Luke 8:1-8 Good Seed
The Parable of the Sower
8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Reflection:
While Jesus will offer an explanation of the parable of the sower, it is good to read the story before the interpretation as this is one of the purposes for using parables to teach. The purpose is that the listener will struggle to find the spiritual truth from the short story. Usually the story is about something the hearer is familiar with, which provides a context for illuminating a spiritual truth. Meaning Jesus doesn't just "spoon feed" people, but wants them to have some skin in the game. For those who seek will understand, but those who are not interested probably would not get it anyways.
So as we grapple with this very important parable, note one thing first. See the women of various walks of life following Jesus, and supporting he and the disciples with the means at their disposal. This would be easy to miss, but for women to follow a rabbi would have been unheard of. Jesus is lifting up women and illustrating those who seek will find regardless of age, sex, or ethnic or religious background. Now back to the parable.
One important principle in interpreting parables, which is good to be reminded of, is that they usually point to one main punchline or main spiritual truth. In this case, a farmer went out sowing as farmers do. And he was sowing indiscriminately, realizing only some of the seed would fall on fertile soil. He spent time sowing seed, not necessarily worrying about the soil condition. What is not too clear is what contributes to the good soil condition. We only learn it is the kind of soil that when the seed roots it bears fruit a hundreds times over. Meaning the one seed in good soil more than pays for itself many times over. So the conclusion might be the more seed the farmer sows, the better chance of falling on good soil, and the higher chance of a bigger yield. Make sense?
And so what is Jesus teaching here? What is the main point he wants us to grapple with? He gives us a clue at the beginning when the text says, "Jesus came announcing the Good News of the Kingdom". Certainly the hundred fold crop was Good News to the farmer, so what is the connection? Here is what I think. The Seed is the Word of God. Specifically the Word, who was Jesus, who came to lead people into God's kingdom and then live according to its principles which he illustrates his whole life. The Good News is that this is the best kind of life both here and also in the life to come. The reality is that we don't control the soil condition. Only God does.
So what can we do? Preach the Word in season and out of season. Pray for those who you love that their hearts might be receptive to the seed being planted. Each of us can sow seeds in different ways based on the spiritual gift we have received. Paul illustrates this when he writes, "I planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who provides the growth. So neither the one who plants or waters is anything. It is God who provides the growth." Amen.
8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Reflection:
While Jesus will offer an explanation of the parable of the sower, it is good to read the story before the interpretation as this is one of the purposes for using parables to teach. The purpose is that the listener will struggle to find the spiritual truth from the short story. Usually the story is about something the hearer is familiar with, which provides a context for illuminating a spiritual truth. Meaning Jesus doesn't just "spoon feed" people, but wants them to have some skin in the game. For those who seek will understand, but those who are not interested probably would not get it anyways.
So as we grapple with this very important parable, note one thing first. See the women of various walks of life following Jesus, and supporting he and the disciples with the means at their disposal. This would be easy to miss, but for women to follow a rabbi would have been unheard of. Jesus is lifting up women and illustrating those who seek will find regardless of age, sex, or ethnic or religious background. Now back to the parable.
One important principle in interpreting parables, which is good to be reminded of, is that they usually point to one main punchline or main spiritual truth. In this case, a farmer went out sowing as farmers do. And he was sowing indiscriminately, realizing only some of the seed would fall on fertile soil. He spent time sowing seed, not necessarily worrying about the soil condition. What is not too clear is what contributes to the good soil condition. We only learn it is the kind of soil that when the seed roots it bears fruit a hundreds times over. Meaning the one seed in good soil more than pays for itself many times over. So the conclusion might be the more seed the farmer sows, the better chance of falling on good soil, and the higher chance of a bigger yield. Make sense?
And so what is Jesus teaching here? What is the main point he wants us to grapple with? He gives us a clue at the beginning when the text says, "Jesus came announcing the Good News of the Kingdom". Certainly the hundred fold crop was Good News to the farmer, so what is the connection? Here is what I think. The Seed is the Word of God. Specifically the Word, who was Jesus, who came to lead people into God's kingdom and then live according to its principles which he illustrates his whole life. The Good News is that this is the best kind of life both here and also in the life to come. The reality is that we don't control the soil condition. Only God does.
So what can we do? Preach the Word in season and out of season. Pray for those who you love that their hearts might be receptive to the seed being planted. Each of us can sow seeds in different ways based on the spiritual gift we have received. Paul illustrates this when he writes, "I planted, Apollos watered, but it is God who provides the growth. So neither the one who plants or waters is anything. It is God who provides the growth." Amen.
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