Parable of the Sower...Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

This parable of a sower who scatters seeds on different soils is familiar to us and it usually leads to lots of discussion centered on the sower and the soil.  This morning at breakfast, as we talked about this parable, a friend mentioned that the verses 18-23 really focus on the seed, the Word of God, and how we respond to it.  Instead of asking if we are fertile soil, this leads us to look how we treat the Word...letting it take root in our hearts so that it produces the fruit it was sent to produce.

Here are the facts....the seeds themselves are good and the sower is not careless in spreading them.  How the seeds grow is determined by the opportunity they find to take root.  I think of those pesky weeds that grow out of the cracks in my driveway.  They obviously found a good place to put down roots because I can't pull them up by the root.  I can trim them back, but they are rooted and will grow back within days. 

This is what the word of God will do if we let it take root in our hearts.  We may receive His word while we are in the thickets of life, overwhelmed with troubles, yet if we let it take root, God will give it room to grow by removing the thickets.  But if we hear His word and dismiss it or focus on the briers and brambles of life, instead of desiring for His words to be rooted within us, it will yield nothing.

By focusing on the seeds in this parable, we find that this is really about loving and desiring His Word to be in our lives.