Unlimited: The Parable of the Sower
Again, Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear” (Mark 4:1–9, NIV).
Jesus teaches by the lake, but there are so many people that he gets on a boat near the shore so everyone can see and hear him.
Jesus tells the people an important parable: a story with a spiritual lesson.
Jesus taught a lot in parables, using stories and scenes from the people’s everyday lives to illustrate spiritual truths. Perhaps as Jesus told this story by the lake, the people could see a farmer sowing seed in the distance.
In this parable, Jesus talks about different kinds of soils. Some soils produce nothing at all. Other soils produce a little. And still other soils produce large amounts of crop, multiplying the farmer’s investment many times over, even up to a hundred times.
Sometimes Jesus explained his parables, and other times he didn’t.
These different soils represent the different kinds of lives that people live. Some people live barren lives, resulting in nothing much, while other people live productive and worthwhile lives, and they make their mark in the world for good. The good news of Jesus falls on hard hearts or soft hearts. It will take root and creates new life, or it is rejected. When Jesus taught in parables, he wanted the people to identify with the story that he was telling.
The questions that this parable asks are, “What kind of life do you want to live? Has your heart been softened by the gospel of Jesus?”
– Eliezer Gonzalez
Eli’s Reflection: Do you want to live merely a small life, or do you want to live a life that’s multiplied a hundred times because of the good that it produces? So, where to you fit into this parable? Is the seed of the gospel taking root in your heart and creating new life in you?
Republished with permission from blogs.crossmap.com, featuring inspiring Bible verses about Unlimited: The Parable Of The Sower | Good News Unlimited.
