The Parable of the Sower

One of the focuses of my New Testament class this week was on parables.  My professor started off by explaining that there are multiple layers of potential applications and meanings to parables, and that there isn’t just one way to understand and apply them.  There is a concrete side and a symbolic side to each parable.  Each parable may seem just like a short story to those who are not spiritually in-tune, but to those who understand the symbolic meaning of them, they are treasure chests of insights.  The parable that most affected me and taught me what type of disciple I need to be was the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13.  However, my professor asked us to think of it more as the parable of the soils because that’s what’s changing each time.  The sower and the seeds remain the same.  The sowers can be understood as the teachers, and the seeds are the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The teachers are required to teach the Gospel to everyone, and not pick and choose where the seeds fall.  That was the first lesson for me – God doesn’t want us to be a respecter of persons.  We are not to be the judges of who will receive the Gospel and who will not. Our responsibility is to teach everyone and let them decide what happens to their seed.  The parable describes four different soils into which the seeds fell: the wayside, stony places, thorns, and good ground.  My professor explained that each of these types of soils can be a representation of the kingdoms of glory in heaven.  The seeds that fell by the wayside were devoured – outer darkness. The seeds that fell in stony places – the Telestial Kingdom. The seeds that fell among thorns – the Terrestrial Kingdom. And finally, the seeds that fell into good ground – the Celestial Kingdom.  I’ll expound on the relationship between each of the different soils and kingdoms of glory and apply them to our lives because I think there are a lot of important principles that can be pulled out.  First, the seeds that fell by the wayside: These seeds were never given the chance to grow because they were “devoured” by the fouls.  Those select few that will be cast into outer darkness never gave the seed of the Gospel a chance to grow inside of them. Second, the seeds that fell upon stony places: These seeds didn’t grow because they had no root and were scorched by the sun.  These are the Telestial individual who struggle with the “Thou shalt not” commandments.  They have huge stones in their lives that don’t allow the Gospel to take root and flourish.  When the sun comes up they are scorched, or rather, when the Son comes during the Second Coming, they will be burned. Third, the seeds that fell among thorns: These seeds were able to take root and begin to grow, but “thorns sprung up, and choked them” (v. 7).  The thorns were competing for the same nutrients and sunlight that the good seed was, and the thorns eventually won.  These types of people struggle with the “Thou shalt” commandments – they have multiple things competing for their attention that the good seed of the Gospel does not receive enough nutrition and dies.  Lastly, the seeds that fell into good ground.  These are the people who let the seed flourish, and they bring forth various amounts of fruit – signifying the varying degrees in the Celestial Kingdom.

            Now what does this mean for you and me? As we discussed this parable in class, I began to ask myself, “Are there any stones in my life that are not allowing the Gospel to take root in me?” and “What are the thorns in my life? What things that are taking my time, energy, and resources can I remove to let the Gospel flourish in my life?” Each of us struggle with different things but understanding this parable in that way paints a vivid picture of what will happen to us if we don’t take the care to remove those things.  We will be “choked,”” scorched,” and maybe even “devoured” if we do not rid them from our lives. I know it is hard to remove those boulders or thorns, but I know that as we do so we will be able to bring forth the good fruit of the Gospel.