“Sow What?”

(Matthew 13:1-23)

Series: God’s Fulfilled Promise [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

August 4, 2019

The Passage

Matthew 13:1-23

1 On that day Jesus went out of the house and was sitting by the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the whole crowd stood on the shore.

3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “Consider the sower who went out to sow. 4 As he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it grew up quickly since the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it. 8 Still other seed fell on good ground and produced fruit: some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty times what was sown. 9 Let anyone who has ears listen.”

10 Then the disciples came up and asked him, “Why are you speaking to them in parables?”

11 He answered, “Because the secrets of the kingdom of heaven have been given for you to know, but it has not been given to them. 12 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and he will have more than enough; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 That is why I speak to them in parables, because looking they do not see, and hearing they do not listen or understand. 14 Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You will listen and listen, but never understand; you will look and look, but never perceive. 15 For this people’s heart has grown callous; their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back—and I would heal them. 16 “Blessed are your eyes because they do see, and your ears because they do hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see the things you see but didn’t see them, to hear the things you hear but didn’t hear them.

18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the one sown along the path. 20 And the one sown on rocky ground—this is one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root and is short-lived. When distress or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 Now the one sown among the thorns—this is one who hears the word, but the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 But the one sown on the good ground—this is one who hears and understands the word, who does produce fruit and yields: some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown.”

Introductory Comments:

We’re continuing our series in the book of Matthew. Today will be our last time in Matthew for a few weeks as we’re going to take a short break while we consider a series on the Church.

Chapter 13 begins a section where Jesus begins a series of parables. A parable is an earthly story which communicates a heavenly meaning. It’s also been said that a parable compares something familiar with something unfamiliar. These parables helped Jesus’ followers then, and us today, to understand what He’s communicating.

Today we’re going to consider a famous parable concerning four groups of seeds. We’re going to learn how these seeds take root based on the conditions of the soil in which they are planted.

Let’s pray and ask God to speak to us as we study this parable. 

(prayer)

Illustration: You’ve heard me talk about my tomatoes before. I bought three grape tomato plants and I was having trouble getting them to grow, so I changed the condition. I replanted them in larger pots with more soil and they started to grow quickly. As time went on,