Mark 4:2-20:

And He [Yehoshua] taught them many things by parables and said to them in His instruction, “Listen. See a sower went out to sow. And because during the process of sowing some fell by the roadside and the birds of the air came and devoured it. And some fell in rocky places with not much soil and immediately it sprouted because it had no depth of soil. But the scorching sun rose and the sprout had no root so it shriveled. And some fell into thorns and the thorns grew up and strangled it and gave no fruit. And other fell on beautiful soil and yielded fruit to go up and increased and brought forth – some thirty and some sixty and some one hundred.” And He said to them, “He that has ears to hear, hear.” And when He was alone, the twelve around Him asked about the parable. And He said to them, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the realm of Theos, but to them that are outside, all are done in parables. That looking they may look and not see and hearing they may hear and not comprehend – not ever reverting and sins forgiven of them.” And He said to them, “Are you not aware of this parable? And how will you know all parables? The sower sows the logos. And these are they by the roadside, where the logos is sown, but when they hear it, the accuser comes immediately and takes away the logos that was sown in their heart. And these are similarly scattered on rocks who when they have heard the logos, immediately take it accompanied with gladness and have no root in them and are temporary. Afterward, pressure or persecution comes because of the logos, and at once they are entrapped. And these are the scattered seeds into thorns – to hear the logos and anxiety of this age, and the delusion of wealth, and the longing of remaining things enter and strangle the logos and causes no fruit. And these are scattered seeds on beautiful soil – which some hear the logos and fully accept and are fertile – one thirty and one sixty, and one one-hundred.”

The first thing we should consider in this parable is the story itself. Yehoshua (Jesus) is telling a large audience by the seaside a story of someone who plants seeds and describes four scenarios once the Sower casts the seeds. The seeds either land on the roadside, on rocky soil, on crowded soil, or on beautiful soil:

1. Roadside – where the soil is hard and the seed cannot penetrate.
2. Rocky soil – where the soil is shallow and the sun kills it.
3. Crowded soil – where weeds consume the nutrients and weaken the plant.
4. Beautiful soil – where the plant flourishes and produces a bountiful harvest.

Here we can see the four soil types display recipients of the seeds. Depending on the condition of the soil, the seeds grow fruitful or are destroyed.

OUR HEARTS AND SPIRITS ARE THE SOIL. 

When Yehoshua further explains this parable to the disciples, He tells them that the Sower sows the “logos” [Greek] which can be interpreted with numerous interpretations – typically a message or a coherent thought that is spoken. Here we can interpret “logos” as numerous ideas. I believe it is either (a) the good news of Christ; (b) the Realm of Heaven; or (c) both.

The roadside is compacted silt and hard like clay. When the message is scattered to hardened hearts, the accuser immediately snatches the message away as if it was never received.

The rocks have some soft openings but no nutrients for the seed to take root. When the message is scattered to mostly hardened hearts, it is received and the heart experiences the joy of receiving it but the sensation was temporary and the seed withers.

The crowded soil is willing to receive the seed but allocates its nutrients towards unfruitful plants instead of the fruitful and the seed grows weakly and unfruitful itself.

The beautiful soil receives the seed and allows it to take root. It is full of nutrients and dedicates itself to sustaining the seed until it reaches harvest – which is 30x, 60x, or even 100x.

Looking at the parable bluntly:

• The Sower is someone, through the Holy Spirit, who preaches the good news of Christ.
• The Seed is the good news of Christ.
• The soils are us.
• The Harvest is how much of a blessing is created.
• Be the beautiful soil.