“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Luke 8: 5-8)
The parable that Jesus tells about the sower going out into the field to sow seeds for his crop is very profound. God never intended his Word to be difficult or mysterious. God wants all people to come to Him and accept His free gift of Salvation. Not everyone will accept this free gift because we have a "sin nature" and a "freewill" to make decisions. This parable explains why some people will not accept God's free gift of Salvation.
In this parable, Jesus is talking about four different ways that people receive the Word of God. The seed represents the Word of God and the Sower represents the Believer spreading the Word. The four different types of soil mentioned in this parable represents the people that the seeds (Word) fall upon.
Now the first type of soil is the "Wayside" or path alongside a field or through a field. It is usually well traveled and the ground is hard and beaten down. The seeds can not grow because there is no soil to cover it. The seeds get eaten by birds (devil) and trampled on by the world. These people hear the Word of God, but the devil removes the seeds or puts doubt in their mind's concerning God. The devil takes away Gods Word from their hearts so they do not believe and do not receive Salvation. These people usually worship false gods, false religions or believe there is no God at all.
The second type of soil is "Rocky" and usually have just a thin layer of dirt on it. The seeds grow but the plants have a weak root system and can easily be pulled up. These people hear and receive the Word of God with joy, but they have no deep roots, so they believe for a while, but in time of trouble or temptation they turn away from God. These people are easily persuaded by false teachers and accept any type of religion that might be popular at the time.
The third type of soil is "among thorns" and are those who, when they have heard the Word of God, they accept it with joy. The seeds grow and have good roots, but the weeds and thorns choke them out. These people are so wrapped up in the world's cares, riches and pleasures that they put God last on their priority list. These people usually stop going to church or just go on Sundays to fulfil their "religious duties". The worldly (thorns) concerns make it impossible for these people to produce fruit to maturity or give freely of their time and resources to God.
The forth type of soil is "Good Ground" and are those people who, having heard the Word of God, has accepted it into their hearts and have produced fruit many times over by doing God's will. These seeds (God's Word) have fallen on soil that is enriched and deep enough where the seeds can grow into a mature plant with a strong root system. These people are not swayed by what false teachers say about Jesus and all of the false religions of the world. They are secure in their Salvation and know that their name is written in the "Lamb's Book of Life". They know that the more a person studies and meditates on God's Word, the deeper and stronger their "roots" will be.
What kind of soil were you when you first heard the Word of God. Were you "a wayside", were you "rocky" ground, were you "among thorns", or were you "good ground"? Jesus cried out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”. How is your hearing today? Can you hear God speaking too you?
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