The Sower
Seeds in Four Soils
Matthew 13:1-23about 2 minutes to read aloud
Jesus sat in a boat and taught the crowds on the shore. "Listen," He said. "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he sowed, some seed fell on every kind of ground."
"Some fell on the hard path. Birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground with shallow soil. The little plants sprang up quickly, but when the sun grew hot, they withered. They had no roots."
"Some fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked the young plants, and they bore no fruit. But some fell on good soil. That seed grew and made a crop — thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was sown."
The disciples came to Jesus later. "Tell us what the story means." Jesus answered, "The seed is the word of God."
"The hard path is the heart that hears but does not understand. The rocky ground is the heart that believes for a little while but falls away in trouble. The thorns are worries that choke the word."
"But the good soil is the person who hears the word, holds it, and bears fruit. God's word does not return empty. It grows wherever it is welcomed."
Questions to talk about
What did the seed in Jesus's story stand for?
Show the answer
Jesus told the disciples plainly, 'The seed is the word of God.'
Why did the plants on rocky ground wither?
Show the answer
Shallow roots could not hold the plants when the sun grew hot.
What kind of heart bears fruit?
Show the answer
Good soil is the heart that hears God's word and holds on to it.
The lesson
The word of the Lord grows wherever it is welcomed. A heart that holds on bears fruit the Father can see.
