Matthew

Jesus used parables to connect with the ordinary lives of people. They would understand the situation Jesus described, and then some would be intrigued to find out the deeper meaning. Everybody was familiar with farming. It was the principal element of the economy in Jesus' day, mainly sheep farming on the hills and harvesting crops from the flatter areas. Sowing was by throwing out handfuls of seed-corn from a basket by hand. The skill was to get the right amount of seed in the right places.

This verse comes just after Jesus had told the parable of the sower to the crowds but before the disciples asked Jesus what it meant. Yet by this short sentence Jesus was communicating a series of important truths. Firstly, He was saying that the parable was not just a story for amusement but a teaching from God with a message to be understood. Secondly, the meaning could only be discerned by people who had trained their ears to know what they were listening to. Thirdly, some people would never understand because they would not accept the gospel.
 

As Jesus was training His apostles to lead the church and evangelise the world (a task that was totally unknown to them at that time), He wanted them to ask questions because He wanted to share His 'secrets' with people who would treat them preciously. Holy things are to be treated with special care (Matthew 7:6). Jesus' task was not to educate and heal a nation but to prepare a handful of men to change the world through those 'secrets'.
 

Although Jesus spoke to many people, they did not hear Him or see what He was trying to show them. This was no new thing for Israel. Jesus was quoting almost directly from Isaiah 6:9-10 - which explained why God sent His people into exile over 500 years earlier - they had refused to listen to Him. Most of the kings had been apostate and they (and the people) ignored prophet after prophet. Their hearts were hard.
 

The Old Testament is the story of waiting: waiting for the coming of God's Messiah, Jesus. During that time, people like Abraham, Moses and David longed to see the person who would fulfil God's promise (John 8:56). They believed that He would come but never had the joy of seeing Him. They were commended for their faith and did not know why the delay was so long.

Everybody listening to Jesus would have understood about sowing seed by hand. It was not an accurate process to ensure that the seed only landed on fertile soil; some seed would go on the path. Also, the sower would not be alone. Birds would flock to the field in the hope of a meal. It would be more difficult for them to find the seeds in the crevices of the ploughed soil, but whatever landed on the path would be 'easy pickings'.
 

The second type of soil which Jesus described was full of rocks. There would have been some good soil, but the heavy stones prevented it from being ploughed without breaking the blade. So the ground became hard and dried out as it was baked in the sun. Stone below the surface prevented any seedling developing an adequate root system. As a consequence, any seed landing on that kind of ground might spring up quickly but be unable to sustain growth to maturity.
 

The third type of soil was full of thorns. Scattering seed over that kind of land would be unproductive because the ground was not well prepared. It was already occupied; any new seedling would have to fight for space to grow. Jesus used this well-known agricultural scene to teach His trainee apostles. They would be responsible for telling the gospel to the world, and they needed to be prepared for apparent 'evangelistic failure'.
 

Paths, rocky ground and thorn bushes do not provide a good environment for cereal crops to grow and be harvested; according to Jesus (Matthew 13:18-23). Good soil is good because it has been ploughed, aerated, watered; and its nutrients have not been washed out by floods or blown away in dust storms. The soil has had work done on it to make it ready to receive the seed and allow germination without competition from aggressive weeds.
 

The parable of the sower showed that the seed of God's Word is to be sown by people who tell others what God has said. This parable teaches about how God's enemy works. Instead of sowing truth, the devil carefully inserts lies into the vulnerable places of people's minds. The two opposing kinds of seed are often sown over the same time period. However the bad seed, which will stir up wicked desires, is sown when nobody is aware.