Message: Matthew 13: 18-23 (Mark4:1-20) Sower parables interpretation and application by Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Matthew 13: 18-23  (Mark4:1-20) Sower parables interpretation and application      

by Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce                                                                                11/13-16/2023

Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling                                                              

 Scriptures reading  Matthew 13:18-23 & Mark 4:1-8; 13- 20 

                Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:18-23)

           Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because  the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty or seven a hundred times.(Mark 4:3-8) 

              Then Jesus said to them, " Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are life seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy, but since they have no root they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop -thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown. (Mark 4: 13-20).

Interpretation and understanding of sower, birds, rocky places, thorns, and good soil 

 The sower was the Lord Himself; the seeds are the word of the kingdom, The Lord being in this word as life. “Seed by the way side” it is hardened by the traffic of the way; therefore, it is difficult for the seeds to penetrate it. The wayside signifies the heart that is hardened by worldly traffic and cannot open to understand, to comprehend, the word of the kingdom.(v.9). The birds signify the evil one, Satan, who comes and snatches away the word of the kingdom sown in the hardened heart.(v.19).  The rocky places that do not have much earth signify the heart that is shallow in receiving the word of the kingdom. Deep within such a heart are rocks –hidden sins, personal desires, self-seeking and self-pity which hinder the seed from taking root in the depths of the heart. The sun with its scorching heart signifies affliction or persecution (v.21). The scorching heat of the sun causes the seed that is not rooted to wither. The heat of the sun is for the growth and ripening of the crop, which take place once the seed has been deeply rooted. But because of the seed’s lack of root, the sun’s heat, which should cause growth and ripening, becomes a deathblow to the seed. The thorns signify the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches, which utterly choke the word, preventing it from growing in the heart and causing it to become unfruitful (v.22). The good soil signifies the good heart that is not hardened by worldly traffic, that is without hidden sins, and that is without the anxiety of the age and the deceitfulness of riches. Such a heart gives every inch of its ground to receive the word that the word may grow, bear fruit, and produce even a hundredfold.

 Life  application / implication of Matthew 13: 18-23 and Mark 4:1-20

  My friends, what kind of soil are you? are you perceiving the word of God and produce a crop a hundred times ?  how to be the good soil? how to produce a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty? There are few facts you must to practice it as follows,

 1) By receiving the Spirit of Jesus Christ, recognizing, relying on Him, obeying Him as He brings the Word of God, and life. Jesus says, “How “much more” your Father who clothes the grass of the field will clothe you, if you keep your relationship right with Him”. So often, we have allowed the cares of the world to come in, and have forgotten the “much more” of our Heavenly Father care about us”.

 2) Don’t worry, nor anxious about your life what to eat? What to drink? Look at the birds, their main aim is to obey the principle of life that is in them and God looks after them, Jesus says that if you are rightly related to Him and obey His Spirit that is in you, God will look after your feathers.

 3) Take no thought for your life. A warning which needs to be reiterated is that the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things entering in, will choke all that God puts in. we are never free from the recurring tides of this intrusion on a person territory or right. If it does not come on the line of clothes and food, it will come on the line of money or lack of money; of friends or lack of friends; or on the line of difficult circumstances. Unless we allow the Spirit of God to raise up the standard against it, these things will come in like a flood.

 4) Your relationship with Jesus is key point. Jesus Christ understands our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things so as to make them the one concern of our life. Whenever there is competition, be sure that you put your relationship to God first.

 5) Keep your mind on the “much more “of your heavenly Father.

Bibliography,

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3^rd Chicago: The University of Chicago press, 2000.

Brown, Robert, Philip W. Comfort and J.D. Douglas, ed. The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament. Carol Stream: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.1990.

Bruce, Katherine L. “weekly message: God’s restoration to his people-Davidic covenant (Jer.32:40-33:1-26) Orlando, FL: Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts, 2014.

Chambers, Oswald. My utmost for His highest. N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1935.

Friberg, Timothy, Barbara Friberg, and Neva F. Miller et al., eds. Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament.1^st ed. Victoria BC: Trafford Publishing, 2005.

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV). Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986. 

 Strong, James. Strong’s: the expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010.