The Parable of the Sower….

If I’m being honest, circumstances, stress, and emotions have really gotten to me lately. I talked earlier this week about being an unbelieving “believer.” God has really been dealing with me in this area to help me grow.

I opened my Bible this morning for my quiet time and landed in Mark; starting in chapter 3 and reading onto chapter 4. The parable of the sower hit me so hard in my spirit, and I couldn’t stop reading it. God was speaking so loudly and so clearly, encouraging me in times where I have let discouragement creep in, control me, and stifle me. This is a wonderful example of God’s grace and mercy.

Ok, I hope I can articulate this the way it unfolded to me. If you have a Bible and read it often- cool! Go to Mark 4:3-30. If you are not a Christian and you’ve stumbled along this or maybe if you’re in an area where it’s illegal for you to have a Bible I will type it out below!

Mark 4:3-30 (NIV)

“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

¹⁰ When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. ¹¹ He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables¹² so that,

“‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
    and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’”

¹³ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? ¹⁴ The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵ Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.¹⁶ Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. ¹⁷ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.¹⁸ Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; ¹⁹ but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²⁰ Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

A Lamp on a Stand

²¹ He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand? ²² For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, let them hear.”

²⁴ “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. ²⁵ Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. ²⁷ Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. ²⁸ All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? ³¹ It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. ³² Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

Ok, let’s unpack this….I got a couple main themes from this that God spoke to ME. That’s the amazing thing about the Word- it reads YOU and the Holy Spirit will highlight what you need to hear from the Word (also knowing it’s important to know the full context of passage as well; Spirit AND TRUTH).

1. Hear, know, and believe/ACCEPT the Words of God (and remember, faith comes by hearing the Word of God Romans 10:17).
2. The only way to produce a crop and be fruitful is to accept the word (by hearing, knowing, and believing). Isn’t it sobering to know we can hear the word but not actually accept it and bear fruit?
3. Satan wishes for these things not to happen. First, because he doesn’t want you to know God and he wishes to steal kill and destroy every part of you (your eternal salvation, your physical body, your mental well being, your relationships, your purpose, and your ability to glorify God in any way).
4. Things that “choke out” the Word and belief in what God says are: Satan (mainly using doubt and deception – “Did God really say? Genesis 3:1) and worries and cares of this world, persecution, trials, etc.
5. What we hear will multiple and grow
6. Even the smallest of the seeds sown (like a mustard seed) WILL eventually grow into the largest plant/branches in the right conditions (hearing, faith, accepting the word, belief, trust in God).

OK, what prevents us from actually accepting God’s word and His promises/principles?

1. A wrong heart (rocky soil). There are so many ways we can have a wrong heart: if it’s filled with lust, greed, fear, pride, bitterness, gossip, slander, anger, unforgiveness, rejection, impure motives, etc.
2. Shallow roots; hearing God’s Word but not growing in the Word or the things of God
3. The worries of life, unfavorable circumstances, and desires for the things of this world/wrong desires.
4. Satan’s deception and doubt that breeds on the above.

These things prevent the seed from growing and make us unfruitful. We are called to bear fruit God’s word does not return void so why don’t we fully believe and accept the Word sometimes? Let’s check our hearts and examine ourselves.

There is definitely a fine line- as some people only preach a prosperity gospel. But as you can see from scripture, sometimes as we begin to produce fruit we will be pruned (John 15:2); part of this process is pruning and pruning can feel confusing because sometimes we will be stripped. But don’t worry, pruning isn’t a punishment, its an honor to be stripped and pruned to bear more fruit. The principles in God word remains true and we can either fully believe them and accept them in our hearts or we don’t. Things may not always go our way or in our time but we can rest assured that when we sow seeds of righteousness they WILL eventually produce a crop according to God’s will, as HE is the one who brings the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).

Here is my favorite part; notice in the next verses of Mark 4: 35-41 the disciples are now in the storm with Jesus (who is SLEEPING). Isn’t God always SO intentional to show us things in Scripture? He placed this account of the disciples strategically after all of this information. This is the BEST example of how circumstances can choke out the word if our focus is not on Jesus. The disciples were actually with Jesus and they totally freaked out when they saw the storm, asking if Jesus even care if they drowned.

So where are you today? How much belief do you actually have in the promises and principles God sets out in His word? How is that belief shown in your obedience and actions?

This was super convicting for me in alot of ways. I know my faith is bigger than a mustard seed, but it’s not yet a large enough plant that my branches can provide shade for the birds. How about yours?

Romans 10:17 “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LordGod had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

John 15:2 “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

1 Corinthiahs 3:6-7 “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”

Mark 4:35-41 “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.  A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”