The Sower
Seeds, soil, and a surprising harvest
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. In this story he teaches a huge crowd.
- The Twelve: The twelve disciples Jesus chose to be closest to him. Other followers are with them too.
- The crowd: People from many towns, packed along the shore.
- In Jesus's story: A farmer, his seed, and four kinds of ground.
Setting
- The shore of the Sea of Galilee, a large lake in northern Israel. Jesus sits in a boat on the water. The crowd stands on the land.
When
- During Jesus's work, about 2,000 years ago. That same evening, Jesus will calm a storm on this lake.
Before the Story
This is a parable. A parable is a short story Jesus told to teach something. The farmer is made up, but the point is real.
Crowds were following Jesus everywhere. People came from far away because they heard about the great things he was doing (3:7-8).
Not everyone welcomed him. Some teachers of Moses's law from Jerusalem spoke against him (3:22). Even his own family said he was out of his mind and went to take him home (3:21).
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: Jesus will explain this story himself. For most of his parables, the Bible gives no explanation.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. A boat for a stage | 4:1-2 | The crowd is so big that Jesus teaches from a boat |
| 2. The farmer and the path | 4:3-4 | A farmer sows seed. Birds eat what lands on the path |
| 3. Rocks and thorns | 4:5-7 | Seed on thin soil dries up. Seed in thorns gets choked |
| 4. A huge harvest | 4:8-9 | Seed on good soil grows a huge crop |
| 5. Why parables? | 4:10-12 | Jesus answers his followers' question |
| 6. Jesus explains | 4:13-17 | The seed is God's word. The path and the rocks |
| 7. Thorns and good soil | 4:18-20 | The thorns, and the harvest from good soil |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 7A Boat for a Stage
Waves lapped against the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was teaching there again.
Jesus had called his first disciples beside this same lake. They were fishermen (1:16-20). Now such a large crowd gathered that Jesus got into a boat. He sat down in it, out on the water. The whole crowd stood along the shore to listen.
Jesus taught them many things in parables. Then he began a new story. "Listen!" he said (4:3).
Scene 2 of 7The Farmer and the Path
"A farmer went out to sow his seed" (4:3). To sow means to scatter seed so it can grow.
Back then, farmers often threw seed by hand, in wide sweeps. The seed landed everywhere.
Some seed fell on the path. People walked across fields on paths like this, and their feet packed the dirt hard. The seed could not sink in. Birds came and ate it all up.
Scene 3 of 7Rocks and Thorns
Some seed fell on rocky ground. There was only a thin layer of soil over the rock.
That seed sprang up fast, because the soil was shallow. But then the sun came up. The heat scorched the young plants, and they dried up. They had no roots.
Other seed fell among thorns. Back then, thorns were often left in a field. The thorns grew up with the young plants and choked them. Those plants never made any grain.
Three kinds of ground, and three failures. So far, it sounds like the farmer wasted much of his seed.
Scene 4 of 7A Huge Harvest
But still other seed fell on good soil.
It sprouted. It grew. It made a crop. Some plants made 30 times as much as was planted. Some made 60 times. Some made 100 times.
A farmer is glad when his seed comes back many times over. This was a huge harvest. In Genesis, Isaac's field once gave a hundredfold harvest, and the Bible says God blessed him (Genesis 26:12).
Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (4:9). This means: pay attention. There is more here than a farming story.
Scene 5 of 7Why Parables?
Then the crowd was gone. Jesus was alone with the Twelve and his other followers. They asked him what the story meant.
Jesus told them that God had given them "the mystery of the kingdom of God" (4:11). A mystery here means something hidden that God shows to people. The kingdom of God means God's rule.
But for those on the outside, Jesus said, everything comes in parables. Then he used words from the prophet Isaiah. Some people would look and look but never see. They would listen and listen but never understand. Otherwise they might turn and be forgiven (Isaiah 6:9-10).
These are hard words. The followers who asked were not being shut out. Jesus was about to explain everything to them. We will look at these words more closely in the Literal Reader Alert below.
Scene 6 of 7Jesus Explains
Jesus asked his followers, "Don't you understand this parable? Then how will you understand the others?"
Jesus's own followers did not understand the parable. Still, he did not send them away. He explained it to them.
"The farmer sows the word" (4:14). The seed is God's word, the message about God's kingdom. Jesus had been preaching this message since his work began: God's kingdom has come near (1:15).
The path is like people who hear the word, and right away Satan takes it away. Satan is the enemy of God. In the story, the birds snatching the seed stand for him.
The rocky ground is like people who hear the word and are happy about it at first. But they have no root. When trouble comes because of the word, or people treat them badly for it, they quickly fall away.
Scene 7 of 7Thorns and Good Soil
The thorns are like people who hear the word too. But the worries of this life crowd in. Money tricks them with false promises. They want other things too. These things choke the word, like thorns choke a plant. The word makes no crop in them.
The good soil is like people who hear the word and welcome it. They produce a crop, "thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold" (4:20).
The farmer sowed everywhere, even where the ground looked hopeless. And the good soil gave back many times more than was planted.
That evening, Jesus told his followers, "Let's cross to the other side." A storm was coming. They were about to learn more about who Jesus is.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "A farmer went out to sow his seed" (4:3) | The farmer spreads God's word. Jesus was doing that very thing as he taught the crowd. The seed goes out freely, even onto ground that looks hopeless. |
| "He who has ears to hear, let him hear" (4:9) | Pay close attention. This story has a deeper meaning. |
| "The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you" (4:11) | Understanding God's kingdom is a gift. The followers did not figure it out. God gave it to them. |
| "The farmer sows the word" (4:14) | The seed is God's word. It is the good news that God's kingdom has come near in Jesus (1:15). |
| "Have no root" (4:17) | This is a comparison. Their faith did not go deep, so it dried up when life got hard. |
| "The worries of this life" (4:19) | This is a comparison too. Worries and wanting more can crowd out God's word, like weeds crowd out a plant. |
| "Thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold" (4:20) | God's word produces far more than was planted. The harvest is God's work. |
Back Then
Farmers often sowed seed by hand. They threw it in wide sweeps. So some seed landed on hard paths and rocky places. Some landed among thorns that had not been cleared. (Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah)
Rocky ground was thin soil over rock. Seed there sprang up fast but dried out before it could make grain. (Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah)
Plowing may have come after sowing. Some scholars think farmers in Jesus's time often sowed first and then plowed the seed under. If so, the farmer could not always tell which ground was good.
A hundredfold harvest. When Isaac's field gave a hundredfold harvest, the Bible says the LORD blessed him (Genesis 26:12). LORD in capital letters stands for God's personal name. Jewish readers traditionally don't say it aloud, out of respect.
Literal Reader Alert
Does Jesus not want some people to understand? In 4:11-12 Jesus uses words from Isaiah 6:9-10. In Isaiah, God sent the prophet to people who would not listen. Christians have struggled with this passage for a long time. Isaiah's words even end, "otherwise they might turn and be forgiven." Mark does not explain this further. Here is what the text itself shows. Jesus's own followers did not understand either (4:13). He did not shut them out. He explained everything to them (4:34). Right after this, Jesus says, "There is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed" (4:22). The people "inside" were not smarter or better. They were near Jesus, and they asked. Understanding was given to them as a gift (4:11). These words are also not about Jewish people as a group. Jesus, his followers, and nearly everyone in this crowd were Jewish. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
Is Jesus sorting people into good and bad? Not in a way you can see from the outside. This is a comparison, not a test score. The same person can feel like the path one day and the thorns the next. And soil cannot make itself good. Faith is God's gift, not a grade you earn.
Who is Satan? The Bible calls Satan the enemy of God. Here Satan takes the word away before it can grow (4:15). Jesus came to overcome that enemy (3:27).
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The crowd | Eager | So many came that Jesus had to teach from a boat (4:1) |
| The followers | Confused | They asked Jesus what the story meant (4:10) |
| Jesus | The Bible doesn't say | He asked why they did not understand. Then he explained anyway (4:13-20) |
| The rocky-ground hearers | Joyful at first | They received the word with joy, then fell away when trouble came (4:16-17) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Which part of this story feels closest to you? Tap one.
Am I bad soil?
Worrying about this can be a sign that God's word is already at work in you. The farmer is still sowing, and he does not give up on his field.
My faith feels thin
Rocky ground describes a feeling many Christians have. Faith is a gift from God, not something you grow by trying harder. A worried father once told Jesus that he believed, and asked him to help his unbelief. Jesus did not turn him away (Mark 9:24).
Worries choke everything
Jesus named worries as real. They are not a sign you have failed. God keeps sowing his word, even into busy, crowded lives.
I don't understand it
Jesus's followers didn't either. They asked Jesus, and he explained. Asking is how you come close.
It's really bad right now
Please tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 any time. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"This parable means: try hard to be good soil."
What's true: Jesus does warn about things that choke faith, like worry and wanting money. Those warnings are real.
What the story is mainly about: The farmer, and the harvest. The farmer throws seed everywhere, even on paths and rocks. That looks wasteful. But God is generous with his word. And the ending is a surprise. Some seed makes 100 times as much. God promised that his word "will not return to Me empty" (Isaiah 55:11). The word does the work. Soil cannot make itself good. Faith is God's gift. The Holy Spirit gives it through the word.
Where Jesus is: Many Christians see Jesus as the farmer. He sowed the word by preaching to anyone who would listen, even from a boat. Later he gave his own life. Jesus compared himself to a kernel of wheat that dies and then produces many more seeds (John 12:24).
Good News
You do not have to make your own soil good. God keeps sowing his word, again and again, through Scripture, preaching, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.
The same God said his word is like rain and snow that make the earth sprout (Isaiah 55:10). The same God keeps working in you. "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion" (Philippians 1:6).
God's word is not weak, and God does not give up on his field. The harvest is his.
Big Idea
God sows his word generously, and that word grows faith and a harvest far bigger than we could make.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In the Small Catechism (1529), Luther explained the Third Article of the Creed. He wrote that we cannot believe in Jesus or come to him by our own reason or strength. Instead, the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel and keeps us in the true faith.
Lutherans call God's word and the sacraments the "means of grace." These are the ways God comes to us with forgiveness and faith. The Augsburg Confession (1530) was written by Luther's coworker Philip Melanchthon. It says God gives the Holy Spirit through the word and the sacraments. The Spirit makes faith where and when God pleases, in those who hear the Gospel (Article 5).
Luther also preached on this parable in his Church Postil, in a sermon for Sexagesima Sunday on Luke's telling of it (Luke 8:4-15). He noted that only a small part of the seed falls on good ground. But he said we can be sure God's word never goes out without bearing some fruit.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Matthew's telling of this parable (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23) in mid-July of Year A (Lectionary 15). One of that Sunday's two first-reading options is Isaiah 55:10-13, about God's word that does not return empty. Mark's telling (4:1-20) is not one of the Sunday readings.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please
How did that feel?