. These may find joy in fellowship and participation, but they have never made the word a vital part of their daily lives.”
“Some are dealing with so much life that Word of God sits on the shelf and doesn’t produce good fruit. Finally, some are wise and welcome the Word into their hearts, follow its principles and allow it to transform their lives.”
Citing Galatians 5:22-23, Almendarez said the fruit of the Holy Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
“Righteous seed should produce a righteous crop in all that we are and be a blessing of encouragement, positive influence and a source of sustaining life to those around us,” she said. “Use what you have from the Lord to impact your sphere of influence, be light to those around you.”
The Rev. Tunson, pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, said the Parable of the Sower is a favorite of ministers because it represents the different conditions of people’s hearts when they hear the Word.
“The hard ground is the people that don’t understand the message,” Tunson said. “When you don’t understand, that gives the devil an opportunity to snatch the word away from you and keep you from growing.
“The rocky ground means that the message has been with you, but it has no roots and no connections and you fall away. We have Christians who go to church, but fall away because of a financial situation happening in their lives. With the thorny ground, riches and pleasure choke out the word. Instead of giving God the credit, people say, ‘I have a nice car and house.
“The good soil is for those that hear the message and bear good fruit, not only in their lives but also in other folks’ lives. Study the Word of God daily and stay prayed up. You can’t just come to church on Sunday and listen to the preacher and then not take the message and use it.
“Take it and apply it to your daily life and use it to help somebody else. Make disciples of other believers.”
The Rev. Atkins, pastor of Kingston Avenue Baptist Church, said the parable, “shows the way a lot of churches and church people are.
“They have ideas on the way things should be and it’s not always what God wants,” Atkins said. “Jesus is talking here about seed that is never going to accomplish what God wants and about the things he wants us to accomplish.
“Satan doesn’t want anybody to grow, so he clouds their minds with things that they personally want to do rather than what God wants them to do. Stay close to the Lord by staying in his word and don’t depend on your own interpretation of what it says. Go to church and listen to the preacher and keep it straight that way.”
Atkins said Satan is prominent in the parable because he constantly works, “to keep people away from the actual truth.
“Satan pulled some of the angels away in Heaven, so God had to cast him out,” he said. “We all need to make sure that we are good soil because of our relationship with Jesus Christ.”
