Parable of the Sower

Biblical Text and Content

This parable is recorded in Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23, Mark 4:1-9, 13-20, and Luke 8:4-8, 11-15. Matthew and Mark report that Jesus taught the crowd while sitting in a boat by the sea.

In the parable, the seed sown by the farmer falls in four places.

• By the wayside: Birds come and devour it.
• Stony ground: Because the soil is shallow, it springs up quickly, but having no root, it withers when the sun rises.
• Among thorns: The thorns grow up and choke it, so that it yields no fruit.
• Good ground: It bears fruit. Matthew records a hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold; Mark records thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold; and Luke records a hundredfold.

Jesus explains the meaning privately to his disciples. The seed is the word. The wayside represents those who hear the word, only to have the wicked one (Satan) take it away. The stony ground represents those who receive the word with joy but fall away because of tribulation or persecution. The thorns represent those in whom the word is choked by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches. The good ground represents those who hear the word and understand it (Matthew), receive it (Mark), or keep it and bring forth fruit with patience (Luke).

Background

In ancient Galilee, seed was scattered broadly by hand, so it commonly fell on paths between fields or on shallow ground. The stony ground is often explained as land where a thin layer of soil covers bedrock. Scholars disagree about whether the seed was sown first and the ground plowed afterward. The hundredfold harvest recalls the yield that Isaac reaped in Genesis 26:12 and is usually read as an expression of God's abundant blessing.

Significance in the Broader Biblical Context

Between the parable and its explanation, all three Gospels address why Jesus taught in parables, quoting or alluding to Isaiah 6:9-10: "Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not." Mark 4:13 indicates that those who do not understand this parable cannot understand the others, presenting it as the key to understanding all the parables. In Matthew 13 it is grouped with other parables about the kingdom of God, such as the Parable of the Tares and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. The idea that the word will surely bear fruit also connects with Isaiah 55:10-11.

Interpretation and Debate

• Focus: Interpretations vary depending on whether the parable's focus is understood to be the sower, the seed (the word), or the soil (the hearers). When the emphasis is placed on the soil, it is sometimes called the "Parable of the Four Soils."
• Origin of the explanation: Traditionally, the explanation of the parable has been accepted as Jesus' own words. Some critical scholars, such as Joachim Jeremias, have argued that the explanation was added by the early church. This view has been disputed.
• Those represented by the stony ground and the thorns: The Calvinist tradition, in keeping with the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, holds that these people had only a temporary faith rather than true faith. The Arminian and Wesleyan traditions read the passage as a warning that those who have truly believed can fall away from the faith.
• Popular applications: The exhortation to "plow the field of your heart and become good soil" is a widely used application in preaching. However, the text does not directly state that the soil changes itself. Some teaching also links the hundredfold yield to material rewards for financial offerings. Critics reject this as a prosperity theology interpretation, noting that the text explains the seed as the word.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching and Bible study, expressions drawn from this parable, such as "the field of the heart" and "good soil," are commonly used. The passage is frequently used to encourage hearers to examine their attitude toward the word. It is also cited as an encouragement not to lose heart even when the fruit of evangelism is not immediately visible.