As we look at out text for this study we come to a very familiar parable that most people know as the parable of the sower. I believe that there is much more to the story than the sower. The focus of the parable is the fact that there are 4 different soils that represent 2 different groups of people. In these 2 different groups there are 4 categories of people that are represented as the different soils. In the last soil that produces crop, there is a distinction of different amounts or percentages of crop that is produced. This story is paralleled in Matthew 13:1-9 then explained in 18-23, then also this story is seen in Mark 4:1-20 so we will look at those at times to help us in our understanding of the text.
What will be noticed as we move into this parable is that Jesus teaches this parable in such a way that brings along with it some confusion. I have said several times throughout our study in Luke that Jesus at times teaches parables for clarification but here begins a times when Jesus is no longer teaching parables for that purpose. We will look at this to help us in our understanding of why He has to explain the parable to His disciples. Let’s look now at our first point.
1.The teaching on the soils.
Look with me at Luke 8:4-8 Now when a large crowd was coming together, and those from the various cities were journeying to Him, He spoke by way of a parable: 5 “The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell beside the road, and it was trampled under foot and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 And other seed fell on rock and as soon as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. 7 And other seed fell among the thorns, and when the thorns grew up with it, they choked it out. 8 And other seed fell into the good soil; and growing up, it produced a crop one hundred times as great.” As He said these things, He would call out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
We started off this chapter by looking at the inner circle of Jesus that includes His twelve Apostles and several woman as well. We made the point that often in Jesus ministry we see Him take His inner circle away from the big group for a more intimate teaching time. In our text for this study we see that the crowds have found them or has gathered along the journey once again. In fact we see that this group are those from the various cities.
We know that many from the region of Galilee and Judea have been following Jesus for some time now. We know in Capernaum that many were following Jesus from what Luke 4:42 says, When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were eagerly seeking for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.
You see similar language in Luke 5:3, 5:15 and 7:24. Along with that Matthew and Mark both record people from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, from beyond the Jordan, Tyre and Sidon were following Jesus. There had become a huge crowd that would follow Jesus from one place to another. Often these people were looking for some superficial attachment like the healings, the miracles but some were wanting to hear what Jesus was teaching. Here Jesus teaches them but in a very different way than He had before.
Now what Jesus teaches here is something that most of the people would have been very familiar with concerning the process of growing a crop. The story starts out to be something that many would relate to in some way but then turns to something that seemed impossible. Notice that the focus is not on the Sower’s ability to spread the seed but only on the different soils that the Sower throws the seed on. Some might try to say that the Sower did not plow the ground good and this makes it his fault if he did not produce crop from some of the seed but that is not the focus of the parable as we will see in Jesus’ explanation. First let’s look at what Jesus says here.
He says that the sower went out to sow his seed. Often people place God as the sower in this parable but nowhere does Jesus say that this is God but only that the seed is the word of God as we will see a little later. I believe the Sower is anyone that is spreading the Word of God and preaching the true message of the Gospel. I love what Charles Spurgeon say on this point from his sermon titled The Parable of the Sower, he says and I quote: The preacher of the gospel is like the sower. He does not make his seed; it is given him by his divine Master. No man could create the smallest grain that ever grew upon the earth, much less the celestial seed of eternal life. The minister goes to his Master in secret, and asks him to teach him his gospel, and thus he fills his basket with the good seed of the kingdom. He then goes forth in his Master’s name and scatters precious truth. If he knew where the best soil was to be found, perhaps he might limit himself to that which had been prepared by the plough of conviction; but not knowing men’s hearts, it is his business to preach the gospel to every creature — to throw a handful on the hardened heart, and another on the mind which is overgrown with the cares and pleasures of the world. He has to leave the seed in the care of the Lord who gave it to him, for he is not responsible for the harvest, he is only accountable for the care and industry with which he does his work. If no single ear should ever make glad the reaper, the sower will be rewarded by His Master if he had planted the right seed with careful hand. END QUOTE.
As we move along in this text there is some obvious things we see. We see four different soils that this seed falls on. These four different soils is represented as four different types of people that hear the Word of God but respond differently. This is what will be explained in our next study of this Scripture but for now let’s move on to our last point for this study.
2.The reason for the parable.
Look with me at Luke 8:9-10 And His disciples began questioning Him as to what this parable meant. 10 And He said, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
I just want to briefly look at the fact that this parable was not meant to be clear to all the people. In some of Jesus’ parables He would be clarifying a point but here he states that this parable was not meant for all to understand. I know this bring some confusion at times but we must look at this to understand why Jesus did this.
I want to look at what Jesus says in Matthew’s account because he records a more detailed response. Matthew 13:10-17 says And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11 And Jesus answered and said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
And with their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Lest they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17 For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
Jesus quotes from Isaiah 6:9-10 to make the point clear. I wanted to show all of this for us to see that this is Jesus fulfilling prophecy concerning the same thing that Isaiah was told. He was told that he was to preach no matter the fact that most would not accept his message. The parables that Jesus began to speak were not meant to be understood by those that were only there to reject Him. I know this is not a popular topic but it is again a viewpoint of God’s sovereignty in salvation. It is that Jesus chose to keep hidden the truth of the meaning to keep the people from knowing the truth. They had been given enough revelation of who Jesus is but refused to follow Him other than for superficial reasons therefore these parables acted as a judgement against those that did not believe.
Isaiah 44:18 tells us even more of this concept that says They do not know, nor do they understand, for He has smeared over their eyes so that they cannot see and their hearts so that they will have no insight.
I know this is hard to understand at times but it must be understood when we see it so clearly in our text. Another text comes to mind when thinking about this. When Paul is speaking about the end times and the rise of the anti-Christ power controlled by Satan he says this in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 And then that lawless one will be revealed—whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming— 9 whose coming is in accord with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, 10 and with all the deception of unrighteousness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 And for this reason God sends upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 12 in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in unrighteousness.
The fact is that some will not be brought to salvation but for those that are it is not because we deserved it more than others. It is only that God chose to give to us His grace, His mercy through imputing our Lord’s righteousness on us. Nothing we did earned that right nor anything we could ever do is deserving of such a great privledge to be called a child of God.
Those that were following Jesus for the right reason were given the understanding just as we now have the Holy Spirit within us to guide us into understanding. Notice that it was granted(Luke 8:10) to them not earned. It was not because they asked in a one time prayer or not because they sat through a new member class but because they had been given this understanding by the Father.
To close I want to share another passage of Scripture that I believe helps in seeing this truth. 1 Corinthians 2:7-11 says But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom which has been hidden, which God predestined before the ages to our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But to us God revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the depths of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
In our next study we will look in depth at the explanation of this parable to help us understand what this means and to reveal to us even more what we should be doing in spreading the Gospel of our Lord.
Disciple's Direction 