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The Parable of the Sower

Matthew 13:3

And He told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow".

Full bible text

Matthew 13 verse 1 to 13
1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
2 And great crowds gathered about Him, so that He got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach.
3 And He told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow.
4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,
6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.
7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9 He who has ears, let him hear".

The Purpose of the Parables
10 Then the disciples came and said to Him: “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
11 And He answered them: “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13 This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand". 

About this painting

From some point during His public ministry, Jesus sometimes teaches the crowds through parables.
A parable is a story in which He conveys spiritual truths through imagery and examples from everyday life.
He does so to reveal those truths to those who are on His side, but at the same time hide them from those who are against Him.
Matthew 13 verse 13 to 17.
He does not cast pearls before swine.

The first parable is that of the sower. Jesus Himself explains the parable to His disciples in the verses 18 to 23. See above.

The earth in the parable is the human heart. The seed is the Word of God, or the proclamation of the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God. 1 Peter 1 verse 23.

Only the seed that falls on the good soil bears much fruit.
Luke 3 verse 8.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control;  against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5 verses 22 and 23.

God can work with the disposition of the heart, and make it receptive to His Word.
People who hear the Word of God are responsible for what they do with the message.

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