The Sower
Read the parable
- Matthew 13:1-23 Primary account
- Mark 4:1-20 Parallel account
- Luke 8:4-15 Parallel account
Context
Jesus taught this parable from a boat to crowds gathered on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Sowing in first-century Palestine was done by hand-broadcasting seed across the field, so some naturally fell on the hard-packed footpaths, the shallow soil over limestone bedrock, and the thorn-infested margins as well as the good field. Every listener knew this scene from daily life, which is exactly why Jesus chose it.
Meaning
Jesus himself explains the parable to his disciples: the seed is the word of the kingdom, and the four soils are four responses to hearing it. The path stands for hearers from whom the evil one snatches the word; the rocky ground for those who receive it joyfully but fall away under trouble or persecution; the thorns for those in whom the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word; and the good soil for those who hear, understand, and bear fruit — thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. The parable calls every hearer to ask what kind of soil they are.
Go deeper
Two free lessons walk through the parables as a whole: The Parables of Jesus and Interpreting the Parables.