The Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:1-23
The Word and Its Receivers
(Matthew 13:3–9, 18–23)
“A farmer went out to sow his seed… Some fell along the path, some on rocky places, some among thorns, and some on good soil… Whoever has ears, let them hear.”
In this parable, Jesus describes a Sower who scatters seed on four different types of ground — the path, rocky ground, thorny ground, and good soil. Here the seed represents God’s Word (Luke 8:11), and the different soils represent different responses to that Word. Every day God is speaking – through His Word, through ministers, even though moments of life – planting seeds meant to grow in our hearts. But while God never stops sowing, not every seed takes root. The parable Jesus gave in Matthew 13 wasn’t quite a lesson on agriculture, but rather about how different hearts receive the same message. With this in mind, now I will pose a simple question:
“When God speaks, how do you receive it? "
Today, many believers hear the Word of God but few allow it to take root in their hearts. We live in a time when distractions, trials, and worldly pursuits easily choke the Word. There is a great need for believers to cultivate hearts that are ready and receptive to God’s Word—hearts that are plowed by repentance, softened by humility, and watered through prayer. Only then can the seed of God’s Word grow deep roots, endure hardships, and bear lasting fruit. We must not be mere hearers of the Word but doers who persevere in obedience and faith, allowing Christ to transform us from within.
In this parable, we have a farmer who scatters seeds on four different bases, and this will be our analogy to guide us in exploring this inquiry.
The Seed on the Path (The Closed Heart)
Jesus says, “Some fell along the path, and the birds ate it up. "This is the person whose heart has grown hard – maybe from disappointment, pride, or too many pains that were never let go. They hear the Word but take no time to understand it, and before it can take root, the enemy steals it away so that they may not believe and be saved. Consider a “Christian” who attends church out of routine but never really listens or applies what’s taught. They might say, “That was a nice sermon,” but never take time to reflect or study what they hear. By the time they leave, the Word has been “snatched away.” (Matthew 13:19)
The Seed on Rocky Ground (The Shallow Heart)
Jesus continues, “Some fell on rocky places where it did not have much soil. It sprung up quickly, but when the sun came up, the plants were scorched. "This is the heart that receives God’s Word emotionally, for the moment, but not deeply. There’s momentary excitement — a burst of passion — but no roots, similar to how praise and worship is conducted in most of today’s churches.
Some treat it as a hype session where they sing songs just because someone is leading the session but don’t take time to listen and grasp the gravity of what they are singing, not to mention the wonderful grace of God expressed by those hymns. These are Christians who get excited after a powerful message, but once hardship hits, their faith fades. In modern day, I can link this with the tendency where we love God when things go well, but we lose our fire when things don’t go our way. (Luke 8:13)
The Seed Among Thorns (The Crowded Heart)
Then Jesus says, “Other seeds fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. "This is the heart that receives the Word but has no room left for it to grow. The thorns are the distractions of life — worry, wealth, being ‘busy,’ and the pursuit of comfort. They leave neither time nor space for spiritual growth. The Word is there, but it’s choked by life’s noise. (Mark 4:19)
The Seed on Good Soil — The Receptive Heart
Finally, Jesus says, “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – some a hundred, some sixty, some thirty times what was sown. "I’ll translate the good soil not to mean a perfect heart but rather a prepared one. It is plowed by repentance, softened by prayer, and kept moist by humility. It listens, receives, and obeys. When the Word finds a heart like that, fruit follows naturally. (Luke 8:15) These are the people who forgive when it’s hard, serve when no one notices, not for their satisfaction but for the glory of God.
The only reason the seed was able to bear fruit is because it persevered. As Jesus said in Luke 8:15, “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”The other seeds never bore fruit because they lacked perseverance — they withered under trials, hardships, and the storms of life. In the same way, many people start well in faith but give up when challenges come. True fruitfulness comes only to those who hold firmly to the Word of God, stand strong in times of testing, and continue trusting God through every circumstance. It is perseverance — not comfort — that produces lasting fruit in a believer’s life.
Conclusion
For our question, “When God speaks, how do you receive it?” the answer lies only with you. Scrutinize your actions and intentions and also ask whether your love for God is based on the rewards you await or on His grace, mercy, kindness, and love for you.
The only way for a seed to bear fruit is for it to die and be buried in the soil. It must endure the darkness and the heat of the sun before it can sprout and grow. In the same way, we can only bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self-control when we die to our old sinful nature and its desires.
We must bury our old self — our habits, attitudes, and actions — and allow Christ to transform us from within. On our own, we cannot bear fruit unless we remain connected to the true vine, Jesus Christ. He alone prunes away everything that hinders growth so that we may become fruitful and flourish in our Christian walk.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” — John 15:4–5
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” — Galatians 5:22–23
Final Call
My call to you today is to align your focus on the cross and the message of Christ. Eliminate the noise and spiritual multitasking. Take time to read the Word, listen to the message, and be cautious to sieve what is true from what is manipulative distortion. Let the Word of God encircle your life, and not the other way around.
