Parable · Mark 4:1-20
The Sower
Seed falls on a path, on rock, among thorns, and on good soil. Only one yields.
Also called The Four Soils, The Seed and the Soils
The point
One of the few parables Jesus explains. The explanation is right there in the text.
1Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.
2And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said,
3“Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
5Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
6But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings, and they yielded no crop.
8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprouted, grew up, and produced a crop—one bearing thirtyfold, another sixtyfold, and another a hundredfold.”
9Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10As soon as Jesus was alone with the Twelve and those around Him, they asked Him about the parable.
11He replied, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to those on the outside everything is expressed in parables,
12so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”
13Then Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables?
14The farmer sows the word.
15Some are like the seeds along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.
16Some are like the seeds sown on rocky ground. They hear the word and at once receive it with joy.
17But they themselves have no root, and they remain for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.
18Others are like the seeds sown among the thorns. They hear the word,
19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
20Still others are like the seeds sown on good soil. They hear the word, receive it, and produce a crop—thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.”
Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Read the whole chapter
Told again in other gospels
The same parable, recorded differently. The differences are worth reading, not smoothing over.
Matthew 13:1-23Read the chapter
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea.
2Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.
3And He told them many things in parables, saying, “A farmer went out to sow his seed.
4And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
5Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow.
6But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.
8Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.
9He who has ears, let him hear.”
10Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?”
11He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
12Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
13This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’
14In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
15For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’
16But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
17For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18Consider, then, the parable of the sower:
19When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but 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.
20The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.
21But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
22The seed sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
23But the seed sown on good soil is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and produces a crop—a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.”
Luke 8:4-15Read the chapter
4While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, He told them this parable:
5“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, where it was trampled, and the birds of the air devoured it.
6Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the seedlings withered because they had no moisture.
7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the seedlings.
8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it sprang up and produced a crop—a hundredfold.” As Jesus said this, He called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
9Then His disciples asked Him what this parable meant.
10He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’
11Now this is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God.
12The seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
13The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away.
14The seeds that fell among the thorns are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life, and their fruit does not mature.
15But the seeds on good soil are those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, cling to it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Using this at church
Read in church on
- Lectionary 15 Year AGospel, Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
For a newsletter or sermon notes
The parable of the Sower, explained in plain words. Seed falls on four kinds of ground. Only one yields a crop. https://freescripture.org/parables/sower/
Lines for the next eight Sundays, on Digital Lutheran Church
More on what the kingdom is like
The Mustard Seed The smallest seed grows into a shrub large enough for birds to nest in.The Yeast A woman mixes yeast into a large batch of flour until it works all the way through.The Hidden Treasure A man finds treasure buried in a field, and sells everything he has to buy that field.The Pearl of Great Price A merchant finds one perfect pearl and sells his whole inventory to buy it.