The Law of the Sower: Matthew 13:3-9
“3) And He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4) and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5) Others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6) But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7) Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8) And others fell on the good soil and *yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9) He who has ears, let him hear.”” Matthew 13:3-9
As Jesus begins to teach in parables, He tells the popular story of the sower. He comes back in Matthew 13:18-23 with an expanded explanation of the parable. At this point, let’s restrict out discussion to the first part of the story and make some observations about the ancient farmer.
First, we discover that the farmer was planting seeds. The first mention of seeds in the Bible is way back in Genesis 1:11-12 on the third day of creation. God created plants with seed in them after their kind. The Creator made the laws of genetics.
All life forms on planet earth from plants to animals are based on DNA. This is what separates “the kinds.” According to John 1:1-4, the Bible claims that Jesus was there from the beginning and was the Creator. He created both physical matter and the various kinds of life.
Make no mistake, Jesus was the one Who created the seed the sower was planting. He also created the birds, rocks, sun and thorns in the story. This story is deeply imbedded in Genesis chapter one and the handiwork of the Creator. There is so much to learn from this story!
Second, notice that the farmer was planting seed with an eye to the harvest. The law of the sower is taught repeatedly in the Bible. For example, Galatians 6:7-9 says “whatever a man sows, that he will reap.” It goes on to warn that the one who sows to the flesh reaps corruption, but the one who sows to the spirit reaps eternal life. The conclusion is: “Don’t loose heart in doing good. Keep on sowing good seed!”
Third, Jesus taught there are different kinds of soil in life. He talked about hard packed soil on the the well traveled roads, soil full of rocks, soil full of thorns and good soil. Three of the soil conditions consumed the farmers precious seed with no harvest. But the story says the sower was very wise, because he kept right on sowing. Don’t give up on sowing good seed in this life.
Forth, notice the good soil far made up for his loses. It yielded 30%, 60% and some even 100%. Agriculture and numbers seem to go together. Even today, farm land is managed, bought and sold because of the yield numbers. Good farmers are experts at improving soil conditions and increasing numbers.
Finally, Jesus closed this section of the parable by saying; “He who has ears, let him hear.” Many things in life can be traced back to the Law of the Sower. If you want to thrive in this life, you better go back to Genesis chapter one and get to know the Creator and the principles He set down to govern life in this world.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global
