The Sower

MARCH 23, 2023 

 “Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places,…and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth; And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.”(Matthew 13:3-8)

Our Lord’s parable of the sower lends itself to a very broad application. It is being continually verified before our own eyes. Wherever the Word of God is preached, and people assemble to hear it, the sayings of Christ in this parable are found to be true. It describes what goes on as a general rule in all congregations.

In the first place, we learn that the work of the preachers resembles that of a sower. Like the sower, the preachers must sow good seed if he wants to see fruit. He must sow the pure Word of God, and not the traditions and doctrines of men. Without this, his labor is certain to be vain. He may go here and there saying many things; he may be quite eloquent; he may be entertaining, but except he preach the Word, there will be no harvest of souls for heaven, no living results, and no conversions.

In this work, the preacher must be diligent. He must with patience “sow beside all waters” and “sow in hope.” He must not allow discouragement and difficulties to deter him. “He that observeth the wind shall not sow.”

Like the sower, the preacher cannot give life. He can scatter the seed committed to his charge, in the fields assigned to him, but he cannot command it to grow. He can offer the Word of Truth to a people, but he cannot make them receive it and bear fruit. To give life is God’s sovereign prerogative. “It is the spirit that quickeneth…” (John 6:63) Paul can plant, Apollos may water, “but God giveth the increase.”(I Cor. 3:7)

In the next place, let us learn from this parable that there are various ways of hearing the Word of  God without benefit. One may listen to a good sermon with a heart that is hard like the “way side;” careless, thoughtless, and unconcerned. Christ crucified may be earnestly set forth only to be heard with total indifference. Fast as the words fall on the ears, the devil plucks them away. The hearer goes home as if he had heard no sermon at all. He is like the idol of which the Psalmist wrote: “Eyes have they, but they see not; ears have they, but they hear not.”

Notice, folks may hear a sermon with pleasure, while the impressions left upon them are only temporary and fleeting. The heart, like the “stony ground” may yield warm feelings and good resolutions. But all the while, they lack deep roots. The first blast of cold; the first confrontation with opposition or temptation quickly withers those warm feelings and resolution. Sadly, there are many such hearers. Thousands who profess faith answer to Ezekiel’s description: they hear the preacher’s voice as pleasant, and his words as a lovely song. “They hear thy words, but they do them not.”

A sermon may be heard with great approval, and yet produce no good in the hearer. The influence of the world soon chokes out everything that was once approved. Folks can really like the Gospel, and wish to obey it, but other things hold their affections, and take priority over their souls. They tell themselves that it won’t always be this way. One day they will turn from their sins, but not today. These hearers are self-deceived. Yet the call goes out to all, “Today, while it is today, if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.”

How can we know if we have heard the Word rightly? The “good ground” is prepared ground – prepared by the Lord Himself. The proof that one is a “good ground” hearer is that he bears fruit. Some bear more fruit than others, as the text asserts, but all who hear the Gospel effectually are known by their fruits.