The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13: 3Then he taught them many things by using stories. He said: A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. 4While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. 5Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have enough roots. 7Some other seeds fell where thorn bushes grew up and choked the plants. 8But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as was scattered. 9If you have ears, pay attention!

Okay, my pastor preached on this today. It was a really good sermon, and I just wanted to summarize what he said, because I think it's important to anyone. Barely any of what I'm saying is coming from me; it just inspired me, and I'm telling you what Fred said. Jesus used parables in his teachings. It's not just a nice story. There is a reason, a purpose behind each one, and I think it's really important to know what these mean. Why? Well, that's answered in the next verses::
"These people will listen and listen, but never understand. They will look and look, but never see. All of them have stubborn minds! Their ears are stopped up, and their eyes are covered. They cannot see or hear or understand. If they could, they would turn to me, and I would heal them."

The first part is While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. We tell of Jesus. We are called to do so. But we can't tell who is going to understand; so we scatter the word amongst everyone. But when those seeds fall on hard hearts (along the road), they don't understand, and there is no harvest in their heart.

The second part is Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. This is where the people understand, and they start to grow. They get excited about the word and about God ... But when tough times come, they fall away and wither. Fred called this "Shallow heart"

The third one is Some other seeds fell where thorn bushes grew up and choked the plants. This person understands, and starts to grow a little. But worry of the world around them choke them, and they fall away. This was called the strangled heart.

The last one is But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced a hundred or sixty or thirty times as much as was scattered. An open heart! You hear, you understand, you grow ... you spread more seeds. You harvest!

I just thought it was a really cool sermon. Take it in.