TELL ME A STORY

Unpacking the Power of the Parables
The Parable Of The Sower
Matthew 13:1-23

“Grandaddy, tell us a story.” During summer vacation I watched amused as all nine grandchildren clamored around my father on the couch, begging for another tale of his childhood. Perhaps they would hear of the “skunk surprise” he hid in the mailbox for the unsuspecting mailman or of afternoons spent skinny dipping and diving in the creek. Maybe he would tell them of the one week vacation he turned into three – without parental permission. No matter which subject he chose, they listened eagerly and attentively, not wanting to miss any details.

Why? Because they wanted to know the story. And because they wanted to know the storyteller.

My dad is good at telling stories, and perhaps one day he’ll write some down. But the greatest Storyteller of all time has already written us His story, and we should read them. Why? Because we want to know the story. And because we want to know the storyteller.

God knows everyone likes a good story, and He told many. We call some of them parables. One-third of Jesus’ recorded teachings are parables. “Parable” comes from the Greek words para and ballo, which together mean “to throw alongside.” A parable is a story which uses the things of earth to illustrate the things of heaven. Where something familiar describes something unfamiliar. The two are “thrown alongside” each other to help us grasp something great about God.

Jesus told over 20 parables, but over the next few weeks, we will look closely at just 8 of them. We’ll open the pages of the Book and unpack the power in each story, for Jesus wants us to know their meaning and their message. While on earth, Jesus spoke in parables to reveal the truth of God to ones who were seeking and to conceal the truth from those who were insincere. As His followers, may we have eyes that see, ears that hear, and hearts that understand as we listen to these stories of grace and truth.

The Parable of the Sower comes first. The pulpit for this parable was a boat, while the crowded congregation listened from the shore. Jesus said, "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear. Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

While this parable specifically describes four responses of those who hear “the message about the kingdom,” we can apply it generally to our own lives and consider our personal responses to God’s Word each time we hear it. God sows the seed of His Word onto our lives each time we read the Bible, hear a sermon, listen to a Christian song, attend a Bible study, and many other ways. Just as the seed of a plant contains life, so does the seed of God’s Word. Whether or not that life flourishes depends on the soil into which it has been flung.

So what about our soil? This story is called the Parable of the Sower, but it’s really the Parable of the Soils. What about you? How fertile is the soil of your heart? I remember when I was young I would often find little white boxes filled with dirt in my father’s truck. Although they looked very inviting to play with, I knew they were “soil samples” from different fields on the farm that were on their way to the lab to be analyzed for quality and fertility. Today is “soil sample” day. The analysis from this parable will show us our “soil” problems and how to solve them. Working in dirt can be messy, but the results will be marvelous! Let’s get on our gloves and get busy!

The Seed – God’s Word
The Soil – Our response to God’s Word

How To Get Good Soil:
 Plow up the Hard Places (vs. 5, 12)

God’s Word speaks to all areas of our lives. He leaves nothing “unspoken” to.
Hosea 10:12 “Break up your unplowed ground.”

What areas of your life need plowing?


 Pile up the Rocks (vs. 6, 20-21)

Rocks of rebellion, resentment, and rage
Boulders of bitterness
Stones of selfishness or stubbornness
Pebbles of pride

What do you need to pile up?

 Pull up the Weeds (vs. 7, 22 & Luke 8:14)

Life’s Worries
Life’s Riches
Life’s Pleasures

What do you need to pull up?

 Produce the Crop (vs. 8, 23)

By hearing the Word
By understanding the Word
By living the Word

What are you producing right now?