Parable of the Sower

Strong and courageous Blog

Oct. 20,2017

Parable of the Sower

We had an interesting conversation in one of our community groups this week. The discussion was about us remembering times when you felt that the Holy Spirit was giving you insight into a situation or giving you specific direction.

I recalled a time when I was meeting up for coffee with an international student with the intention to talk with him about God. He seemed to be mildly interested, but I sensed that the Spirit was prompting me to share with him the parable of the sower found in Matthew Chapter 13.

I explained to him in detail each of the four places where the seed had been placed. The first seed fell on the path which represents hard ground or a hard heart, and the birds quickly came and ate up the seed.

The second seed fell on rocky ground that had poor depth of soil. The seed quickly sprouted, but the hot sun scorched the plant and it withered away.

The third seed fell amongst thorns and they quickly choked out the good plant.

The fourth seed fell on good soil where the plant thrived and multiplied greatly.

I also explained to him what the symbolic representations of the parable were.  The seed represents the good news of the gospel and the kingdom of God. The path represents a hardened heart or a lack of understanding. The rocky ground represents challenges or difficulties of life. The thorns represent all of the cares of the world and the desire for extravagant wealth. The good soil represents someone who understands the word and receives it.

At this point in the conversation, the young man responded very quickly that he understood what I was saying and that he wanted to be the good soil as explained in the parable. He also said that in his culture, they place a very high value on storytelling, and this parable helped to fully understand the impact of the gospel.

I was so delighted to see this conversation pave the way for this young man to receive Jesus and become a Christian. And I was also elated to have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to steer the direction of our conversation in a fruitful way.

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The Parable: