Jesus is famous for teaching in parables. Parables have been described as little stories with a big point, and in Matthew 13 there are seven of them. On one level the parables are simple: the sower scatters seeds, they fall on four different types of ground, making for different results. The seed is “the word of the kingdom”, the sower is the one preaching the word, and various kinds of people respond differently to what they hear. As usual in Scripture, there’s much more going on than meets the eye. Jesus says He teaches in parables to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven to those with ears to hear, but to withhold them from those who won’t listen. Those who hear will be abundantly fruitful.