The Parable Of The Sower

Mark 4:2-20, the parable of the sower, is a lesson given by Jesus Christ which gives the account of the different levels of faith that Christian possess.  Other Bible references for this lesson are found in: Matt 13:3-23 and Luke 8:4-15. The reference from Mark below is from Bible Gateway.com.

Go here for the first part of this lesson if you landed on this page first. 

Mark 4:2-20 (NIV)

² He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: ³ “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 parables ¹² 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 of some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown."

Introduction To The Parable Of The Sower

In verse 10 Jesus makes clear the fact that the Word is a secret (not the popular "Secret") to the world without Kingdom living.

The meaning of a "secret" in this verse is the fullness of God's Word through the salvation experience that creates a strong spiritual wealth. Without that transformation in one's heart, the Word in it's entirety is only a mystery (secret).  

Sadly many Christians are living as if God's Word is more of a mystery to them than as a reality.  This is because they are living by one of the unproductive standards of Christianity as told in the parable of the sower (Mark 4:2-20) by Jesus Christ that do not yield a strong foundation of the Word of God.

The unproductive standards are due to: 

• ignorance of God's Word
• stubbornness
• having a negative nature
• alack of trust in God
• living on the fence concerning one's Christianity
• having a disregard for the salvation experience because of putting the word of others before the Word of God

We can go straight from being a new Christian to a standard of receiving God's blessings just by having the desire to learn God's wisdom and following it as we receive it.

Christian Growth Standard From Mark 4:10

For this study, please read over the verses from Mark 4:2-20 given above for reference and better understanding of the following standards of faith.

Parable Of The Sower Faith level No. 1

The Word is sown within the Christian's heart, but Satan steals it immediately before it can take root. In this experience the Word never reaches the heart. It goes into one ear and out the other.  There is no faith experience in this level and, therefore, no spiritual growth developed.

Parable Of The Sower Faith Level No. 2

The Word is sown within the believer's heart joyfully, but their foundation is rocky and shallow. It has no root.

When hard times come because of the Word to test them, they quickly reject God by rejecting His Word. These are the people shaking their heads in agreement with their pastor's sermon on Sundays, but the rest of the week, they turn away from the very truth they heard. They are not bad people, they are just afraid to trust God. In this state there is some spiritual growth, but absolutely no faith or trust in God developed in order to have victory over troubled times.

Parable Of The Sower Faith Level No. 3

The Word comes to this believer but it is unfruitful due to the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and desire for things. Greed and pride caused by a severely insecure nature must be overcome to move forward here. If this doesn't happen, there is little or no opportunity for spiritual growth and faith development.

It should be clear how we must be careful what we listen to and what programs we expose ourselves to concerning any subject or situation. An example would be the income opportunity programs such as the "Secret" and it's derivative, the "Law of Attraction" I mention in the first part of this study titled "Spiritual Growth."   

The Parable Of The Sower and The Three Little Pigs?

The parable of the sower makes clear the condition of Christians who cannot develop in Christ because they are not building their lives upon a strong foundation of Jesus Christ or the word.  John 1:1-15 tells us the Jesus Christ (the light that bears witness to God) and the Word are one of the same.  So instead of centering upon The Word, they base their lives upon weak foundations that can easily crumble.  

The child's story of the Three Little Pigs is such a good example of laying a strong foundation for our lives or anything of value.  The first pig in the story built his home upon a foundation of straw and the second little pig built his home upon a foundation of twigs. Both of their homes were threatened and destroyed by the "big bad wolf," who huffed and puffed until he blew their homes down.  However the third little pig build his home out of brick and mortar. Even though it was attacked by the wolf, it remained firm and in tacked because it was made upon a strong foundation.  

We can look at the wolf as a metaphor for Satan, attacking God's children, huffing and puffing at our hearts to break down our faith and turn us away from God.  But if we build our hearts, the core of our being, with a strong foundation of God's word, all the huffing and puffing just becomes "hot air" that we can overcome and obtain victory over through the Word of God.  I have to think this story was inspired by this parable.  What a good lesson this is to teach our children by living it daily!! 

Having this type of focus is like using a recipe for an amazing chicken dish, but only using part of the ingredients or combining it with another recipe. It's not going to taste as it's supposed to, and it will probably be quite a disappointment.  It's the same with God's Word.  We cannot combine it with worldly philosophies and expect it to give us the foundation we need.  Instead we must look to God's Word with the attitude or mindset Jesus gave us in Mark 4:20, which I call Faith Level No. 4 from the Parable of the Sower.

Parable Of The Sower Faith level No. 4

Mark 4:20: "Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop of some thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

What more is there to say about the fourth standard? Not much other than to proclaim it as the perfect instruction on how to accept God's Word in order to produce a crop of whatever you desire. 

Jesus describes the fourth standard of Christianity in a manner so simple you can't help but get the truth of it. It should make clear how to receive from God with the right motives. The result will be a strong spiritual growth based upon God's Word that will see you through all situations.

Here is a paraphrase of the Parable of The Sower from Mark 4:20:

1. hear the Word (most affective method: personal affirmations)

2. accept it (believe/trust God)

3. produce a crop (receive!)

That matches what Mark 11: 23-24 says. Speak what you want (hearing it), believe you have it, and receive it. Our desires being met will actually bring us closer To God by having good soil (a matured spirit) for the Word of God to be sown.

This is the kind of mature spiritual growth that will give you the ability to overcome financial difficulties, job loss and credit card debt relief. By building the foundation that Jesus teaches in Mark 4:20 over our money, we can even rebuild if necessary to get the money flowing in our lives that belongs to us by looking to Christ in faith and trusting that our Heavenly Father will never let us down.

The deeper we get into God's Word, the easier it will become to have the right motives and a pattern of ethical behavior to receive the money you need and all the provisions God has promised us in Matthew 6:24-34 (Kingdom living).  So rather than have fear about the circumstances of life, overcome them in Christ through and understanding of the parable of the sower so that a strong foundation of God's Word will develop within you.  

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