Parable of the Sower

“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” (Mark 4:3-8).

See Mark 4:13-20 for an explanation of what Jesus meant in the parable.

Notice what Jesus says about this parable in Mark 4:13:“Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables?“ 

In the parable of the sower Jesus talks about the responses different people have to hearing the Gospel. Some are saved, some become false converts. Jesus also said if you don’t understand this parable, you can’t understand any of the parables. This parable is the key to unlocking the rest of the parables. Why is that? If you look at the other parables, the wise and foolish virgins, the wise and foolish builders, weeds among good plants, etc. they are all about false converts and true believers. Jesus warned everyone of a false conversion over and over and over again.  We would be wise to listen to Him.  


Jesus warned that many will come to Him on the day of Judgement and tell Him about all of their good deeds and He will say to them “I never knew you, depart from me you workers of inequity” (Matthew 7:23 ). These people coming to Him aren’t pagans or unbelievers, there are people who think they are Christians but aren’t. Jesus said you will know them by their fruit. These are people who live godless lives, endless fornication, homosexuality, lying, and so on. They don’t fall into sin, they jump in head first. Jesus called them workers of inequity, which means those who practice lawlessness. These people never repented and continue to live as if God never gave a law.  Jesus said “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15).  You won‘t be perfect but you will have a lifestyle of obeying God, not living in rebellion.


The bribe these people mentioned in Matthew 7:23 give to Jesus is telling. They come to Him giving all of their good works, which the Bible says are like filthy rags to God. If they were really saved they would come to Him based on what He did on the cross, not their own good works. We can’t earn our way into Heaven, it’s a free gift. If people understood this many would be able to see why the American “Church” as a whole looks so much like the world, because it is the world. Most people who claim to be Christians are not Christians, they are deceived and their lives (fruit) proves it.  You must repent (turn from your sins) and put your trust in Jesus Christ (instead of your own “good” works).  We must do as the Bible says and examine ourselves to see if we are in the truth (See 2 Corinthians 13:5).