The Sower and Influences and Forgiveness... and YOU
The Parable of the Sower  (Matthew 13:1-23)
 1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear."

 10The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?"

 11He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13This is why I speak to them in parables:
   "Though seeing, they do not see;
      though hearing, they do not hear or understand. 14In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:
   " 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
      you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
 15For this people's heart has become calloused;
      they hardly hear with their ears,
      and they have closed their eyes.
   Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
      hear with their ears,
      understand with their hearts
   and turn, and I would heal them.' 16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

 18"Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. 22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. 23But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."


This section of Matthew is dedicated to sharing the "mysteries of the kingdom".  This parable today is probably one of the most well known of all parables.  It is covered in kids' classes right from even the young age groups.  One of the reasons it's talked about frequently is that it isn't quite as confusing as some of the other parts of Scripture.  After all, there is even an explanation given by Jesus to help explain what is going on.  We read some parts of Scripture and there are signs, and imagery, and phrases that are elusive unless you study Hebrew culture and history.  But not this parable of the sower!  We receive our explanation from Jesus because later in the day after telling of the parable, the apostles bring up the story and ask, "What is up with these stories that aren't perfectly obvious?  Why do you talk in parables?"

The purpose of telling a parable is to drive a particular point home to the listener through some illustration and just enough of an elusive concept that the listener struggles a little bit with... in order to "get the point"... and as a result it is driven "home".

One of the critical points that comes out in this whole section of Matthew concerns the great difficulty with the Word about the Kingdom of God being received into human hearts, and the great difficulty people have with grasping the reality of the kingdom of God.  There is a very great difficulty with even having it presented plain and clear and yet not understood and taking hold in someone's life!  Jesus talks about having eyes...but not really seeing.  And having ears... but not really hearing.  The truth is there, but does not sink into all.  It doesn't flourish "in" all.  The truth about the kingdom is confronted personally by the hearer... and it might be related to and understood by the most simple of persons.

Jesus describes how some individuals' hearts are fertile ground and others have challenges to having the Word of Truth grow and flourish.  It is a kind of "spiritual gardening" that goes on, isn't it?

Now certainly, everyone wants to associate themselves with the fertile ground, right?  That's you, right?  Let's look at it a little differently than that.  Maybe we could think of those grounds as changing from time to time in our life.  Maybe there are times when we have things that get in our way to having our faith flourish and take good hold in our life.  Maybe, there are times when we've made it so that there is just hard rock for God's Word to grow and take root in us.

Jesus tells of three cases that have disastrous results for the farmer.  The parable starts off with the hard ground that birds come along and eat up what has been sown.  Then the rocky ground that had a little room to get planted but couldn't really take root and sink down low.  Then the good soil and the good roots but weeds come along and choke it out.

I know that you would like to think that you're good soil... but are you always good soil??  Are YOU fertile ground that the Word doesn't get easily yanked away from, but grows in?  Are you fertile ground that the Word grows in but isn't affected by weeds growing around affecting, twisting, and influencing... choking.  Are you fertile ground?

Advertisers think you are!  As a matter of fact, advertisers know that we all are.  "What can we influence them with in order to get them to change their mind and see this useless thing as something that they actually need and just 'have to have"!  Who knows how much we are actually affected by advertising.  Maybe nobody thinks about "sending the very best" when picking a card out.  Or whether the soda they are drinking is "the real thing".  Or whether they choose the "King of Beers".  Or whether the aspirin they choose is "recommended by 4 out of 5 doctors".

All these efforts to influence don't go on for no reason.  People are influenced.  A few years back, a psychologist Ruth Berenda and associates carried out an interesting experiment with teenagers designed to show how they handled group pressure.  The plan was very simple.  They brought in groups of ten adolescents of varying ages into a room.  They were given the instructions to raise their hand when the teacher pointed to the longest line on three separate charts at the front of the room.  The catch was... that what one person didn't know was that nine of the others were plants and had been instructed to vote for the second longest line.  So regardless of the instructions they heard in the room, these nine were to vote for the second longest line.  The psychologists wanted to see how one person would react against a group that obviously stood against what was true!  The experiment went on with the instructor pointing to a chart and nine teenagers voting for the wrong line.  Invariably, time after time after time, a self-conscious teenager (that was really the only one being tested) would look around and slip up their hand, saying that a short line was longer than a long line.  Simply because they lacked the courage to challenge what the group was saying.  This remarkable conformity happened in about 75% of the young people tested right from small children to high school.

Are there things around YOU that influence YOU?  Are you influenced from hearing and letting God's Word flourish?  Maybe it is finances.  You can't seem to get the ends to meet and it brings you worries.  Maybe it is work; there is a lot to do and you're very busy.  Maybe you're very affected and influenced by what you read and hear.  Let the truth of who Jesus is surround and influence you.

I encourage you to create some good solid footing in your life for the Word to grow.  Make time to read Scripture.  Don't just think about it... do it.  Make time to stop from your "busy"ness and your worries and lift them up to God in prayer.  Invite the Lord into all those places in your life.  Actively seek ways to allow God to be in and with all the areas of your life.  Don't keep him out of parts of your life.

Don't fool yourself that you are not influenced in any way and that you are totally fertile ground all the time.  Recognize that you might have some rock solid ground that you are not willing to have forgiveness and humbleness be a part of.  The Word gets eaten up, or can't grow in that part of your life.  What are the weeds that affect YOU?  Does something from work, or home, or in a relationship end up choking off and stifling the message of forgiveness and love in your heart?

God's word is about forgiveness and love.  You have forgiveness of all your sin through trusting that Jesus is your Savior.  Through a relationship of faith in Him is the ONLY way that you will have forgiveness of your sin and imperfection.  Your promise is that your heavenly Father, in his unconditional mercy, has made it so that you do have this forgiveness already!  You are able to walk around all your days with the comfort and peace inside of knowing of that forgiveness.  That is absolutely wonderful to be able to walk around with.  Don't let things come between having that relationship grow and flourish in your life.

Reevaluate.  Are there things in your life that influence you?  How can you allow God to flourish more and more in that part of your life?  Are you able to not lose heart when the money ends don't meet?  Are you able to keep faith when sickness and death do occur? (as you know they will).  Know first and foremost that you have a Savior.  Jesus has already given you the gift of forgiveness through what he accomplished on the cross.  That is a peace that is yours to cling to.  Recognize things in your life that might be influencing you and seek to let your relationship with God who loves you so, so much grow and flourish throughout all your life!